John Hennessey Says The Blackbird Is About Much More Than Big Numbers
There's more to a good car that just big performance numbers
Hennessy made a name for itself by building incredibly powerful and incredibly fast cars. The Venom GT is one of the fastest road-legal cars ever built, hitting 270 mph on a runway used by NASA in 2014. In 2020, the Venom F5 hit the production line, sporting a new twin-turbocharged 6.6-liter V8 with up to 2,031 horsepower, and delivering performance beyond even the ferocious GT. So when word surfaced about Hennessey's next hypercar, it seemed inevitable that the American firm would try to take performance to another stratosphere.
Instead, Hennessey recently launched the Blackbird. It doesn't aim to outperform the Venom F5, but rather to deliver an even purer, more focused driving experience. In a recent interview with CarScoops, company founder and CEO John Hennessey said the Blackbird is a different expression of what a hypercar can be. As all 71 units have already been sold, it appears customers like the direction Hennessey is taking.
"Blackbird is a statement about what else a Hennessey hypercar can be," he said. "We love horsepower and speed – that passion helped create the Venom GT and Venom F5, and we're incredibly proud of those cars. But the answer to 'what comes next?' didn't have to be a bigger number. With Blackbird, we wanted to deliver a different kind of extraordinary vehicle that connects with our customers in a totally different way."
The Blackbird is all about the driving experience
According to John Hennessey, the company's customers "love driving," and this encouraged the company to give its latest product "a high-revving, naturally aspirated V8, a gated manual transmission, and a screen-free cockpit."
The Blackbird's engine promises to be a firecracker. It will be a naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V8 developed alongside Ilmor Engineering that will produce between 800 hp and 850 hp. The engine will rev beyond 9,000 rpm and, according to John Hennessey, deliver "immediate throttle response, linear power delivery, and a sound that makes every drive an occasion." The Blackbird will also be sold exclusively with a six-speed gated manual transmission and rear-wheel drive.
This new model also promises a duality that the Venom GT and Venom F5 can't match. Hennessey describes it as a "touring hypercar" designed to deliver comfort and visibility, and to provide owners with enough luggage space for a weekend away.
Hennessey
Cars like the Blackbird, as well as other naturally aspirated hypercars like the GMA T.50 and Nilu27, all deliver extraordinary levels of performance, but are about more than chasing numbers. According to Hennessey, "there is a rich future for combustion-powered hypercars that offer something truly special," like the Blackbird.
"We know cars like Blackbird will be treasured for years thanks to the emotional connection between car and owner," he added. "That's enabled and enhanced by the combination of a great-sounding V8, beautiful proportions, and physical controls that don't depend on the latest screen or software to feel special. Hybrids or EVs use across the wider automotive market is a separate question. But for cars that connect deeply with their owners and automotive enthusiasts around the world, we know that combustion power is something that's hard to beat!"
Hennessey