Dropping 1,200 hp and 1,135 lb-ft of torque into a 2548-pound chassis qualifies the Venom GT from Hennessey Performance as a supercar by any definition. The first twin turbo, LS9-equipped rocket left its Silverstone, England home for a new owner in the United Arab Emirates recently.

Photos: Hennessey Performance

Visually, the Venom GT bears a distinct resemblance to the Lotus Elise sports car, which is where the Hennessey production process begins. New front and rear suspension and space frame components replace the original, while carbon fiber body components replace many of the original Lotus pieces.

At the most “basic” level, the Venom GT ships with a 725 HP, supercharged LS9 engine. A Ricardo transaxle is common to all Venom GT versions. Exterior and interior finishing are completed to the individual purchaser’s selections. Both left and right-hand drive versions are available.

The Venom GT is built in England and engines arrive from the Hennessey Performance Engineering main facility in Texas.

“This is the fulfillment of a dream that I have had since I was a kid”, says company founder, John Hennessey. “But it is also just the beginning as we begin to demonstrate the performance capabilities of the Venom GT in the near future”.

That performance is expected to include 0-100 kph times under 3 seconds and a top speed of 260 mph.