Hennessey Performance was founded in 1991, a year before the production debut of the Dodge Viper. Several years later, the Sealey, Texas company would go on to make a name for itself by boosting the outrageous V10-powered sports car’s output to staggering heights. But the Viper has been gone for almost a decade. To celebrate its starting year, Hennessey chose a familiar Ford performance car that’s still around and turned it into the Super Venom Mustang.
Company founder and CEO John Hennessey said, “Over the years we have only branded our most potent cars with our ‘Venom’ trademark: Venom Vipers, Venom GT and most recently our Venom F5. We are excited to unveil our SUPER VENOM Mustang as it offers supercar performance and can now be ordered directly from Ford dealers with a full warranty! Further, we are excited to commemorate our company’s founding in 1991 by offering only 91 units and a unique ’91 Icon’ livery.”
Available on the GT coupe and Dark Horse models with the 10-speed automatic or six-speed manual gearbox, the Super Venom treatment adds a variety of external, interior, and performance enhancements to produce what Hennessey calls “the world’s most capable high-performance muscle car.” The carbon fiber VenomAero kit consists of a pronounced front splitter, functional hood vent, side skirts, Porsche 911 GT3 RS-esque front fender louvers, a rear deck lid with an integrated duck bill, and a fixed rear wing. A black, silver, or red livery can be added to the factory paint color. Opting for the ‘91 Icon Livery gets you lightweight 20-inch wheels, Hennessey and Super Venom badging, and the Hennessey signature logo on the rear wing.
Interior changes include blue or black Hennessey leather and Alcantara seats with embossed Hennessey signature logos, a re-trimmed center console, and a dash plaque with the Super Venom Mustang’s individual serial number.
No Hennessey build would be complete without serious modifications under the hood. In addition to a supercharger, the Super Venom Mustang’s 5.0-liter V8 receives a high-flow air induction system, upgraded fuel injectors and fuel pump, and a Hennessey engine management system. Those changes boost the Dark Horse’s output from 500 horsepower to 850 and torque to 650 lb-ft. As a result, the Dark Horse’s times also improve. According to Hennessey, the Super Venom Mustang with the 10-speed auto can bolt to 60 mph in 3.2 seconds (an improvement of half a second) and finish the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 133 mph, besting the stock Dark Horse’s time of 12 seconds at 118.4 mph.
Prices for the Super Venom Mustang start at $149,950 for the GT model and top out at $163,950 for the Dark Horse. Both are covered by Ford’s factory warranty plus a three-year/36,000-mile Hennessey limited warranty. The following authorized Hennessey Ford dealers are currently accepting orders:
- Galpin Ford
- Ken Grody Ford
- 5-Star Ford
- Riddick-Brown Ford
- Kunes Ford
- Veterans Ford of Tampa
- Sarchione Ford