Steven Tyler’s $1.1 million, 1,244 HP convertible

[SK-1]

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler just took delivery of the world's fastest convertible. The Hennessey Venom GT Spyder will accelerate to 200mph in 15.9 seconds, eight seconds faster than a Bugatti Veyron. Tyler was the first person to ask if he could have his without a top.

"Steven came to us last year and asked if we could build his Venom GT as a roadster," says John Hennessey. "We had to make a few structural changes to our integrated rollcage in order to be able to fit the removable top. This increased the weight of our vehicle by about 30 lbs to a curb weight of 2743 lbs (1244 kilograms). We decided to increase the Venom GTs power to 1244 bhp to maintain our 1 horsepower per 1 kilogram power to weight ratio."

Only five Venom GTs will be built this year and Tyler's remains the only convertible. At a price of $1.1 million for the Lotus Exige chassis lengthened and braced to make room for a 7.0-liter, twin-turbo V8, it's easy to understand why interested customers are few and far between.

When Matt rode in a prototype a year ago, he described the hand-built supercar as, "the best way to die."

http://jalopnik.com/5913923/steven-t...enom/gallery/3

[razaron]

Nananananananananana Batman!

[FordGT90Concept]

When Matt rode in a prototype a year ago, he described the hand-built supercar as, "the best way to die."

I LOL'd. XD

Me thinks it's ugly but so are all Lotuses. Why don't they use a better car as the base?

[theJesus]

Originally Posted by razaron

Nananananananananana Batman!

My thoughts exactly lol

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

I LOL'd. XD

Me thinks it's ugly but so are all Lotuses. Why don't they use a better car as the base?

I like the way Elise/Exiges look, though my though on them is they have always been a bit scrunched. This stretched look fixes that problem I thinkit looks amazing. Also with the amount of changes done to the vehicle, using anything more expensive wouldn't make sense. There honestly isn't much remaining of a Exige in that car.

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

I LOL'd. XD

Me thinks it's ugly but so are all Lotuses. Why don't they use a better car as the base?

Of course you think it's ugly. You completely and utterly lack any form of taste.

[Reventon]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

I LOL'd. XD

Me thinks it's ugly but so are all Lotuses. Why don't they use a better car as the base?

I don't know man, if I saw one driving down the street I'd jizz pretty fast.

[_JP_]

So...it's an Exige XL.
Okay.

[Hate_Camel]

I wonder if he'll ever drive it like it should be driven.

[_JP_]

He's a rock star, not a professional race driver.

[Brandenburg]

Originally Posted by _JP_

He's a rock star, not a professional race driver.

so the answer is.. he will sure as hell try but i foresee a totaled car in his future

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by _JP_

So...it's an Exige XL.
Okay.

I wouldn't say that considering the thing is 2700lbs (thats extremely light any way you slice it, especially considering thats Veyron power and about 1500lbs lighter), it's about 600 heavier than the Exige and has about 6 times the horse power.

[SK-1]

Originally Posted by Brandenburg

so the answer is.. he will sure as hell try but i foresee a totaled car in his future

Seriously. Can you imagine 1244 bhp on tap anytime you want right there under your right foot? I would be in trouble/jail/morgue within a week.

[FordGT90Concept]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

I wouldn't say that considering the thing is 2700lbs (thats extremely light any way you slice it, especially considering thats Veyron power and about 1500lbs lighter), it's about 600 heavier than the Exige and has about 6 times the horse power.

It said somewhere that they have to lengthen and reinforce the chassis in order to handle the engine and transmission.


...it's still fugly.

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

It said somewhere that they have to lengthen and reinforce the chassis in order to handle the engine and transmission.

...it's still fugly.

I'm sure they did, the question is how much actually remains, the car is based on an Exige, it's isn't an Exige. I don't even think it shares 1 exterior panel with the car, in order to make up the size gain the whole exterior is CF.

And we all still think you're drunk. You ever see a midget and go, damn she would be pretty hot if she was in full scale? Thats what I see here, the full scale version, and it looks right.

[theJesus]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

You ever see a midget and go, damn she would be pretty hot if she was in full scale?

Nope. You ever see a normal chick and go, damn she would be pretty if she was a midget?

[Bundy]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

...it's still fugly.

I agree based on the pictures here. IMO the style looks contrived and more suited to a transformers movie than a sports car. Dividing the car at the windscreen, it appears to be two different cars joined together.

[FordGT90Concept]

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

And we all still think you're drunk. You ever see a midget and go, damn she would be pretty hot if she was in full scale? Thats what I see here, the full scale version, and it looks right.

You're assuming I think Lotus's aren't ugly and you would be mistaken. They're taking a fugly car and making it fuglier.

They should have designed their own skin for it. Probably would have been easier and cheaper than buying a car and doing that many modifications to it.


You walk up to that hot midget and tell her, I have a Venom GT. She'll go "what's that?" It's a 1244 bhp Lotus Exige. She asks "okay?" It ain't gonna get her in bed with you, that's for sure. Then again, if you said a Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc. you'll already have her attention unless she's completely daft. XD

[Frick]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

You're assuming I think Lotus's aren't ugly and you would be mistaken. They're taking a fugly car and making it fuglier.

