Steven Tyler Drops $1.1 Million On World's Fastest Convertible

"The standard Lotus Elise produces 136bhp from a 1.6-litre Toyota four-pot". Blah, blah, blah. What does that mean in real-life chat, eh? A 0-60 miles an hour sprint of 6.7 seconds.

Tom Harrison

18 May 2015

"The standard Lotus Elise produces 136bhp from a 1.6-litre Toyota four-pot". Blah, blah, blah. What does that mean in real-life chat, eh? A 0-60 miles an hour sprint of 6.7 seconds. But if you're crazy enough to want a little more oomph, Lotus will gladly outfit your Elise with a 217bhp 1.8, thereby bringing said 0-60 time down to 4.7 seconds. And that’s fast, whichever way you look at it.

Or is it? Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler has just taken delivery of the world’s fastest and most powerful convertible. With 1244bhp, the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder is a $1.1 million two-fingered salute to anything Bugatti can throw at it. And it’s based on...an Elise. A car that’s usually available with no more than 217bhp. Unsurprisingly, only five will be built this year, with Tyler’s as the only roadster. Chuck Norris approves.

John Hennessey is well known for building some of the world’s most outrageous cars, although they’re usually based on existing production models (805bhp Jeep Grand Cherokee anyone?). The Venom is lightly based on the Lotus Elise/Exige (see the resemblance?), but it’s been lengthened and widened to accommodate a thumping-great V8.

Purportedly, the Venom Spyder accelerates from rest to 200mph in 15.3 seconds - eight seconds faster than a Bugatti Veyron. Its 7.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 pumps out 1244bhp, a fraction more than the hard-top (to compensate for the weight added in modifying and strengthening the chassis), of which six have already been built at a price of just under $1mil each.

Famously, the Veyron is “as easy to drive as as a Golf. Or even a golf cart”. The same cannot be said for the Venom however. Although it boasts a system that tailors how much power the engine is producing (either a ‘mere’ 800bhp, 1000bhp or the full monty), a set of wide-as-you like rear tires and proper six-speed manual ‘box make it about as intimidating as a lion wielding a shotgun.