The Hennessey Venom F5 is a 1,600bhp all-American hypercar

Hennessey Special Vehicles has pulled the covers off its new 1,600bhp hypercar at the SEMA motor show in Las Vegas.

Called the Hennessey Venom F5, the new model has been designed completely from the ground up, and has the Bugatti Chiron set firmly in its sights.

The Texas-based manufacturer and tuner, which has produced models such as the VelociRaptor 6X6 and Venom GT, believes the Venom F5 will be able to top 300mph – making it the fastest production car in the world.

Company founder and CEO John Hennessey said: “We’ve designed F5 to be timeless so that in 25 years it will still have a level of performance and design that will be unmatched.

“The F5 is an all-new car, designed and built from the ground up, from the engine to the chassis.

“We expect the Venom F5, named for the most powerful tornado speed winds on the Fujita scale, to be the first road car capable of achieving more than 300 mph.”

Power is set to come from a new twin-turbocharged V8 engine that Hennessey claims will develop more than 1,600bhp. This will be paired with a seven-speed paddle-shift transmission that will send power to the rear wheels.

A curb weight of 1,338kg and drag co-efficient of just 0.33 contribute to blistering acceleration figures. The sprint from 0-186mph is set to take less than 10 seconds, meaning the Venom F5 will be quicker than the current crop of Formula One cars.

By comparison, the Bugatti Chiron’s 8.0-litre W16 engine develops 1,479bhp and sends power to all four wheels. Its top speed is limited to 261mph for safety reasons.

Hennessey will manufacture just 24 examples of the Venom F5, with each set to retail for USD$1.6 million (circa £1.21 million).