Hennessey Venom 1000 review: the Mustang GT500 gets turned up to 11

That’s a Ford Shelby GT500.

You’re right! It is. But it also isn’t. This is Ford’s awesome 750bhp super ‘Stang but it’s been massaged by the big callus-covered hands of Hennessey Performance to give it 1,000bhp. So, this – technically – is the 2022 Hennessey Venom 1000.

Which is a very good, very spiteful name. Of course Hennessey’s Naming Department is one of hardest working departments in the world as the Venom 1000 joins the Exorcist, Velociraptor and Mammoth in the lineup.

So what’s Texas’s take on the GT500?

Same as normal: John Hennessey felt like it needed more power– so he gave it more power. One suspects John looks at a Saturn V rocket and reckons it needs more power too.

Through some light fettling, Hennessey has squeezed an additional 250bhp and four figures from Ford's 5.2-litre 'Predator' GT500 V8 to raise the bar to 1,000bhp at 7,000rpm and 850lb ft torque at 4,800rpm. That’s only on E85 fuel. If you’ve filled the tank with regular 93 octane from the pump, you’ll only get 900bhp. Which would still be classed as sufficient.

Hold up, what’s the GT500 again?

Top Gear’s Muscle Car of the Year 2019 and maybe the last, pure muscle car from the Blue Oval. Put simply it’s the most pumped-up muscle car at the top of Mustang tree to take on the European hardcore for a smidge of the cost ($72,900). Its old school rear-wheel drive meets a new school seven-speed DSG and MagneRide active suspension, plus a great deal of go-faster and carbon know-how wound into it.

A standard GT500 hits 60mph in 3.3 seconds, smashes a quarter-mile in 10.61 seconds at 133mph, and emits a noise that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. Bold, brash, designed to get your attention and be unapologetic about it, the GT500 is an assault on the senses.

So what exactly has Hennessey done to it?

Not as much as you’d think. Or maybe want for $24,950. But it does come with a three-year/36,000-mile warranty, which is a rare thing for a four-figure power output and keeps things on the safe side if anything goes ka-boom. A lot of the GT500's core components stick around. The standard 2.65-litre Roots-type supercharger still sits on top of the standard 5.2-litre V8 (a supercharger that, at full chat, takes 90bhp just to get it going. Gulp).

There are some new bits though: a high flow air induction upgrade to get more air in the Venom’s gob, more boost but a smaller supercharger drive, a different supercharger hub assembly and a sturdier supercharger belt so it doesn’t go twang when you put your foot down. Plus faster flow fuel injectors, new lines, fuel rails, and an upgraded intercooler cooling brick as well as an ECU fettle to give more power and allow for flex fuel. And breathe.

What’s it like?

Meaty. Double-double Animal Style meaty (to use an American phrase). Yes, the dyno sheet may show big scary numbers – and don’t get us wrong, the notion of 1,000bhp sounds terrifying – but the Venom 1000 doesn’t feel unwieldy or wild. It’s actually an incredibly easy car to drive. This is largely due to how well the car is set up to start with, which is all Ford’s hard work.

It’s remarkably comfortable – wind it right back into the ‘comfort’ mode and you can pootle around no problem. Thanks to clever electronics and management, the Venom 1000 drives just like a GT500, which drives like a taught and precise track-honed muscle car – it doesn’t judder or stutter with fuelling or have a feeling of being over-powered like many high-horsepower tuner cars. And the seven-speed dual-clutch transmission tied to the five different driving modes tames everything down and offers consistent power and torque delivery.

Surely it’s got some anger to it?

Oh, you betcha. Just because it can be driven like a Corsa doesn’t mean it should, as no one in their right mind gets into a muscle car and drives it like there’s a driving instructor sat next to them. So, naturally, you cycle through the modes up to ‘Track’, turn the traction control off and see what kind of Michelin-sponsored cloud you can create. And, unsurprisingly, given you have 1,000bhp on tap, the result is quite a lot of wheelspin and tyre smoke. How it should be.

Like all of Hennessey’s products, you need a bit of bravery to get the most out of them. And given the GT500 is happy to wheelspin in fourth gear, the Venom 1000 is no different. But it’s a fun game to play as the chassis and beefy Brembo brakes can take it.

You also need some space to get the most out of the car as the supercharger needs a run up, but it’s a worthwhile experience. Mashing the GT500’s long throttle gives you a symphony of anger and drama as the V8 gets more energy in it and the supercharger comes on song. Then your ears get very happy and your hairs start to tingle as the whine of the blower goes into battle with the metallic dirty thwap of the exhaust (which – amazingly – is still standard, but all you need).

The more you stick with the throttle, the more the car throws gears at it and the quicker the big numbers with MPH written next to them flash up on the dash. It sounds intimidating but throughout the car is composed, controllable and fun. Same in the corners where the 305-section front tyres bite and the steering gives you clarity as to where it’s at, which then gives you confidence to act like a thug and overwhelm the 315 rears by adjusting the rear of the car on the throttle. It’s a proper old-school muscle car with a new school vibe. 

Is there anything else we should consider?

The Venom 1000 pack is available on all GT500s, so may make more sense on ones with the optional $18,500 ‘Carbon Pack’. That package turns your GT500 into a more focused and even more singular thing; doing away with back seats and adding a bigger rear spoiler and weight-saving carbon wheels, plus replacing the stock Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres with super-sticky Cup 2s, which would cope with the extra horsepower even better.

Either way, if you want an angry ‘Stang with game-ending horsepower stats at the pub, then it's $24,950 well spent.