Hennessey's Supercharged Venom 800 Is an F-150 That Eats Raptors for Breakfast

Unless you’ve spent your entire life under a rock, you should be familiar with Hennessey Performance’s mighty legacy in the aftermarket realm. Ever since the company’s birth back in 1991, Texas’ beloved tuner never ceased to amaze the automotive industry with its spectacular feats, some of which have adorned these very pages in the past.

In fact, we visited Hennessey’s spectacular inventory on several occasions to drool over their majestic works of four-wheeled art, such as a brutal GMC Sierra 1500 (dubbed Goliath 700) and one monstrous Dodge Demon with no less than 1,500 untamed ponies on tap, to name a couple. Needless to say, these creations do a wonderful job of demonstrating the firm’s abilities.

This time around, we’ll be diving in for a thorough examination of Hennessey’s accomplishments on the range-topping Ford F-150 Platinum SuperCrew. The venture in question has been nicknamed Venom 800, and we have to agree that it brings about some seriously menacing vibes!

As for Blue Oval’s standard pickup, the machine is brought to life by a relentless 5.0-liter V8 colossus that boasts a solid compression ratio of 12.0:1. At 6,000 rpm, this nasty animal is perfectly capable of producing up to 400 hp, while a torque output of 410 pound-feet (555 Nm) will be generated at approximately 4,250 revs.

In terms of the vehicle's drivetrain, a ten-speed automatic gearbox is tasked with distributing the engine’s mighty force to all four wheels. On the other hand, stopping power is taken good care of by top-shelf disc brakes equipped to each and every one of F-150's 20-inch aluminum hoops. Up front, the whole structure is supported by an independent double wishbone module and coilover shocks, accompanied by a leaf suspension setup at the rear end.

Now, if these specs don’t quite satisfy your fierce appetite for mechanical muscle, then Hennessey’s Venom 800 will certainly do the trick! Not only does this beast host a healthy dose of additional oomph in its engine bay, it also looks like a genuine apex predator in the pickup truck food chain. Let’s take a minute to analyze what’s at hand here, shall we?

For starters, the American auto wizards went about attaching a humungous 3.0-liter supercharger to the car’s stock V8 behemoth. To handle the extra power with ease, the powertrain also received a fresh cold air induction system and a custom stainless-steel exhaust, as well as a new fueling setup that’ll keep the mill satiated.

Ultimately, this state of affairs unlocks as much as 805 bhp and 727 pound-feet (986 Nm) of twist, enabling Venom 800 to do 0-60 mph (0-96 kph) in no more than 3.6 seconds. Furthermore, Hennessey’s leviathan will run the quarter mile in 11.9 seconds without breaking a sweat, which is pretty damn impressive for a car that has the drag coefficient of a tank.

To match these output figures, the aftermarket specialists honored the brakes with an assortment of Brembo components, while Venom’s tweaked suspension items provide six inches (152 mm) of additional ground clearance.

The finishing touches come in the form of cosmetic modifications that’ll let everyone know this isn’t your regular F-150, including the company’s signature grille, ten-spoke wheels enveloped in all-terrain rubber, and a bulky front bumper wearing an ominous ram bar.

Lastly, the Venom 800 comes with a three-year (or 36,000-mile) warranty to keep customers covered. Hennessey will develop just 100 such super trucks, and each of them will be priced at $149,500.