Hennessey has announced the Venom F5-M, a new open-top F5 derivative fitted with a six-speed gated manual transmission. The company quotes 2,031 bhp and, on that basis, calls the F5-M the world's most powerful manual road car. Production is limited to 12 Roadsters, with prices starting at $2.65 million.
The 6.6-litre twin-turbo Fury V8 remains behind the cabin, but the F5-M also receives the broader Venom F5 Evolution package. Hennessey says this brings a new carbon-fibre chassis, revised aerodynamics and active suspension. The defining change is mechanical rather than electronic: the driver selects six gears through a conventional lever moving in an exposed metal gate.
A long dorsal fin provides the clearest exterior identifier. It runs from the roof-mounted intake toward the rear deck and measures 55 inches, or about 1.4 metres. Hennessey says the fin contributes to high-speed aerodynamic behaviour as well as giving the car its own visual identity. All 12 cars will be individually specified, while chassis one is receiving additional work through the company's Maverick bespoke division.
The global debut is scheduled for July 9 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, where Alex Brundle will drive the F5-M on the hill. That dynamic appearance matters because Hennessey is presenting the car as a functioning extension of the F5 programme rather than a design-only special.
The unusual part of the F5-M is therefore not simply another increase in output. It combines more than 2,000 bhp, an open cockpit and a traditional three-pedal transmission in a market where extreme-performance hypercars have largely moved to automated gearboxes. The "most powerful manual" title remains a manufacturer claim, but the specification and 12-car limit make the F5-M a distinctly rare proposition.