While Ferrari recently got enthusiasts talking with its manual V12 supercar, Hennessey decided to take the idea much further. The American performance company has officially revealed the Venom F5-M, a wild hypercar that claims the title of the world’s most powerful production car with a manual gearbox.
And this is not just another special edition with a different badge. Hennessey built the F5-M for drivers who still believe that shifting gears yourself is part of the experience, even when the car has more than 2,000 horsepower.
More Than 2,000 Horsepower With A Manual Gearbox
The letter M in Venom F5-M stands for Manual, and that one detail changes the whole character of the car.
Instead of giving the driver paddle shifters or a quick automatic transmission, Hennessey fitted the F5-M with a six-speed gated manual gearbox. That means the driver has to control a twin-turbo V8 producing more power than most racing cars, using a clutch pedal and a proper metal shifter.
2,031 Horsepower Sent To The Rear Wheels
The regular Venom F5 was already extreme with 1,817 horsepower, but Hennessey clearly wanted to push things even further.
The F5-M uses a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 tuned to produce 2,031 horsepower. That makes it one of the most powerful production cars ever built.
What makes it even more intimidating is how that power reaches the road. There is no all-wheel-drive safety net here. All 2,031 horsepower go only to the rear wheels through that manual transmission, creating a driving experience that sounds as terrifying as it is exciting.
A Roadster Built For Serious Speed
The Venom F5-M is based on a carbon-fiber monocoque and comes only as a roadster. Hennessey also gave it several major aerodynamic upgrades to help keep it stable at extreme speeds.
A large roof scoop feeds air to the engine, while a massive 55-inch rear fin helps generate downforce and improve stability at speeds above 322 km/h.
For the first time in the Venom family, the F5-M also gets adaptive suspension, giving the car more control through corners and at high speed.
A One-Off Look For The First Customer Car
The first Venom F5-M will appear at the 2026 Goodwood Festival of Speed, and it comes with a very special specification.
Built through Hennessey’s Maverick personalization program, the first customer car features exposed purple carbon fiber, real 24-karat gold accents, a hand-painted flag on the rear fin, and the word “Sheikh” displayed beneath the model name.
Only 12 Cars Will Be Made
Hennessey will build just 12 examples of the Venom F5-M worldwide, making it one of the rarest manual hypercars ever created.
Each car starts at $2.65 million, which is almost 9.94 million Saudi riyals before taxes, shipping, and personal customization.
The car will also show what it can do at Goodwood, where racing driver Alex Brundle is scheduled to drive it up the famous hill climb twice a day during the event.
ArabGT Opinion
The Venom F5-M feels like a rebellion against the direction modern hypercars are taking. Today, most extreme performance cars depend on electric motors, all-wheel drive, and fast automatic gearboxes. Hennessey went the other way and built something loud, mechanical, and brutally old-school.
Putting 2,031 horsepower through the rear wheels with a six-speed manual gearbox sounds almost unreasonable, but that is exactly what makes this car special. It is not trying to make driving easy. It is trying to make driving unforgettable.
Would you dare to control more than 2,000 horsepower with a manual gearbox and rear-wheel drive only?
