The new Hennessey Blackbird is resolutely analogue, with a six-speed manual gearbox, a naturally aspirated engine and no screens in the cabin. Even better, the hypercar’s design has taken inspiration from the iconic Blackbird aeroplanes from which it gets its name. Henry Catchpole looks round the new car and then takes a 2013bhp Hennessey Venom F5 Stealth on a road trip to the Air Zoo Aerospace and Science Center to see the only SR-71B in existence.
You might expect a new car from John Hennessey to be all about maximum power and top speed, but while the Blackbird (a name now trademarked for automotive use by Hennessey) will be both powerful with 800-850bhp and fast with a v-max of 220mph, that isn’t the focus. Instead it is all about the feel and the sound. As such you won’t find any turbos here, just the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 in a production car. This new 6.2-litre engine will be made by legendary Indycar supplier Ilmor and, unlike the pushrod V8 in the F5, it will be an overhead cam engine that will rev to more than 9000rpm.
The Blackbird’s design is the work of Nathan Malinick and he has taken clear inspiration from the legendary aeroplane that came from Kelly Johnson’s Skunk Works at Lockheed in the 1960s. In particular the Hennessey’s active vertical stabilisers on its tail are a beautiful interpretation of the aeroplane’s rudders, while the rear lights mimic J58 afterburners. The distinctive diamond pattern of the exhaust (which is repeated in the headlights and cupholders) actually comes from the Bell X-1, the first plane to go supersonic.
Each of the 71 Blackbirds that Hennessey Special Vehicles intends to build will cost from $2.5million and we should see them on the road in a couple of years. For now, we still have the mighty Venom F5 and Henry Catchpole experiences what 2031bhp and 1445lb ft of torque feels like on the road as he drives to Kalamazoo. Safe to say it’s a vivid experience and 0-200mph in 10.3 seconds feels very believable.
Once at the Air Zoo, Catchpole gets just a bit excited recounting a few of the details that make the SR-71 so legendary. Designed to cruise at mach 3.2 at 85,000ft it is a marvel of engineering and It remains the fastest jet-powered, manned aircraft to this day.
