Hennessey Takes Christmas Tree to Needle-Stripping Velocities

Released

Sealy, TX

December 22, 2022

Hennessey Venom 1000 Mustang GT500 sets ‘tree-mendously’ impressive new holiday record
Fraser Fir doesn’t sap speed as modified muscle car hits a blustery 192 mph at Continental Tire Proving Grounds in Texas
Annual ‘Christmas Tree Run’ is a joyful Hennessey holiday tradition that validates the power and performance of the company’s vehicles

Sealy, Texas (December 22, 2022) – Hennessey, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer and high-performance vehicle creator, has attained a new unofficial holiday record, having driven its Venom 1000 Mustang GT500 to a velocity of 192 mph with an illuminated Christmas tree strapped to the roof. The achievement occurred earlier this week at the Continental Tire Proving Grounds in Ulvade, Texas, under the impartial eye of jolly old Saint Nick.

Based on the most powerful factory-produced Mustang of all time, the stock Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 boasts a hand-built supercharged 5.2-liter V8 with a 2.65-liter Roots-type supercharger nestled on top. Hennessey’s Texas team upgrades the iconic pony car with a high-flow induction system, new fuel rails and injectors, and an air/oil separation system. In addition, fittings, lines, belts, and tensioners are upgraded, and the dual-clutch transmission is recalibrated for its high-output role. The result is the Venom 1000 Mustang GT500, which is rated at 1,000 bhp and 850 lb-ft of torque on 93 octane pump gas – all backed by a Hennessey 3-year / 36,000-mile warranty.

Piloted by professional race car driver Spencer Geswein under clear blue Texas skies with temperatures in the mid-50s, the Venom 1000 Mustang GT500 achieved the record speed on the closed circuit without drama. This is despite the significant additional drag (and holiday cheer) produced by a festal light-adorned evergreen. The vehicle was not altered explicitly for the run, except for removing the factory under hood ‘rain tray’ to improve airflow. The coupe, a desirable 2022 ‘Golden Ticket’ GT500, was finished in a very rare – yet seasonally festive – Eruption Green paint.

John Hennessey, company Founder and CEO: “Our annual ‘Christmas Tree Run’ serves two roles for our growing company. First, testing our performance at a proving grounds is a great opportunity to validate our engineering – the Venom 1000 delivers impressive numbers. Second, adding the seasonal twist allows our hard-working team to end the year with some high-speed fun before they slow down and enjoy their families for the holidays.”

The ‘Christmas Tree Run’ has become a Hennessey tradition, with the team carefully choosing the proper pairing between vehicle and evergreen – if nothing else than to ensure needle stripping speeds. In 2017, the company used a 2018 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Widebody to take a tree to 174 mph – establishing a benchmark. The number was broken in 2019 when its HPE1000 Jeep Trackhawk hit 181 mph with a hapless Douglas Fir strapped on its roof rails. And last year, Hennessey cracked 183 mph with a tuned Audi RS 6 Avant (borrowed from John Hennessey’s wife!) with a fresh Christmas tree tied to its roof.

Media Contact:
press@hennesseyperformance.com

About Hennessey®:
Based in Sealy, Texas, the Hennessey® business comprises Hennessey® Special Vehicles, Hennessey® Performance (HPE), Tuner School, and the Lonestar Motorsports Park. The company has re-engineered more than 12,000 vehicles for performance enthusiasts from around the world to deliver unparalleled driving thrills. Alongside modifying a diverse range of sports, and muscle cars since 1991, the company also applies its high-performance expertise to trucks and SUVs – and boasts its own hypercars – the Venom GT and the Venom F5.

Every Hennessey® product is dyno-proven, fully track-tested, street-legal and warrantied. Customers can choose from road-ready performance-enhanced cars by Hennessey® from a wide variety of brands including Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and Jeep in addition to benefitting from a host of high-performance upgrades.

With its own test track, engineering curriculum for aspiring tuners, more than 85 team members and capacity to work on 40-50 vehicles at a time, Hennessey® Performance is one of the world’s leading specialist vehicle engineering companies. The new 6.6-litre V8 Venom F5 hypercar is set for customer deliveries in 2022. Boasting 1,817 hp and a +311 mph top speed, the company is guaranteed to deliver like never before on its mission of ‘making fast cars faster’.

About John Hennessey
As the company founder and CEO, John Hennessey lives and breathes fast, fun cars. John developed a passion for performance while competing at world-renowned motorsport events, including Pikes Peak, the Silver State Classic, and the Bonneville Salt Flats (where he set a class world record).

What started in 1991, modifying imports out of his garage, soon morphed into building 1,000-horsepower twin-turbo Dodge Vipers that gained international recognition in car magazines such as Motor Trend, Car and Driver, Top Gear, and Road and Track.

Known as an American icon of speed, John has achieved his vision to be the top automotive tuner and builder in the U.S. With a global sales footprint covering the U.S., Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East, he continues to find ways to engineer greater performance from some of the world’s most iconic vehicles alongside the creation of the company’s world-class hypercar – the Hennessey Venom F5.