American tuner John Hennessey is possibly the only person who would look at a Lotus Exige and think “Hmmm, that could do with a 1200bhp V8″….

But that’s exactly what he did. He set out to build the most electrifying and fast supercar the world has seen – the Venom GT.

For many years Hennessey has been tuning the engines of already high-power supercars in the US. Generally known for the 1000bhp+ conversions for the Corvette, Camaro and Dodge Viper, they have built quiet a reputation. but John Hennessey wanted more, so he turned to Lotus.

Based on the Lotus Elise/Exige, the Venom GT combines a high-tech, lightweight British chassis with a powerful American V8. Speaking of the latter, power comes from a supercharged 6.2-liter LS9 V8 engine (from the Corvette ZR1 you could win in this month’s supercar competition) with 725 bhp. If that doesn’t seem good enough, Hennessey will also offer 1000 bhp and 1200 bhp twin-turbo V8s as well.

Thanks to carbon fiber bodywork and carbon fiber wheels, the Venom GT has a curb weight of less than 2,400 lbs (1,071 kilos). This enables the 1200 bhp model to accelerate from 0-60 mph in 2.4 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 272 mph (440 km/h). If Hennessey is correct, the Venom GT will easily surpass the Bugatti Veyron’s top speed of 254 mph (408 km/h). Should that fail to impress you, Hennessey also says the Venom GT will rocket from 0-100 mph in 5.3 seconds, 0-150 mph in 8.9 seconds, and 0-200 mph in 14.3 seconds. For reference the Bugatti Veyron will do 0-200mph in around 22 seconds.

Other performance goodies include a Brembo braking system (with 6-piston calipers up front and 4-piston calipers in rear clamping down on 15-inch carbon ceramic rotors), a Ricardo six-speed gearbox, a programmable traction control system, an adjustable suspension, and Michelin PS2 tires.

Production will be limited to 10 units a year, and four have already been sold. Hennessey has previously stated the 1000 bhp model will have a base price of $600,000 (€444,863 / £400,154).

According to John Hennessey, “This is not the first time that Britain and America have joined forces to produce a weapon of mass propulsion. Over fifty years ago the American-built P-51 Mustang fighter aircraft was flown into history powered by a British Rolls-Royce Merlin engine. Today the Hennessey Venom GT promises to set a new standard of power to weight ratio in the rarefied air of today’s supercar market.”

Interesting blurb from Mr Hennessey, but this is certainly going to be an incredible machine. It makes a normal Exige look decidedly limp-wristed in comparison.

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