Ever wondered why so many supercars claim a ‘217mph-plus’ top speed? The McLaren P1, LaFerrari and Lamborghini Revuelto are just a trio of heavy-hitting examples.
An easy, clean conversion to a mite under 350kph is one possible reason. Another explanation, however, is aerodynamics.
“There’s an exponential increase in difficulty and complexity beyond 220mph,” says Nathan Malinick, Hennessey’s director of design. “Most hypercars can do that no problem, but 250mph and above remains very, very difficult. You have to know what you’re doing.”
His most dramatic work so far is the Hennessey Venom F5, its target to be the fastest production car in the world.
Its theoretical 310mph-plus top speed (itself a neat 500kph) will outstrip Bugatti and Koenigsegg should it come to fruition, but Malinick is only too familiar with the soaring aerodynamic challenges as you try to surpass the triple-ton – at which point you’re covering a mile every 12 seconds and pushing tyre technology to its very margins. Handily, his CV includes work in the aerospace industry.
“We are a comparatively small company and we have to be extremely efficient. If our target was closer to 200mph then the requirements would be totally different. That’s still fast, but it’s nothing like 300, which is getting more into the aerospace side of things versus automotive,” he says.
“There is quite a bit of crossover. From an aesthetic and philosophical standpoint, the F5’s interior is relatable to some of the cockpits that I was working on in my previous role. Simplicity drives a lot of what we do; on the exterior, it drove things in maybe unusual ways.
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Surely a top speed in excess of 300mph, is about the most useless thing a car can have.
Just a car for minimally hung billionaires.
So, how does this help the rest of the car world?, do companies like Hennessey and others pass down some of their tech to help forward the kind of cars you and I drive daily?, yes, cars like these are amazing developments of transport,in the seventies the Ferrari Daytona was considered the best car because it could do 180+ mph, 300+ is an achievement no question and I guess if that's what you like about the car then that's ok.
They make it sound as if Ferrari and McLaren couldn't make a faster car if they wanted to but... you don't simply have to know what you're doing. You also have to care almost exclusively about that top speed number, which is something that the biggest players can't afford. Their cars must be great in many more ways.
And if you decide to get into that pissing contest that's only good for markrting and that no one can reproduce in real life, someone who cares even less about all else can beat you and all your precious marketing is gone.