American hypercar manufacturer Hennessey has set a new unofficial world record - after a souped-up Mustang hit a speed of 192 mph with an illuminated Christmas tree strapped to the roof!
Needle-less to say, don’t try this at home!
Hennessey is a Texas-based firm that specialises in modifying and tuning muscle cars, trucks and SUVs.
It also produces its own cars - the Venom GT and the bonkers, 1817 hp Venom F5 (below).
You can actually purchase Hennessey cars here in the UK, thanks to the H.R. Owen Luxury Motor Group, based in London’s Mayfair, which is an exclusive authorised Hennessey retailer.
And each year, for the past five years, Hennessey has performed an annual ‘Christmas Tree Run’ to see how fast it can go with a fir tree plonked on the top of one of its motors!
In 2017 it used a Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody to take a tree to 174 mph – establishing a benchmark.
In 2019 Hennessey broke its own record with a HPE1000 Jeep Trackhawk, managing a speed of 181 mph.
Last year the record was broken again, this time when a tuned Audi RS 6 Avant cracked 183 mph (below).
Now the record has tumbled once again after a Hennessey Venom 1000 Mustang GT500 managed a speed of 192 mph - Fraser Fir tree stowed on the roof - at the Continental Tire Proving Grounds in Texas.
How does the road-legal Hennessey Venom 1000 Mustang GT500 differ from the regular Mustang muscle car?
A Hennessey spokesperson tells us: “Based on the most powerful factory-produced Mustang of all time, the stock Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 boasts a hand-built supercharged 5.2-liter V8 with a 2.65-liter Roots-type supercharger nestled on top.
“Hennessey's Texas team upgrades the iconic pony car with a high-flow induction system, new fuel rails and injectors, and an air/oil separation system. In addition, fittings, lines, belts, and tensioners are upgraded, and the dual-clutch transmission is recalibrated for its high-output role. The result is the Venom 1000 Mustang GT500, which is rated at 1,000 bhp and 850 lb-ft of torque on 93 octane pump gas.”
John Hennessey, company Founder and CEO, added "Our annual ‘Christmas Tree Run’ serves two roles for our growing company.
“First, testing our performance at a proving grounds is a great opportunity to validate our engineering – the Venom 1000 delivers impressive numbers. Second, adding the seasonal twist allows our hard-working team to end the year with some high-speed fun before they slow down and enjoy their families for the holidays."
If you’d like to get behind the wheel of a slightly more sedate Ford Mustang, you can lease one with Select from around £661 per month (prices correct as of 22/12/22).
We were also lucky enough to get behind the wheel of the range-topping Mustang Mach 1 earlier this year - and it guarantees that every single journey is an event.
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