Hennessey, the Texas-based hypercar manufacturer and high-performance vehicle creator, has achieved a 183 mph speed record for the fastest station wagon with a Christmas tree mounted on the roof! The seasonal speed record breaks Hennessey’s previous best – 181 mph achieved with a 1000 bhp Hennessey Jeep Trackhawk in 2019.

The Christmas tree record was set while the team was conducting the Venom F5 hypercar’s final high-speed validation testing. This last phase of F5 engineering focused on tires, braking and aerodynamics at speeds in excess of 250 mph ahead of an attempt to exceed 300 mph in early 2022.

The Hennessey engineers love a challenge, and they love Christmas too, so taking time to enjoy some festive fun as part of the intense F5 testing program provided some welcome light relief. The Audi RS 6 Avant (belonging to John Hennessey’s wife) was tuned by Hennessey to 800 bhp and featured a modified exhaust system, which enabled the 6ft Douglas Fir to hit the record speed. The vehicle was driven by professional driver and senior instructor at the Ford Performance Driving School, Spencer Geswein.

John Hennessey, company Founder and CEO: “We wanted to see what my wife’s Audi station wagon would run without the tree and we managed 205 mph. Then, the real holiday fun began when we mounted a real Christmas tree on the roof. To our surprise, her wagon ran a very respectable 183 mph.”

The 65+ team at Hennessey Performance build more than 600 high-performance cars and trucks every year. In 2021, they’ve fine-tuned the Hennessey Venom F5 hypercar and are already looking ahead to the company’s first fully electrified Hyper-Lux GT – Project Deep Space. The team has a focus on fun that goes hand-in hand with the high-pressure nature of making some of the world’s fastest cars faster, so spreading some high-speed holiday joy comes naturally to the team from Sealey, Texas.

John Hennessey: “This was a fun way to end our most recent high speed testing session with our Venom F5. Afterall, who needs reindeer when your wife has an 800 bhp sleigh?”