Hennessey Venom F5/Revolution

 

This and the next several posts will feature hypercars and rare supercars from this year's Exotics on Broadway that I've previously seen and posted about similar examples of on this site but are so amazing that I feel the need to feature them again, especially since I only see these kinds of cars up close once in a blue moon. The first of these is the Hennessey Venom F5. There were some examples of the Venom F5 on display at this year's and last year's shows, except this year's show had the latest version of the Venom F5 on hand alongside the base coupe and roadster known as the Revolution. Hennessey Performance's latest hypercar hit production in 2020, with its Revolution variant debuting earlier this year. Powering the Venom F5 is a 6.6-liter twin-turbo V8 producing 1,817 horsepower and 1,193 lb-ft of torque paired to a 7-speed single-clutch automated manual gearbox. It launches from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, zero to 124 mph in 4.7 seconds, and has a claimed top speed of over 311 mph. The Venom F5's body and chassis are made almost entirely of carbon fiber. Its interior is more comfortable and spacious than it looks, capable of accommodating drivers and passengers of every height and size. The cabin also features a yoke/racing-style steering wheel, a 9-inch center touchscreen infotainment system, and a digital gauge cluster that is a tad smaller than the infotainment screen. In total, the Venom F5 weighs in at around 3000 pounds.

As for the Venom F5 Revolution, this specific version is lighter and more track-oriented than the base Venom F5 coupe and roadster, sporting a large adjustable rear wing, roof air intake, and extended front splitter and canards for optimized aerodynamics and downforce. In addition, the Venom F5 Revolution weighs roughly 50 pounds less than the base Venom F5, and its rear wing produces over 800 pounds of downforce at 186 mph and 1,400 pounds at 249 mph. Some Venom F5 Revolution examples have patriotic stars-and-stripes endplates on their rear wings, which are great added touches and design elements to an already incredible vehicle.

Only 90 units of the Venom F5 will ever be built spanning all variants, including 24 Coupes, 30 Roadsters, 24 Revolution Coupes, and 12 Revolution Roadsters. Pricing starts at $2.1 million for the base Hennessey Venom F5 and $2.7 million for the Venom F5 Revolution. This year's Exotics on Broadway show in Monterey showcased six Venom F5 examples, including three Venom F5 Revolutions, compared to four Venom F5 examples at last year's show. However, I was able to get plenty of still photos of the four Venom F5s from last year's show, while I could only see and take photos of the six Venom F5s from this year's show as they were leaving the event. In all, the Hennessey Venom F5 is an insane and unbelievable speed machine, and the convoy of Venom F5s exiting this year's Exotics on Broadway was definitely a sight to see.

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Porsche 959

 

The 959 was Porsche's first official supercar and one of the most iconic Porsche models of all time. Originally created for Group B rally racing, Porsche debuted the 959 in 1985, first as a rally car and then as a road car for the 1986 model year. Based on the 964-gen 911, the 959 is powered by a 2.8-liter sequential twin-turbo flat-six with 444 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque, sending power to all four wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox. It launches from zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 198 mph, making the 959 the world's fastest car in 1986. At the time it was released, the 959 was revolutionary not just for Porsche, but the auto industry as a whole. Some of those revolutionary aspects of the 959 include center-lock wheels, its water-cooled flat-six, height-adjustable air suspension, and PSK all-wheel drive. The 959's body and frame are constructed of aluminum and kevlar, while its interior is very similar to those of classic 911s.

Around 300 959s were produced until 1988, with each example currently worth over $1-2 million on the resale market. It was never officially sold in the U.S. when it was new in the late 80s due to federal safety regulations, but the 959 can now be legally imported Stateside under the 25-year import rule. This particular example marks the first and only road-going Porsche 959 that I've seen up close thus far and appears to have been transported from the Netherlands to Monterey for this year's Exotics on Broadway show back in August. The only other 959 I remember ever seeing in person was a rally racing version on display at a Porsche featured exhibit inside the Petersen Automotive Museum in L.A. over five years ago. Overall, it may not be as amazing as a few other 80s supercars, namely the Ferrari F40, but the 959 is the coolest, greatest, and most impressive classic Porsche road car ever built.

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Maserati MC12 Corsa

 

The MC12 was Maserati's flagship supercar of the mid 2000s. Based on the Ferrari Enzo, it was introduced in 2004 and created to allow for Maserati to enter a racing version into the FIA GT Championship. The specific version of the MC12 that was on display at this year's Exotics on Broadway and the only MC12 that I've seen in person to date is the Corsa, or Versione Corse, which is the track version for private use. Powering the MC12 is a 6.0-liter naturally-aspirated V12 producing 621 horsepower and 481 pound-feet of torque in the standard road-going version and 745 horsepower in the Corsa, sending power to the rear wheels through a six-speed automated manual gearbox. The MC12 launches from zero to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds and is capable of a top speed of 205 mph. Its body is constructed entirely of carbon fiber and rides on a carbon-nomex monocoque chassis with an aluminum subframe in the front and rear. Inside the standard road-going MC12 is a rather luxurious interior, while that of the MC12 Corsa is the complete opposite. In addition, the MC12 contains a targa top that can be removed but can't be stored in the vehicle when removed, along with no rear window, radio, or sound system. 

