Thirty-five years ago, a man called John Hennessey looked at a first-generation Dodge Viper and thought, “You know what, this thing doesn’t have enough horsepower.” Now, after three and a half decades of making complete death traps even deadlier, Hennessey is marking the occasion with a special edition Ford Mustang. Because Hennessey is all about producing unique, high-performance vehicles to mark anniversaries.
The Mustang itself features a bespoke “VenomAero” carbon‑fiber performance kit, which the manufacturer claims improves cooling and handling. Then there are the aesthetic touches that make this vehicle unique, including “35” fender badging and a “91” hood graphic. Both of which are a nod to Hennessey’s legacy.
Speaking about his company’s history and the Mustang that celebrates it, founder and CEO John Hennessey said: “What started as a love for racing and going fast has turned into something far bigger than I ever imagined, but the fun of building extreme vehicles is still what drives us every day. We’ve scaled the business while staying true to our roots, and looking ahead, there’s a tremendous amount to be excited about.
“With our 35th anniversary Super Venom Mustang, a new Hennessey hypercar on the way, and ever‑stronger relationships with partners like Ford, GM, and Stellantis, the future has never looked brighter.”
In addition to the aesthetic features and body kit, Hennessey’s limited edition Mustang packs 70% more horsepower than the original. The 5.0-liter V8 Coyote engine under the hood now cranks out 850 hp, up from the 500 the factory sends it out with. Torque is significantly increased, too, seeing a 55% boost. Which means the ‘Stang is producing 650 lb‑ft at 4900 rpm.
What is Hennessey’s 35th Anniversary Mustang like on the road?
So, full disclosure, I haven’t sat behind the wheel of one of Hennessey’s 35th Anniversary Mustangs. But I have driven a Hennessey H850, which is the 850-horsepower Mustang Dark Horse Hennessey makes, or rather adapts by supercharging the Coyote V8 in various customers’ existing Dark Horses.
On the one hand, the H850 felt surprisingly tame. It probably wouldn’t have felt that way on any other day of the year, but I’d spent the morning ripping around in a 1,817-horsepower Venom F5, so pretty much anything is going to feel a touch pedestrian after.
But I do remember the H850 being very controllable until you don’t want it to be. If you find a wide open spot, turn the traction control off, and so much as brush the accelerator then those wheels are going to spin and that back end is going to want to get out of line. But if you’re smooth and sensible, it won’t do you any harm. A bit like an actual horse.
I’ve also done a lot of hot laps and track experiences in my time, and the standard Dark Horse is pretty underrated. Everyone’s crossing their fingers, hoping for a McLaren or an Aston Martin. But you don’t actually want that; they’re all too balanced and well-engineered. You want something that’s naturally going to want to hit every corner sideways. Because you’re there to have fun, not set a lap record.
So, presuming they don’t intend to just sit it in a garage and do nothing else with it, 35th anniversary Mustang owners will be able to have a great time with their purchase. And if you do miss out, but also own a standard Dark Horse, you can still give Mr. Hennessey around $25,000 to up the horsepower to 850. Just don’t expect him to do anything about the constant recalls, he isn’t a miracle worker.
