Louis Flory has recently taken his Lamborghini Aventador SVJ to Hennessey Performance Engineering to spec his ideal Venom F5. It should come as no surprise that Hennessey president Alex Roys welcomed the supercar and racing enthusiast known as The Gentleman's Garage in online circles. Following the speccing process, Alex challenged Louis to a couple of rolling start races against a very badass truck with 1,043 ponies at its disposal.
Enter the Hennessey VelociRaptoR 1000, which is best described as the most extreme go-faster package currently available for the Ford F-150 Raptor R. In addition to the ridiculous amount of power, the VelociRaptoR boasts a tire-shredding 824 pound-feet (1,117 Nm) of torque. Of the aforementioned figures, 782.87 horsepower and 618.51 pound-feet (838.6) reach the off-road truck's wheels.
Seriously good numbers for a half-ton pickup with dune-bashing credentials, let alone a truck with fancy shocks from the folks at Fox and 37-inch rubber boots of the rugged-terrain variety. The completely stock Lamborghini Aventador Super Veloce Jota, meanwhile, is rocking stickier tires and 6.5 liters of naturally aspirated V12 magic.
Originally priced at $517,770 for the 2019 model year, which is considerably more than Hennessey's asking price for the VelociRaptorR upgrade package and the donor truck, SVJ is considerably lighter as well. Built around a carbon-fiber monocoque, said bull weighs 1,525 kilograms (3,362 pounds) in dry form, whereas the lightest R tips the scales at 5,950 pounds (2,699 kilos).
Under the hood, the mid-mounted V12 of the SVJ develops a hugely respectable 770 ps and 720 Nm of torque, meaning 759 horsepower and 531 pound-feet. If you're into power-to-weight ratios, go ahead. Louis and Hennessey's Alex preferred to let the vehicles do the talking over the course of course of two rolls, which started exactly as expected.
Photo: The Gentleman's Garage on YouTube
The supercharged V8-engined VelociRaptoR initially pulls away the Lamborghini due to its broader peak torque band, yet once that Lambo settles in, the rev-happy engine and lower curb weight make a world of difference. Unfortunately for Alex, the SVJ owned by Louis won both rolling races.
But Alex is a good sport, and he is fully aware that a body-on-frame leviathan simply cannot hold a candle to a bonafide supercar in a straight line. Had the vehicles been allowed to race over a longer distance, Lambo's corner-carving model would've bettered the VelociRaptoR by a huge margin due to its declared 350-kph (217 mph) top speed.
The automaker from Sant'Agata Bolognese hasn't unleashed a successor to the Super Veloce Jota as of June 2024. We're still a few years away from the Revuelto's high-performance special edition. Until then, a free-breathing V12 and three motors totaling 1,015 ps (1,001 hp) will have to suffice.
Over at Ford, the Dearborn-based automaker doesn't intend to discontinue the Raptor R anytime soon. Ford Motor Company still believes in V8-powered cars and trucks. The same can be said about General Motors, which is currently working on the next generation of the small-block V8.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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