Hennessey reveals its new hypercar is called the Blackbird based on the iconic SR-71 and explains why it's built to do everything differently
Published on Aug 03, 2026 at 3:10 PM (UTC+4)
by Henry Kelsall
Last updated on Aug 03, 2026 at 3:10 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Mason Jones
Hennessey has revealed a ‘different kind of hypercar‘ as the American company has announced its next performance vehicle will be the Hennessey Blackbird.
As the name suggests, the car is inspired by the legendary Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, and John Hennessey himself has said the car is built around the things that make driving special.
This epic new machine follows on from the Venom GT and Venom F5, cars that were received to worldwide acclaim and have turned the tuning house into a fully fledged manufacturer.
In an Instagram post, John Hennessey explained the philosophy behind the car and what makes it tick.
Why has Hennessey created the Blackbird hypercar?
For now, we’ve not actually seen the full car. Only its shape is hidden away by a cover, but Hennessey explained the idea behind the car.
“It’s built around the things that make driving special: a naturally aspirated engine, a manual gearbox, and a direct connection between driver and machine,” he said on Instagram.
Enthusiasts will love the fact that it has a manual transmission.
Manual cars are becoming rarer and rarer, so to see one in a car of this magnitude is a welcome sight for many.
We do know what will power the car as well. At the heart of the Blackbird is a 6.2-liter V8 engine, developed with Illmor Engineering.
There are no turbochargers, no superchargers, and no hybrid power. It is fully naturally-aspirated goodness.
The Blackbird has received incredible attention to detail
“Every detail was designed with purpose,” said the boss, and he expanded on that without giving too much away.
The bodywork has been heavily aerospace-inspired, meaning there may be some elements similar to the SR-71 airplane.
We know that the hypercar will have vertical stabilizers as well, which could be designed similarly to the tail fins on the spy plane.
The car is fully constructed from carbon, and the cockpit is ‘driver-focused,’ something we are very keen to lay our eyes on.
“Blackbird is our vision of the ultimate touring hypercar: A machine created to be driven, enjoyed, and remembered,” said Hennessey.
Inspired by the name of the aircraft itself, there will be just 71 examples produced worldwide of this incredible machine.
We have yet to recieve pricing details at the time of writing. But we imagine it isn’t going to be cheap.
The real SR-71 Blackbird was a fearsome aircraft
It is worth taking a look at the aircraft which inspired the new hypercar.
The Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird was a Mach 3 spyplane that flew from the 1960s to 1999.
It is still the fastest conventional aircraft ever made, and it holds the record for the quickest flight from London to New York.
The SR-71 did the crossing in one hour, 54 minutes and 56 seconds. No aircraft has come close to beating it.
The United States Air Force retired the Blackbird in 1998. However, NASA flew a handful of them for another year before retiring them in 1999.
Even today, the Blackbird can captivate people due to its speed and design. We expect the Hennessey hypercar to do the same thing.
Hennessey Timeline
1991 – Company Founded: John establishes the tuning business after modifying his personal Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
1993 – Viper Venom 500 Debuts: The brand’s first major modified Dodge Viper gains international attention after racing success in the Nevada Open Road Challenge
2008 – Tuner School Opens: A private educational institution launches in Texas to train the next generation of high-performance vehicle mechanics
2011 – Venom GT Introduced: An extreme hypercar based on a heavily modified Lotus Exige chassis enters the market to challenge top speed limits
2014 – World Speed Record: The Venom GT reaches 270.49 mph to set a Guinness World Record for the fastest production vehicle
2017 – Special Vehicles Division Formed: A dedicated department is created specifically to design and manufacture the new Venom F5
2019 – Fastest SUV Title: The HPE1200 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk claims a new world record for sport utility vehicles
Henry joined the Supercar Blondie team in February 2025, and since then has covered a wide array of topics ranging from EVs, American barn finds, and the odd Cold War jet. He’s combined his passion for cars with his keen interest in motorsport and his side hustle as a volunteer steam locomotive fireman at a heritage steam railway.
