STICK-SHIFT VENOM: Hennessey Reveals One-Off Manual F5

Is this the absolute pinnacle of the stick-shift? It could possibly well be!

Manual fans, rejoice: Hennessey has just built you the ultimate forbidden fruit. A one-off Venom F5 fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox has rolled out of Texas, and it might just be the wildest analogue hypercar on the planet.

Yes, you read that right. Based off the already-ridiculous F5 Roadster, Hennessey have decided it’s a great idea to strap three pedals and a polished shifter to the brutal 6.6-litre twin-turbo V8 engine. And then increase the power by over 200 horsepower to an absurd total of 2,031hp. What in the Texas?

Forget lightning-fast paddle shifts; this one’s about raw engagement. It’s a pretty stupid and counterintuitive idea, but that’s what makes it so unbelievably cool.

For Hennessey, this car is something of a flex. The Venom F5 was designed to chase records — namely the elusive 300 mph barrier — using a 7-speed automated single-clutch gearbox tuned for maximum efficiency. But this manual build tears up the script. It’s not chasing fractions of a second, it’s chasing goosebumps.

Imagine trying to keep over two-thousand horsepower in check while managing clutch modulation and gear changes? That’s the kind of task that requires a pair of very shiny bollocks.

But that’s the point. This is not a car for lap times or Nürburgring bragging rights. It’s theatre. It’s danger. It’s the kind of machine that makes purists misty-eyed and engineers lose sleep.

The spec is phenomenal as well. ‘River Sand’ metallic paint is accentuated by ‘Coco Brown’ carbon fibre. Hennessey states it is the most highly specced and expensive F5 ever.

So, will Hennessey build more? Don’t count on it. The company insists this is a one-off commission for a brave (and probably very wealthy) client who demanded something nobody else in the hypercar club has.

Three pedals. 2,031 horsepower. A gated shifter glinting in the Texan sun.
This isn’t progress. It’s rebellion.