Venom F5 LF goes manual in Maverick division

Hennessey expands into bespoke hypercars with a one off Venom F5 LF using a manual transmission.

Venom F5 LF Adopts Manual Transmission in Maverick Division

At Monterey Car Week, Hennessey revealed a new bespoke service called Maverick. The one off Venom F5 LF combines an open top Revolution configuration with a design based on the Stealth Series. It pairs the 6.6 litre twin turbo Fury V8 with an aluminium gated six speed manual. The power remains above 2000 hp and the interior emphasizes analogue elements, including a reworked center console and a bolt action feel for the hand brake lever. The River San Metallic paint and other details aim to give the car a high end, hand crafted presence. Hennessey calls the Venom F5 LF the most expensive, complex and highest spec model the company has built. Nathan Malinick, the Director of Design, says the LF shows how far the company will go to deliver a top level customer experience and serves as the launchpad for the Maverick division.

The project illustrates a broader push by hypercar makers to offer ultra customized machines to a small, wealthy audience. It highlights a tension between extreme exclusivity and broader market access. Critics may worry about the price and whether such vehicles can be a sustainable part of a brand portfolio, while supporters see it as a peak expression of engineering craft and storytelling at a moment when luxury brands turn to limited editions to gain attention at events like Pebble Beach.

The Maverick concept marks a shift in how car makers present speed and skill. It frames custom work not just as a service
but as a brand identity. A manual gearbox in a hypercar challenges the automatic trend and signals a deliberate choice about driver involvement. The price tag and limited run will shape who can participate and how news about the car is received. The risk is that the program feels niche, even unnecessary, to a wider audience. The potential reward is a stronger sense of craft and uniqueness that can elevate the brand beyond mere performance.

Highlights

Exclusivity can be a powerful lens for a brand, but it always carries a price tag.