This Hennessey Venom 1200 Gives Mustang Shelby GT500 A 1,204 Horsepower Upgrade
The Shelby GT500 is well known for being the most hellacious version of the Mustang. From the factory, it puts out 760 supercharged angry horses from its 5.2-liter V8. Prior to the model's discontinuation, the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon was one of the few muscle cars up to the challenge of facing a Shelby Mustang.
Like its other supercharged ilk, the GT500 is not even a remotely inexpensive car as the price is a nice $79,420 before checking any options boxes. But what if you were a potential Shelby customer that wanted more from a GT500? What if you thought 760 horsepower was just too pedestrian for your tastes? What if you just hated the idea of spending any less money on a car that's really only useful on a racetrack in the middle of the desert?
Well, Hennessey – the maker of all manner of speed-related affronts to decency — has the Shelby for you.
The word's angriest Mustang
Dubbed the Venom 1200 Mustang GT500, the latest Hennessey unholy machination started life as a GT500 and has been boosted to 1,204 horsepower. Hennessey achieved that devilry by squeezing every possible ounce of performance from the Mustang's 5.2-liter powerplant. Adding a 3.8-liter supercharger helps matters quite a bit.
Hennessey Performance
John Hennessey, chief speed warlock and founder of Hennessey explains the motive: "The stock Shelby GT500 is an extraordinary muscle car, but we take it to the nth degree with our Venom 1200. Our engineers were able to coax more than 400 additional horsepower out of the engine, which takes performance to supercar levels. Only a handful of vehicles in the world offer this level of power ... especially at this price point."
Hennessey Performance
"Price point" is a relative term as the speed treatment costs $59,950 plus the cost of the car itself. That's still significantly less than say, a Lamborghini Aventador, or a new Ferrari, but still incredibly expensive for what is essentially a track toy. A 1,200-plus horsepower Mustang with a supercharger that seems like it can swallow other cars whole isn't necessarily a practical grocery-getter. Usefulness aside, Hennessey said it will only make 66 Venom 1200 models total.