Hennessey's Venom GT is a Corvette-Powered Elise with 1,200HP

Some say you can't make a Lotus any better. Well, maybe they haven't head of Hennessey and its SEMA Show-bound Venom GT. The American firm's new toy is based on the Lotus Elise and, in its flagship version, comes equipped with an out-of-this-world 1,200 hp (895 kW) twin turbocharged V8 engine sourced from the Corvette. Power is sent to the rear wheels through a six-speed manual gearbox.

The V8-powered sports car also gets race-spec disc brakes sourced from Brembo with 15.2-inch diameter carbon-ceramic rotors and 6-piston aluminum calipers.

According to Hennessey, the Venom GT tips the scales at 2,685 lbs (1,220 kg). Estimated performance figures say that, this hypercar, will go from 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) in just 2.4 seconds, and to 200mph (322 km/h) in 15.6 seconds.

In comparison, the Bugatti Veyron completes the 0-200mph sprint in 24.2 seconds. Hennessey's proposal tops out at a jaw-dropping 267mph or 429km/h.

For those that find 1,200HP a tad too much, Hennessey will also offer two more iterations of the V8 engine, one producing 725 hp (541 kW) and the other 1,000 horses (746 kW).

"We are very excited to have the opportunity to show our Venom GT in the Mobil 1 display at this year's SEMA show," said company founder and president, John Hennessey. "We first announced our interest in developing an ultra lightweight, ultra powerful sports car – the Venom GT concept – nearly three years ago during SEMA."

"Driving the Venom GT is a thrilling experience," Hennessey adds. "It is a driver's car, a supercar with a soul that will give you as much speed and performance as you dare ask of it. If you ever wanted to experience flying a military fighter jet, the Venom GT offers a similar visceral thrill of speed and performance. It's the quickest, fastest and most exciting vehicle that I have ever driven."