Oh shut up Lotusesses are hawt. What is a good looking car to you?

[FordGT90Concept]

Buggatti Veyron, Saleen S7, McLaren F1, Ford GT40, Ford GT, SSC Ultimate Aero, Jaguar XJ220, Koenigsegg CCX, basically cars that take function over form.

[_JP_]

^You're mixing classes there.

Originally Posted by 1Kurgan1

I wouldn't say that considering the thing is 2700lbs (thats extremely light any way you slice it, especially considering thats Veyron power and about 1500lbs lighter), it's about 600 heavier than the Exige and has about 6 times the horse power.

XL as in size. I don't care if it has a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, that thing must be a headache to drive at speeds over 100Km/h.

Originally Posted by SK-1

Seriously. Can you imagine 1244 bhp on tap anytime you want right there under your right foot?

"Oh, I wanna feel it."
"Nah, it's a public road, I'll get in trouble."
"Oh man, but it's right there, just a tap."
"Uhng, no it'll be too much, I won't want to stop."
"Ah, what the hell, I paid for this car."
*taps*
"Corner!"
"OH SH-

[ninkobei]

pretty fucking badass car. I'd be afraid to drive it on the road, or anywhere really, just because of how much it costs. then again I don't make 15 mil a year like mr. tyler.

[FordGT90Concept]

Originally Posted by _JP_

^You're mixing classes there.

All of those cars are 200+ MPH, most are 220+ MPH. Why that is important is because their bodies were designed, from day one, to go that fast. Especially when you get into the class of Veyrons, F1, Ultimate Aero, more resources are put into the aerodynamics than the horse power. If you don't solve the aerodynamic problem, it creates a power problem.

The Exige...is a 140 MPH car. Hennessey was going for insane power to weight ratios, not top speed.

Originally Posted by _JP_

"Oh, I wanna feel it."
"Nah, it's a public road, I'll get in trouble."
"Oh man, but it's right there, just a tap."
"Uhng, no it'll be too much, I won't want to stop."
"Ah, what the hell, I paid for this car."
*taps*
"Corner!"
"OH SH-

Famous last words.

[Wile E]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

All of those cars are 200+ MPH, most are 220+ MPH. Why that is important is because their bodies were designed, from day one, to go that fast. Especially when you get into the class of Veyrons, F1, Ultimate Aero, more resources are put into the aerodynamics than the horse power. If you don't solve the aerodynamic problem, it creates a power problem.

The Exige...is a 140 MPH car. Hennessey was going for insane power to weight ratios, not top speed.



Famous last words.

Good, because insane top speeds are fucking useless, acceleration is not.

And again, you have no taste. Just in case you had any doubts left.

[1Kurgan1]

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

You're assuming I think Lotus's aren't ugly and you would be mistaken. They're taking a fugly car and making it fuglier.

They should have designed their own skin for it. Probably would have been easier and cheaper than buying a car and doing that many modifications to it.

You walk up to that hot midget and tell her, I have a Venom GT. She'll go "what's that?" It's a 1244 bhp Lotus Exige. She asks "okay?" It ain't gonna get her in bed with you, that's for sure. Then again, if you said a Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, etc. you'll already have her attention unless she's completely daft. XD

you assume thats what I was assuming, but I wasn't If you feel the Exige is ugly to start with though, I can see the point based on the midget statement I already said, theres too much design in a car that small.

And as far as telling a chick what kind of car you got, thats not a test of crap. Your comparing telling her a vehicle name as opposed to a vehicle brand, bad comparison. this isn't even talking about looks, this is talking about brand identity, don't see what it's doing in this argument, no one ever said Lamborghini is lesser known than Hennessy.

Originally Posted by FordGT90Concept

Buggatti Veyron, Saleen S7, McLaren F1, Ford GT40, Ford GT, SSC Ultimate Aero, Jaguar XJ220, Koenigsegg CCX, basically cars that take function over form.

Ugly, Good Looking, Great Looking (and can carry 2 passengers), Good Looking, Good Looking, Meh, Ugly, Great Looking.

Most of those are good looking cars, seeing that list I can only assume you think all of those aren't so I'm curious on what you think is good looking.

Originally Posted by _JP_

XL as in size. I don't care if it has a 1:1 power-to-weight ratio, that thing must be a headache to drive at speeds over 100Km/h.

Have you ever driven fast? A longer wheelbase and wider wheel base are good for stability, theres a reason you don't see Indy Cars the dimensions of compacts. By measurement the Venom isn't anything crazy, it's shorter than an Aventador and a bit wider. So it's on average Supercar scale, it's not a large car by comparison. MR cars are already prone to wanting to swap front/back end around, put that much power in a Exige chassis without lengthening and you will have one scary as fuck hard to drive car that wants to make the back end pass the front end constantly, would be so twitchy around bends it would be unreal.