The supercar wars are getting kind of ridiculous. Oh, the Bugatti Veyron's 254-mph top speed wasn't enough for you? The new Bugatti Chiron promises 261, or maybe more once the electronic speed limiter is removed. And Hennessey, maker of the Hennessey Venom GT—at 265 mph, the world's fastest convertible—now plans for its next supercar to crest 300 mph.
And the math says they might actually do it.
Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained fired up his trusty whiteboard to figure out exactly what forces would be acting against the Venom F5—a 1600-horsepower hypercar powered by a twin-turbo V8—at the triple-ton. It all boils down to whether the car produces enough power to overcome the forces of aerodynamic drag, and whether the tires can withstand the attendant forces existing at that speed.
Short answer: Yeah, 1600 hp is enough to factor out those forces. That's a little different from a verified 300 mph run with video to prove it, but at least we know Hennessey's claims are backed up by the math. To learn exactly what a car would face at 300 mph, check out Fenske's full video below.
Bob Sorokanich previously served as deputy editor of Road & Track Magazine. He is based in New York City.
