There was a time when the most serious supercars were judged not only by speed, power and rarity, but also by the amount of responsibility they placed into the hands of the driver. Manual gearboxes, open cabins, compact cockpits and direct mechanical interfaces were not nostalgic features. They were simply part of the experience. In a modern hypercar world increasingly defined by automatic gearshifts, hybrid systems and digital control layers, Hennessey has chosen a different direction for the next chapter of the Venom F5 story.
The car is called the Hennessey Venom F5-M and it is scheduled for its global debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 9, 2026. The setting is appropriate, because Goodwood is still one of the few places where a new hypercar can be seen not only as a static object, but also in motion, in front of an audience that understands what such machines represent. During the four-day event, the F5-M will appear in the Supercar Paddock and will also run up the Goodwood Hill twice daily, driven by racing driver Alex Brundle.
At the centre of the story is not just another derivative of the Venom F5, but a new member of the family developed around a very specific mechanical decision. The F5-M uses a six-speed gated manual transmission. That single component changes the character of the car, because it moves one of the most important actions in a 2,031 bhp machine directly back to the driver.
Power comes from Hennessey’s 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged Fury V8. In this latest form, output is quoted at 2,031 bhp, making the F5-M the most powerful manual road car announced by the company. The engine is combined with rear-wheel drive, traction control and engine management systems created to manage the delivery of power through the gears. In a car of this output, the manual gearbox is not a decorative feature. It becomes one of the defining elements of how the car is understood and used.
The F5-M also receives the Venom F5 Evolution package, which brings changes to aerodynamics, chassis architecture and suspension. Hennessey describes the car as using a new carbon fibre chassis, bespoke bodywork and revised aerodynamic elements. The open-top Roadster configuration remains important to the concept, because it places the sound and presence of the Fury V8 much closer to the occupants than a closed body would allow.
The most visible new exterior feature is the dorsal fin. Measuring 55 inches, or 1,400 mm, it runs from the roof-mounted air intake towards the rear deck. Its role is not only visual. According to Hennessey, it also contributes to stability and aerodynamic behaviour at speeds beyond 200 mph. The fin works together with the integrated roof scoop, which directs cool air towards the engine bay, while air moving around the sides is channelled rearwards.
The first production car is also a highly personalised example. Belonging to a UK customer, Chassis 1 will be the car shown at Goodwood. It is finished in exposed purple carbon with anodised gold accents. Hennessey’s Maverick division was used for individual exterior and interior details, including a 24-karat gold nose badge and the family name Sheikh placed on the rear of the car and stitched inside on the driver and passenger knee pads.
The same car also carries a pair of hand-painted national references on the rear part of the dorsal fin. One side features the British Union Flag, while the other carries the American Stars and Stripes. Both are interpreted in the same gold tone used for the other livery accents, linking the nationality of the owner with the origin of the manufacturer.
Inside, the F5-M has been arranged around the manual transmission. The billet aluminium shifter sits in a precision-milled six-speed gate, placed prominently in the centre console. This is one of the most important details of the whole car, because it is the part the driver will touch every time the engine’s output is moved from one gear to the next. The short-throw lever, its weight and its movement through the metal gate are all part of the intended mechanical character.
This new interior layout is more than a minor alteration to an existing cabin. Hennessey design director Nathan Malinick described the manual gearbox as a change that affected driver involvement, exterior presence, aerodynamics and the centre console. In that sense, the F5-M is presented not as a Venom F5 with one component exchanged, but as a design response to a different type of driving experience.
Production will be limited to only 12 examples worldwide. Each F5-M Roadster will be individually specified, with customers in different markets, including the United States. The starting price is listed at 2.65 million dollars before taxes, placing it among the most exclusive current hypercars by volume and cost.
The introduction of the F5-M also has importance beyond this limited run. Hennessey states that both the manual transmission and the updated chassis architecture will later be available across other Venom F5 models. This includes Coupe and Roadster versions, as well as the track-focused Revolution variants. For the broader F5 range, this means the six-speed manual will not remain only a one-model experiment.
Hennessey has delivered more than 40 Venom F5 hypercars to customers worldwide. The F5-M now adds a new direction to that programme, one based on high output, open-top configuration and a direct mechanical connection between the driver and the powertrain. With 2,031 bhp, a gated manual gearbox and only 12 units planned, its Goodwood debut will mark one of the most unusual new hypercar appearances of 2026.
