December 10, 2011
Hennessey Performance’s John Hennessey
In this episode, Adam Carolla and Matt D’Andria sit down with John Hennessey for a talk about high-performance and super cars. He brings in his $1 million+ super car, the Venom GT Spyder. The Venom GT boasts a Veyron-smoking 15.3 second 0 to 200 mph time.
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Hennessey Performance is well-known for modifying Dodge Vipers. But they also have packages for modifying Camaros, Corvettes, Mustang Boss 302s, Ford F150s to turn out over 700 hp.Check out Hennessey Performance at HennesseyPerformance.com
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Show Credits
Executive Producer: Donny Misraje
Producer: Jeff Fox
Audio Engineer: Chris Laxamana
Hennessey Performance’s Venom GT
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJlfjR8RLM0
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I love the Hennessey stuff but he is dead wrong on the electric/green stuff. The pushing of green regs is what has made many of the current cars great. Without marks for the car companies to hit, they wouldn’t be building the efficent and fast cars we have avaialable. He can’t modify Teslas, thus he doesn’t like them. They are not for him though. Neither if a Ford Focus or Honda Civic Si, or S2000, but those are great “green”cars using new efficent environmentally sound technology. Pushing new technology from the government level, though expensive, is what we have to thank for our new efficent toys. Japan beat us to it, now we are playing catch-up.
Here’s the Bugatti Veyron pulling out at Goodwood:
Watching the shock on the passenger’s face is kinda fun!
The video of the catching of the Nissan GTR is also out there, but it’s a bit like watching a cat catching a lizard, if the cat doesn’t really want to eat the lizard; with no opportunity to pass it just turns into a commute behind a little old lady in the left lane.
Redo on the video:
http://www.youtube.com/v/0pE_WFWjsgE
Thanks for the link, Chris. I don’t like the look of the (Lotus) Hennessey, but I admit it is a very impressive SuperCar. Love the face of passenger John. I’d be even more awestruck.
The car is fascinating because it’s hideous.
When I was a kid, I saw a Garter snake that just ate a bullfrog. It could hardly move. It seemed drunk, unnatural and repulsive. I grabbed a shovel and hit it with the flat side, over and over, until it was dead.
I have the same revulsion here, but it’s attractive. The snake stretched its yaws and swallowed a V8.
*jaws. Funny thing is I looked at that twice and it looked right, but I knew it was wrong.
I enjoyed the interview but as others have said Hennessey is wrong about EVs and “greenies”. Fox news would like you to believe that the whole push for green car is brand new & an invented by Obama. In fact, as Jay Leno points out the US had electric cars in 1906 and again in 1997, only to crush them both times under pressure from powerful oil companies & lobbying.
It took a new company (Tesla) and Japanese automakers (Nissan and Mitsubishi) to finally put some of these cars on the market. They are NOT for everyone, but for me and millions other people, they are practical, economical and can accelerate faster than a Ferrari or Viper (Tesla Roadster Sports – 0-60 miles in 3.4 seconds).
EVs have their own tuner & performance community modifying EVs and drag-racing them against the best gas guzzlers. Like Hennessey,s Venom they use carbon fiber chassis with advanced battery management systems (BMS) and high-performance (17K RPM) electric motors.
These facts are fine, but you sound way too biased without actual automotive industry and technology knowledge/understanding.
-The Japanese companies are not necessarily more advanced with electric. Any company could produce a full electric. I think GMs volt is of greater practicality for the masses. For city commuting you’d always use electric, charging during downtime. For long distance a flexfuel generator, only charging a percentage of time. Leno is still on his first tank of gas after 110,000mi !
-Secondly, diesel, diesel, diesel! Listen to the latest Gale Banks carcast and he confirms what myself and many other auto dorks have preached for years. But I wonder why it’s not popular (Liberal misconceptions)? Or why a fuel cheaper to produce than gasoline is more expensive? I love BMWs new commercials poking fun at the misconceptions of the past. As Banks talks about the ability to create diesel from algae efficiently, its worth a listen!
-Last, drag racing. The best gas guzzler… top fuel dragsters. Nothing electric even remotely close nor exciting to witness in person.
I work in the construction business and the truck I bought this year is a diesel and I love it.
It’s all about saving money: people will buy what’s cheaper to run long term rather than initial cost.
Great episode and amazing car! I’d love to see Adam talk to the guys at Underground Racing who pump out those 1000whp+ street legal twin turbo Lambos! I’ll never own one so the next best thing for me would be to get to live vicariously through my hero (and possibly my real father, although I’m still waiting to hear back about that ‘sample’ of Adam I requested some time back. C’mon guys, I even offered to cover the return postage through Stamps.com!) and see him get to drive one.
Good times!
Such an awesome car. Such an ugly color…
Is that another LS based motor? Love me some modern GM & Ford Muscle
I had no idea so many EV tree huggers watched this podcast.
Great show.
Loved the noise from the Venom. sounded incredible!!
Cheers.
Sweet, that just absolutely made my freakin’ day :-]
You guys should get Jason Heffner on here!
That Hennessey car looks like an abortion gone wrong.
That’s exhaust is the most Radical engine I’ve every heard. I was thinking the entire time, big V8’s with turbos are awesome. Electric cars are great, but the public still likes muscle, and also the battery technology isn’t ready yet. We’ll see more “Green technology when oil and gas prices go above $5 gallon, the energy market will drive the investment in “Green”.
The venom GT is just bad freaking ass. I just watched that video with Drive and boy did the guy look like hes having some fun smashing through third gear. I wouldn’t mind buying one but a million dollar price tag and only 6 being made I think I can wait 🙂