Across the OEM side of the Blue Oval equation, Ford seems thoroughly preoccupied with nothing but zero-emissions SUVs and pickup trucks, and less with passenger cars. No worries, the aftermarket realm knows how to pick up the ‘broken’ pieces and smash them together in proverbially crazy ways!
In the factory-operated, regular section of the automotive industry, folks can be free of potential heart attacks because Ford is now preoccupied with showcasing the all-new, first-ever MEB-based Explorer all-electric SUV to make Mustang Mach-E owners envious of the intended $48k list price. It is also focused on ‘Project T3,’ which is the upcoming next-generation electric pickup truck that will be assembled at the stunning BlueOval City campus in West Tennessee.
Meanwhile, across the proverbially bonkers aftermarket realm, they do not only care about CUVs, SUVs, and pickup trucks – but also about feisty passenger cars like the ubiquitous Ford Mustang pony car. Now, aren’t you glad that Blue Oval’s corner office head honchos decided the company should end production of the S550-based third-gen Ford Performance Mustang Shelby GT500 to make room for more Predator 5.2-liter supercharged engines for the ultra-expensive Ford F-150 Raptor R? Wink, wink, we are totally and utterly ironical!
Indeed, they ‘saved’ you from spending a nice buck on Hennessey’s upgrades, as well as preparing a big cash flow to cover for all the inherent tire-shredding and potential donut-making expenses. Wink, wink, we are ironic, once again. Just in case you need to see what you are going to miss – at least until the seventh generation Mustang gets its GT500 version – Hennessey has prepared another of their YouTube vlog stints featuring a Venom 1000 build that does not seem to care that it is going to need a new set of rear tires after just a couple of minutes of smoky shenanigans.
But since we are not paying for the replacement rubber, we are more than ready and willing to indulge in this guilty pleasure – particularly since they are professionals, and they are doing all the crazy stuff in the safety of the company’s proving grounds. So, even if they ‘pulled a Mustang’ (aka a funny accident), no harm would have been done, and it would have easily been dropped on the cutting room floor. Anyway, as for Venom 1000's technical specs, we are just going to throw a reminder to understand why breaking the traction is no issue, at all.
After all, there’s 1,000 horsepower (at 7k rpm!) and 850 lb-ft (1,152 Nm) of tongue-twisting torque at just 4,800 rpm! And the company does not fool around with messy or shoddy upgrades because just about everything is heavy-duty and good enough to warrant a special three-year or 36k-mile (almost 58k kilometers) warranty! By the way, if that is not enough, there is also the 1,204-hp Venom 1200 package up for grabs!
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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