Oh it is very much on. Last year – in news that you probably missed – Bugatti managed to crest the magic 300mph mark with a special Chiron; the first of the Big Four to do so (the others being Koenigsegg, SSC and Hennessey).

Here are the very bones of John Hennessey’s counter punch. The carbonfibre chassis of his upcoming Venom F5, which is aiming to kick the Chiron where it hurts and hit 500+km/h.

Indeed, it’s actually a mite stiffer than the Chiron, boasting a torsional rigidity of 52,000Nm per degree. A Chiron manages 50,000Nm. What’s more, this Venom tub weighs just 86kg; for reference, a McLaren Senna’s carbon tub weighs 75kg.

“It’s like a piece of automotive jewellery that’s built to run 500+km/h,” explains boss John Hennessey. Yep, outside of the figures for the tub, only one really matters – 500km/h.

Strapped to this chassis will be a small nuclear warhead, conveniently masquerading as a V8. It’s called ‘Fury’, and it’s a 6.6-litre with two turbos, lightweight internals, lots of other cool stuff and a whopping 1,817hp and 1,617Nm of torque.

“Give it the full throttle and it’s the most furious engine that we have ever built,” Hennessey told TG last year.

The first three F5s are currently being built, and prices start at US$1.8m a pop. Just 24 will be produced in total, and the 12 cars reserved for the States are close to being sold out. Hennessey will begin F5 testing later on this year. Keep an ear out, you’ll probably hear it.

STORY Vijay Pattni