Hennessey Venom GT2: A 1,500-horsepower Texan hypercar

We called the original 1,200-horsepower Hennessey Venom GT a "Veyron-killer" on account of its German-slaying power-to-weight ratio.

I'm sitting here with the new details and exclusive renders of the upcoming Hennessey Venom GT2, attempting to find something else it can kill. With over 1,500 horsepower and a power-to-weight ratio of 1+ bhp-per-kilogram it's now competing with spacecraft and mythical creatures. Maybe it's the Kracken-killer?

One of the first things you'll notice with the new Venom GT is the disappearance of the current Elise-like headlights for a design that incorporates the LED bulbs--now mandatory in anything that costs more than $30,000.

Contrary to Internet banter, the Venom doesn't share as much with the Lotus that grants it windshield and doors as you might think. The amount of engineering that goes into stuffing a massive 7.0-liter twin-turbo V8 is the star attraction, and further differentiating it from the Elise is something Hennessey's wanted to do for a while.

Other improvements include dihedral doors (as seen on the MP4-12C) and a double bubble roof for those current or retired basketball players who might be shopping for something a little faster than their daily driver Mercedes-Benz SL63.