Did you know that in humanity’s exploration and exploitation of speed in road cars, we have created a vehicle that claims to scare the Devil himself out of you?
Hennessey, the company that brought us the Venom, Venom GT, VelociRaptor and a 6x6 truck named GOLIATH, created a 1,000 horsepower, 217 mph cruise missile that looks like a 2017 Camaro called The Exorcist. It looks angry, beefed-up, and just as scary as the movie it was named after. Okay, that’s not true; it was actually named to defeat Dodge’s Demon and Hellcat vehicles. Cheeky.
(Side note: Could you imagine showing up to the in-laws in that thing? How do you explain the logic behind buying a vehicle that could turn your head around and make you puke green goo?
“What are you driving nowadays, Harrison?”
“Okay, this is gonna take some explaining…”)
Personally, I love the concept behind the Exorcist and most of Hennessey’s products (although their slippery business ethic may not be as stellar). They take an ordinary car and smash as much power, speed, noise and adrenaline into it, turning it into an entirely new beast with the skin of a normal car. The question isn’t ‘How fast can we make it?’ Rather, it’s ‘How many laws of nature can we break at the same time?’ One 600 horsepower Lincoln Navigator, coming right up.
We used to only dream about what Hennessey could produce on their own instead of using the base of another car. Ever since John Hennessey’s first Mitsubishi 3000, they’ve never made their own car. That is, until last November. I got to see the Hennessey F5 unveiling at SEMA 2017 (I’ll be smug about it, too) and it looks like it’s ready to play up to the hype. We should start seeing the 1,600 horsepower, $1.6 million cars soon. However, it’s entirely possible we’ll miss our chance if it zips by at its top speed: (drum roll please) more than 300 miles an hour.
I drive a car that has less than 1/16th the power of the Hennessey F5. Ouch.
To most folks who don’t take driving very seriously this kind of monstrous power, colossal speed and heart-stopping acceleration is peculiar because…why? Why spend all that money (plus the $600,000 in options, if you’d like) to drive fast? What about going fast is attractive to human beings? Why is it so easy to feel that need Tom Cruise talks about before enthusiastically high-fiving a Goose?
I completely understand that each of these questions require answers that my brain probably can’t fully comprehend. The sociologists, psychologists, and other ‘-ologists’ can break down our experiences into neurological phenomena, but I’d like to avoid putting you to sleep with their theories. Instead, just a quick peruse of our friendly neighborhood Reddit will reveal that the answers are just as individual as the people who are driving. Whether it’s to get to a destination faster or to brag to your buddies about how many tickets you’ve avoided, the sensation of speed seems to be universally craved to varying degrees. According to Leon James, a professor of psychology at the University of Hawai’i, the concept of speeding is very unique to every driver. Speed limits often dictate what ‘going fast’ is to certain drivers while to others they just warn the driver of how expensive the ticket may be. James goes on to explain the concept of ‘target risk’, and how every driver is in control of how fast they are going while simultaneously managing how much risk they are taking. For example, someone who may never speed on the highway during rush hour (low risk) may go 5 mph over the limit at 2:30 a.m. on the way to the airport when the roads are empty (a smidge higher risk but still low). On the other hand, somebody who routinely drives 15 over the speed limit is more likely to go faster on empty roads because their ‘target risk’ is higher.
I’m not sure where my target risk sits. I’m not one to destroy a speed limit and I’m definitely not a fan of passing the right lane, which makes me an outlier alongside Seattle drivers. I’m also grateful that Hennessey forgot to offer me the job of testing the F5’s top speed. To me, driving quickly is like riding the most thrilling roller coaster that you can control. I’d be happy to spend an entire blog post describing my run up the Mount Baker Highway outside of Bellingham last summer. An open road, hairpin turns, beautiful scenery and a burbling 4-cylinder Miata; that’s what it is all about to me. The little red car felt alive and happy to be pushed to its limits (within the boundaries of safety, Mom). I couldn’t keep the smile off my face. And I know that many other car folks out there would have the same trouble that I do when trying to answer the question.
Why do you like to drive, and drive quickly?
I’ve just got that need.