Hennessey's New Engineering Boss Worked On The Mercedes-AMG One And Ford GT

Hennessey has appointed a new VP of Engineering, someone whose three decades of industry experience includes leading the development on highly respected hypercars like the Ford GT and Mercedes-AMG One. Brian Jones is that individual, the former Chief Engineer of Vehicle Development and Integration at Multimatic Special Vehicle Operations.

With such glittering credentials, Jones is well-positioned to lead future hypercar development for Hennessey, the maker of America's very own hypercar, the Venom F5. Jones will take over vehicle and powertrain development, integration, testing, regulatory certification, and production launch. Reporting directly to founder and CEO John Hennessey, Jones will oversee all engineering and development for Hennessey Special Vehicles and Hennessey Performance Engineering.

Previous experience by Jones includes being a lead engineer at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and a vehicle dynamics specialist at General Motors Corporation. Together with Venom F5 Chief Engineer John 'Heinrocket' Heinricy, Jones will work with engineers to test and build the Venom F5. He will also oversee the development of multiple cars, trucks, and SUVs by Hennessey. In 2023 alone, the company is set to modify almost 700 vehicles. Most recently, Hennessey revealed the supercharged H700 70th Anniversary Corvette C8, which makes 758 horsepower.

Hennessey's reputation as a tuner is well known, but what has us most excited is its hypercar future and how Jones will shape that. After all, the Mercedes-AMG One project he was involved in was extremely ambitious, with even AMG saying that an F1-powered hypercar like that would never happen again.

Hennessey's Venom F5 is already a monster and may well break several speed records in the months ahead, with verification plans in motion to make this happen, but the Texas-based tuner is already looking ahead to what a replacement could look like. It suggested that the Venom F5's successor would be inspired by the legendary V10-powered Porsche Carrera GT. This inspiration, along with the powertrain experience Jones brings to the table, could set the tuner up for something special.

The extraordinary 1.6-liter turbocharged V6 hybrid powertrain in the AMG One is a world apart from the Carrera GT's V10, and both have nothing in common with the 1,817-horsepower 6.6-liter turbo V8 in the Venom F5. With Jones at the helm, there's no telling what we can expect from Hennessey's next car, but the possibilities are endless, and it's obvious that internal combustion will live on at Hennessey for the foreseeable future.

"The appointment of Brian Jones as Hennessey's VP of Engineering emphasizes our commitment to growing an expert team focused on building world-class cars, trucks, and hypercars," said John Hennessey. "Brian is a leader who brings the group decades of automotive engineering experience with ultra-high-performance vehicles."

Jones said, "it's an exciting time to work with a company so experienced with extreme combustion-powered vehicles," while confirming that new world record attempts are being prepared with the Venom F5. He also said Hennessey is working on new performance versions of the Cadillac CT5-V and Ford Mustang.