Maserati built only 50 standard road-going MC12s from 2004 to 2006 along with 12 MC12 Corsas from 2006 to 2007. Pricing for the Maserati MC12 started at around $600,000 for the base road-going model and $1.5 million for the Corsa when new but has appreciated to roughly $3.5-4 million today. The MC12 featured at this year's Exotics on Broadway in Monterey is one of the most unique examples in that it is one of only a few street-legal MC12 Corsas in existence. Several modifications were made to this originally track-only MC12 Corsa to make it street-legal. First, the carbon-ceramic racing brakes were replaced with a brake system from EDO Competition with steel rotors and street pads, and an emergency brake system was added as well. Next, the stock air conditioning unit was swapped out with that from the Ferrari Enzo. New electrical systems, headlights, fuel systems, wheels, hydraulic lift suspension, and overhead systems pod to control a variety of different vehicle functions were added to better equip the MC12 Corsa to handle street use. Besides many of the other hypercars on display there, this MC12 Corsa was one of the most anticipated display vehicles and appearances at this year's Exotics on Broadway show. Overall, it's not as incredible and spicy as its Ferrari Enzo counterpart, but the MC12 is undoubtedly the coolest and most amazing Maserati ever made.

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SSC Tuatara Striker

 

The next rare and extraordinary supercar that I saw in person for the first time at this year's Exotics on Broadway that I want to feature here is the SSC Tuatara Striker. SSC first previewed the Tuatara in concept form in 2011 as a replacement for the American supercar company's first supercar, the Ultimate Aero. The Tuatara was then first unveiled in production form in 2018, with production officially beginning in 2020. The specific version of the SSC Tuatara that I saw up close and on display at this year's Exotics on Broadway show was the Striker, which was added to the Tuatara portfolio in 2021 and is the high-downforce model that features an aggressive body kit most distinguished by a large fixed rear wing and a prominent front splitter, side skirts, and rear diffuser. Powering the SSC Tuatara is a 5.9-liter twin-turbo V8 with 1,350 horsepower and 984 pound-feet of torque on 91 octane and up to 1,750 horsepower and 1,322 pound-feet of torque on E85, sending power to the rear wheels through a seven-speed automated manual transmission. The Tuatara is capable of a zero-to-60-mph time of 2.5 seconds and a top speed of 270 mph, with one real-world test run confirming a top speed of 286 mph, making it one of the absolute quickest and fastest cars in the world. Like many similar supercars and hypercars, the SSC Tuatara is composed entirely of carbon fiber and sits on a carbon fiber monocoque chassis. Its high-downforce aero kit provides roughly 1,100 pounds of downforce at 160 mph, distributing 45.4% of the downforce to the front axle and 54.6% of the downforce to the rear axle.

SSC will build only 100 Tuataras and Tuatara Strikers, along with 10 track-only Tuatara Aggressors. Each Tuatara and Tuatara Striker is priced at around $1.9 million. I remember first hearing about the SSC Tuatara a while back around its concept and infancy stages, but only in the past few years has it fully developed into production form, with some examples already delivered to customers. Besides the hypercars from this year's Exotics on Broadway show that I previously covered on this site, the SSC Tuatara Striker was one of the coolest and most unique vehicles there, especially out of the American hypercars and those that I saw in person for the first time. In all, they may not be super well-known, but the SSC Tuatara and Tuatara Striker are nothing short of otherworldly, mind-boggling, and impressive.

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Zenvo TSR-S

 

This and the next few posts on Carson's Car Pics will feature a few rare and extraordinary supercars that I saw in person for the first time ever at this year's Exotics on Broadway show, starting with the Zenvo TSR-S. The TSR-S was unveiled in 2018 at the Geneva Motor Show by Danish supercar manufacturer Zenvo Automotive as the road-going version of the TSR track car and part of its second-generation TS series, slotting in between the grand-touring TS1 GT and track-only TSR. It is powered by twin-supercharged 5.8-liter V8 with 1177 horsepower and 811 pound-feet of torque paired to a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. The TSR-S launches from zero to 62 mph (100 km/h) in 2.8 seconds, zero to 124 mph (200 km/h) in 6.8 seconds, and can reach a top speed of 202 mph. 

The TSR-S' most unique feature is its massive rear wing. This rear wing is practically an "air brake and a cornering stabilizer" according to Zenvo and can rotate up to 20 degrees on two axes. The TSR-S utilizes a steel-and-aluminum spaceframe with carbon-fiber bodywork and steel subframes, and every component of the car is internally sourced at Zenvo's production facility in Denmark. It has three power modes: 700 Horsepower, iQ, and Maximum. The first and third mode's power settings are as stated, while iQ tailors output depending on road and weather conditions. The TSR-S also has a larger grille and an integrated splitter and diffuser over the TS1 GT, along with a spartan, driver-focused interior that can be optioned with more daily drive-able features like climate control and a sound system.

Zenvo produces no more than five cars a year, and since the TSR-S has been in production since 2018, there are roughly 25-30 examples in existence. It is worth around a few million dollars a pop and was never officially sold Stateside. Exotics on Broadway marked the first time I have ever seen a Zenvo TSR-S or any Zenvo for that matter in person. Some of you will recognize this particular example because it is Chassis #04 and belongs to renowned British automotive YouTuber Tim Burton, also known as Shmee150, who has amassed an amazing collection over the past several years and displays his vehicles at some of the top car events all over the world every year. Shmee's TSR-S and one or two other TSR-S examples were also at last year's Exotics on Broadway, but those were probably the only cars I totally missed out on seeing at last year's show. In all, The Zenvo TSR-S is one of the coolest and most insane cars that not enough people know of or about and one of the coolest and most unique cars in Shmee's collection. 

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