Hennessey Venom GT Spyder
Hennessey Venom GT Spyder sets new world record at at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California. Pictired: Hennessey Venom GT Spydervenomgt.com/media kit

Hennessey, an American tuning house that specialises in modifying sports and super cars, set a new world record in its Venom GT Spyder for being the fastest convertible by reaching 427.4 kmph. The record run has been certified by Racelogic, the renowned independent speed testing firm. The run was held at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California.

The Venom GT broke the record of Bugatti Veyron Super Sport Vitesse that reached the speed of 408.8 kmph in 2013. The Venom GT roadster was driven by Brian Smith, director of the Ford Performance Racing School.

The Venom GT is powered by a twin-turbo 7.0-litre V8 engine producing 1,451bhp at 7,200rpm and 1,745Nm of torque at 4,200 rpm mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox by Ricardo. All the power has been transmitted to the rear Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires. Hennessey claims the Venom GT is capable of climbing from 0 to 100kmph in less than 2.4 seconds.

Celebrating the record, Hennessey will sell three units of "World Record Edition" Venom GT Spyder. Each will cost $1.3 million or Rs. 8.64 crore; taxes will be extra. The year 2016 also marks the 25th anniversary of Hennessey Performance.

The Venon GT's coupe version also broke the record in 2014. The Venom GT coupe achieved a top speed of 435.3 kmph at the Kennedy Space Center. "We are grateful to have the help of so many friends, family, employees, customers and partners over the past 25 years. We look forward to the next chapter of the Venom with the F5 as we keep making fast cars faster for the next 25 years," said John Hennessey, founder of the company, in a statement.