Hennessey Venom F5

Its sights firmly set on the far side of 300mph, we get an early drive in the sensational, 1817bhp Venom F5. Deep breath...

- RICHARD MEADEN

YOU'LL BE FAMILIAR WITH THE HENNESSEY Y Venom F5. Conceived to crack 300mph, this sequel to the ballistic Venom GT is Texas tuning mogul John Hennessey's ultimate statement on extreme speed.

Five miles a minute might seem the most trivial of pursuits, but just as the magic milestones of 100 and 200mph motivated engineers and fascinated drivers in the distant and more recent past, so 300mph is today's supercar Shangri-La. It's this rarefied realm that the F5 has been built to explore.

When you're offered the unexpected chance to get close to a bona fide 300mph challenger, you jump at it, even if it's billed as little more than a shakedown. Which is how we find ourselves not at some shimmering NASA facility in Texas or Florida, but at the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, England, where Hennessey's F5 development prototype is being run ahead of its dynamic debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

Full-speed runs aren't on the agenda, not least because Millbrook simply isn't big enough, but John Hennessey has promised we can give it the beans on the Mile Straight and drive it on the Alpine Route. It's the type of opportunity that simultaneously parches your mouth and moistens your palms.

There's something about targeting monster speeds that lends this unique breed of car a special kind of charisma. No matter how jaded you might think you are about cars that are ridiculously rapid and cost several million dollars, I guarantee you would be pulled towards the F5 as if by some sort of tractor beam. The shape is super-subtle, every surface smoothed and curve elongated to present as little resistance to the air as possible. With a generous wheelbase and ride height set low for stability and efficiency, it has an arrow-like form and function.