It isn’t quite the Venom F5 that the company has been teasing, but Hennessey Performance Engineering has delivered an updated version of its Venom GT supercar that boasts considerably more power than before. The good news is that the Venom F5 is still coming, but to tide things over in the meantime Hennessey will unleash a 1,451-horsepower Venom GT that will give most supercars a scare, including Koenigsegg’s One:1 and potentially Bugatti’s upcoming Veyron successor.

“We only plan to produce a handful of Venom GT’s in 2016 as we are also preparing for our next evolution, the Venom F5”, Hennessey president and founder John Hennessey said in a statement. “We are intent on keeping the Venom as the fastest, best performing and most exciting hypercar on the road.”

The Venom GT made its debut in 2011 and in its original state of tune produced between 725 and 1,200 hp. The latest car is still powered by a twin-turbocharged 7.0-liter V-8, which is mated to a six-speed manual transmission and drives the rear wheels only. Sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires help put the power to the ground and Hennessey also installs a GPS-based traction control system with specific calibration settings for some of the world’s top race tracks. The curb weight comes in at just 2,743 lbs.

The boost in power, along with torque, we’re told, is thanks to an increase in turbocharger boost pressure from 19 to 26 psi. This was made possible by upgrades to the engine to allow it to run on E85 fuel. With 1,200 horses onboard, the Venom GT could sprint to 60 mph in 2.7 seconds and hit a verified top speed of 270.49 mph. With an extra 251 hp onboard, the latest version should lift the performance bar even higher. Initial performance claims include a 0-60 mph time of just 2.4 seconds, a quarter mile time of 9.4 seconds, and a top speed in excess of 280 mph.

The 2016 Hennessey Venom GT makes its debut at this week’s SEMA show. It will be offered in coupe and convertible bodystyles. Joining it on Hennessey’s stand will be the company’s HPE750 Ford Mustang and VelociRaptor 650 Supercharged based on the Ford F-150 pickup truck.

Hennessey confirms last ever production GT before he sets to work on Chiron-beating F5

This is it, the last ever Hennessey Venom GT that’ll roll out of the Texas factory. Hennessey has confirmed to TG that it has built a ‘Final Edition’ to mark the end of production.

It’s the 12th Venom GT to have been built since 2010 – well, 13 if you count the X1 prototype – and, unfortunately for you Venom GT enthusiasts, has already been sold to an undisclosed recipient for the princely sum of $1.2m.

It’s a Spyder, is finished in Glacier blue with white stripes, and of course packs the most bombastic iteration of that slightly deranged powertrain. So there’s a 7.0-litre GM-sourced V8 stuck in the middle, running around 25psi of boost to produce a whopping 1,451bhp. The ‘standard’ Venom remember, used to produce just 1,244bhp. Barely enough to get you down the driveway.

0-60mph? 2.4s. 0-100mph takes 4.4s, 0-200mph is dispatched in 12.8s, it’ll do a quarter-mile in 9.4s and hit a top speed in excess of 280mph. “Being the fastest matters,” owner John Hennessey told us at the time.

It’s the last hurrah for the Venom, because Hennessey will now turn its attention to the small matter of the 290mph+ Venom F5.

“We’ve attained some pretty incredible achievements with the Venom GT,” Hennessey added. “It was always my dream to build the fastest car and we did just that. Our Venom GT retires as one of the fastest cars on the planet along with being one of the most exclusive.

“We look forward to introducing our next car, the Venom F5, sometime later this year.”

Ah yes, the F5. The successor to the GT has long been noted, but speaking to TopGear.com, Hennessey confirmed the company is currently “deep into the CAD/CATI design phase” of the F5’s development, and will soon begin CFD aero simulations.

It won’t be a hybrid like the Koenigsegg Regera, but it will be – according to Hennessey – faster and more powerful than the Bugatti Chiron. Yep, things will get mighty interesting when this thing lands.

Hennessey will use his knowledge of thermal efficiency gleaned from building the GT and pass it over to the F5. It’ll also be more comfortable and refined than the GT too.

“The Venom F5 will be the best value supercar on the market,” Hennessey adds. Watch this space for more…