Did This Hennessey Venom F5 Blow Up Its 1,817 HP V8 While Revving?

The Hennessey Venom F5 has an extraordinary 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8, delivering 1,817 hp and 1,193 lb-ft (1,617 Nm) of torque. However, the engine of this particular Venom F5 appears to have seen better days.

Footage from a recent car meet in the U.S. has started circulating online, showing the owner of a Venom F5 revving it, much to the delight of attendees at the event. As the temperatures start to build, the Hennessey begins shooting some impressive flames, but moments later, white smoke starts to pour out of the two exhausts on the driver’s side.

Watch: Hennessey Venom F5 Revolution Crushes COTA Record, King Returns!

While some online have speculated that the hypercar’s engine may have blown up, that probably isn’t the case. The most likely explanation is that one of the oil feed lines for a turbocharger blew, meaning oil started to leak into the turbo. It should be easily repairable at minimal cost if that’s the case. If one of the turbochargers needs to be replaced, that’ll jack up the repair price, but it’s certainly not as bad as a blown engine.

The car’s driver continued to rev it after smoke poured out of the exhaust, and it sounded just as healthy as it did before the smoke appeared, again indicating that this wasn’t a serious issue with the engine’s internals.

Earlier this year, John Hennessey revealed the tuner and niche automaker is working towards taking the Venom F5 to a two-way average of over 300 mph (483 km/h). The company has the car ready to go and has also picked a driver for the record attempt. The last hurdle it needs to overcome is finding an appropriate ribbon of tarmac to take the hypercar through its top speed. Hennessey is hopeful it’ll receive approval from the Texas government to close down a highway for the run.