A Hennessey Venom GT has managed to hit a barely believable 270.49mph (435km/h) at the Kennedy Space Center.
[full]The world record is currently held by the Bugatti Veyron, which set its — until now unbeaten — top speed of 269.86mph (435km/h) back in 2010.
However, since Hennessey first started building the Venom GT, the company has been trying everything it can to bring the record back to the US from Europe and is getting closer and closer to its objective.
Unfortunately, the latest attempt, though valid, won’t count.
For the new record to stand, it has to be ratified by Guinness. Therefore, the car needs to make a minimum of two runs and the average speed taken.
The Venom GT only made one pass. However, what’s astounding is that it managed to go faster than the Bugatti over such a short distance — 3.2 miles (5km). When the Veyron set its record it was on Volkswagen’s purpose-built track which offers a five-mile (8km) runway.[/full]
[full]As the Venom’s driver at the Space Center, Brian Smith, said, the car could have gone much faster but there was no runway left.
Whether or not the record is recognized, the achievement should still be celebrated.
Unlike the Veyron, which spent half a decade in development and burned through potentially billions of euros in the process, the Venom GT is a testament to American ingenuity.
Whereas the team at Bugatti started with a blank sheet of paper and a checkbook, John Hennessy and his team started with a Lotus Exige and then got creative. They strengthened and lengthened its chassis, threw away the standard engine and replaced it with a 7-liter V8 which is force-fed air via twin turbochargers.
The result is one of if not the fastest-accelerating production car currently on the market and has a devoted, growing fanbase.
The video of the run also highlights another salient issue when it comes to choosing the supercar that’s right for you. Acceleration is more important than top speed, unless you can afford to borrow an airport runway or have your own private circuit in the backyard. There is pretty much nowhere in the world where there’s enough straight road to hit 200mph in a car.[/full]
Source: Timeslive