Aviation has been a long-standing muse for many of the world's finest cars—its influence seen across the automotive timeline from classics such as the concours-winning 1935 Voisin C25 Aerodyne to the recent Czinger 21 C hypercar. The latter's creative spark was the SR-71 "Blackbird" spy plane, and that paradigm-shifting aircraft has recently been the catalyst for another marque's model, one developed to exist in the rarefied air of bleeding-edge engineering and design—the Hennessey Blackbird. The Hennessey Blackbird has the SR-71 spy plane as its muse.John Hennessey, founder and C.E.O. of his eponymous Hennessey Special Vehicles, has been on a 35-year mission to not only push the envelope, but tear right past it. The quest has led to the development of the 2020 Venom F5—targeting a top speed of more than 300 mph—as well as the 2,031 hp Venom F5 Evolution, and, earlier this year, the manual Venom F5-M. Today, Hennessey Special Vehicles unveiled its second clean-sheet creation with the Blackbird, which pays tribute to the SR-71 through ubiquitous aesthetic and functional callouts, while offering drive dynamics grounded more in comfort than the aggression found in the car's predecessors.More from Robb ReportAdvertisementAdvertisementThis $75 Million Miami Beach Triplex Penthouse Wants to Help You Live LongerZeelander's Newest 48-Foot Yacht Is Bentley on the Outside, Hermès on the InsideThis Former Barn in the Cotswolds Was Reimagined as a Cozy Rural Retreat Hennessey claims that the Blackbird's new naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8—mated to a six-speed manual transmission—will give the car a top speed of 220 mph."It's actually quite an unexpected follow-up to the [Venom] F5, which, in some ways, makes it the best follow-up to the F5," Nathan Malinick, Hennessey's design director, tells Robb Report. According to Malinick, the Blackbird is a direct response to what Hennessey has been hearing from its customer base. "If anyone is really paying attention to the automotive world right now, there is an intense, burning desire to return to that material connection, that analog sensibility," he says. "That's what people want, and it just so happens, that's what we want to . . . what you end up creating is something that's more a passion project than a cut-and-dry business case."Yet rather than focusing on seemingly hyperbolic specs, the Hennessey team had a different mandate with the Blackbird. "The target was from John," Malinick explains. "He said people need to be able to go 800 miles in a day and not just be crushed after that experience—and you have to be able to pack whatever you need for that week-long kind of journey."The quad-exhaust's configuration is taken directly from that of the Bell X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier.The result is a car with a new 6.2-liter power plant created in partnership with Ilmor Engineering, the outfit responsible for the engine in the Venom F5. As for the heart of the Blackbird, "it's a naturally aspirated V-8 revving out to 9,000 rpm, and it will be the most powerful, road-going homologated V-8 engine ever produced," notes Malinick. He adds that "final numbers are still to be determined, but it'll be 800 hp to 900 hp driven to the rear wheels." That output will be managed through a six-speed manual transmission, and the power-train combination is intended to allow the Blackbird to take off from zero to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds and reach a ceiling of 220 mph.AdvertisementAdvertisementTrue to its purpose, though, the vehicle has room in the front for two carry-on size bags. Malinick also mentions that "underneath the rear quarter panel, you can fit additional luggage pieces—all of this will be bespoke—and then, on the inside, there's room for essentially two more duffel bags behind the seats."The decidedly analog interior eschews display screens and is anchored by the dominant tachometer and gated gearshift.The carbon-fiber Blackbird predominantly references its aeronautical namesake through its exterior styling, most notably the distinctive delineation that runs along the flanks. "This is called the chine line—this is directly from the plane," says Malinick. "That is really one of the only creases on the whole car. Everything else is very voluminous—flowing, sweeping surfaces, and that will ensure that the car is timeless from a design standpoint," he says. "But this one hard line really balances and keeps the car in tension . . . "The cockpit features room for two custom-made duffel bags behind the seats, and a place to hang your hat.Even more derivative of the SR-71 are the active vertical stabilizers at the back. These are angled at 71 degrees when deployed, which happens automatically at 71 mph. Another nod to Space Age benchmarks is the quad-exhaust setup arranged in a diamond pattern. This exhaust configuration is taken directly from that found on the Bell X-1, which broke the sound barrier for the first time while flown by famed pilot Chuck Yeager. This diamond motif is found throughout Hennessey's Blackbird, including the four cupholders inside.The Blackbird's cockpit, accessed through gullwing doors, is where the commitment to analog expression is most evident, as there are no display screens. What is prominent, however, is the tachometer, which is central among the gauges behind the steering wheel, as well as the gated shifter within the skeletonized center console.On August 14, a show prototype will be introduced to the public in Northern California's Carmel Valley as part of the Quail, a Motorsport Gathering.As for access to Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and control of the sound system, it's all managed by your smartphone. "When I go home, if I want to play music throughout the house, it's all done through my phone . . . just connect to the Bluetooth and away you go," says Malinick. "And that's the exact same concept for in here," he notes about the interior. "And who knows how long the phone will look like this . . . we even thought about that—50 years from now, and we have something else, we just want this interior to last."AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat won't last long is the Blackbird's production run, which will likely start in 2028 or 2029 and be limited to only 71 examples, each with a starting price of $2.5 million. Malinick expects that availability will also be short-lived, contending that the Blackbird will be entirely presold during Monterey Car Week, when a show prototype breaks cover on August 14 at the Quail, a Motorsports Gathering.Only 71 examples of the Hennessey Blackbird will be made, each with a starting price of $2.5 million."John has said, and made it clear, that this car, for us, is not just kind of the next chapter, but it's really a new book for Hennessey," Malinick says. "With this car . . . you're really starting to get a clear picture on just what that Hennessey DNA is going to be moving forward."Click here for more photos of the Hennessey Blackbird.The new Hennessey Blackbird.Best of Robb ReportAdvertisementAdvertisementThe 2024 Chevy C8 Corvette: Everything We Know About the Powerful Mid-Engine BeastThe World's Best Superyacht ShipyardsThe ABCs of Chartering a YachtSign up for RobbReports's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.Click here to read the full article.
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