Ford F-150-based Hennessey Venom 775 outguns the Ram 1500 TRX

Texas-based tuner Hennessey has finished developing the Venom 775, an evolution of the Ford F-150 that has the Ram 1500 TRX in its crosshairs. It boasts a supercharged V8 engine and a long list of suspension modifications.

Subtle isn't in Hennessey's vocabulary; the Venom 775 is loud, bold, and eye-catching. It picks up where its predecessor left off with a 5.0-liter Coyote V8 that gains a 3.0-liter supercharger, software tweaks, an air-to-water intercooler, an upgraded fuel delivery system, and a stainless-steel exhaust system, among other modifications. All told, the engine develops 775 horsepower and 685 pound-feet of torque. For context, the V8-powered F-150 puts 400 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque under the driver's right foot when it's stock and naturally aspirated.

More important, the 1500 TRX's supercharged Hellcat V8 posts figures of 702 and 650, respectively, so the Venom gets the crown — sort of. Hennessey can also apply its wizardry to the TRX to extract 1,012 horsepower from the 6.2-liter. It will be interesting to see where Ford's new V8-powered Raptor lands in the supertruck horsepower war.

Customers can choose whether they want the cavalry sent to the rear or to all four wheels. In its quickest configuration, the Venom 775 takes 3.9 seconds to reach 60 mph from a stop and posts a quarter-mile time of 12 seconds at 117 mph. It's over half a second quicker to 60 mph than the stock TRX, at least according to the 4.5-second acceleration estimate released by Ram. In addition to being more powerful, the Venom 775 is also about 2,000 pounds lighter thanks largely to the use of aluminum in its construction, according to Hennessey.