Mechanical engineering major Blake Zegiestowsky completed an internship with Hennessey Performance.
My dream is to be an engineer in the hypercar industry, and this summer, I made that a reality as one of Hennessey Performance’s first engineering interns. I worked on the Hennessey Special Vehicles team, which is responsible for the Venom F5, one of the fastest production cars in the world. I thrive in fast-paced, high-stakes environments, and this dynamic experience fueled my passion for cars to a whole new level.
During my internship, I worked on several exciting projects. My favorite was designing a brake ducting system. I started by researching brake temperatures and heat transfer and benchmarking competitor systems. I then designed and prototyped the system, facing the main challenge of fitting it into the chassis while clearing the wheel at full lock. After multiple iterations, I finalized a design and created dimensioned drawings, a bill of materials, and build instructions. The system is now in production, and I can proudly say I designed a crucial part of a $3.5 million car.
Another highlight was conducting aerodynamic testing. I hand-built instrumentation to measure air pressure, installed it in critical locations under the car based on CFD simulations, and wrote an 800+ line MATLAB script for data analysis. My code calculated pressure coefficients and downforce, presenting the results in interactive plots and graphs. We traveled to an airstrip to test the car and collect data. The data I collected and analyzed determined the aerodynamic configuration we would use. Playing a vital role in high-caliber testing was thrilling.
I also overhauled the production documentation for the entire Venom F5 build. I created detailed work instructions for every step, implemented quality checks, updated the bill of materials, and worked with procurement to streamline the kitting process.
Throughout the internship, I gained invaluable experience in hypercar design, testing, and production. I learned about aerodynamics, powertrain, and how to be more thorough and meticulous in my work. By asking numerous questions and closely observing the engineers and technicians, I significantly increased my knowledge of high-performance vehicles and the hypercar industry. This experience forced me to think creatively and sharpened my engineering skills, which I will carry forward in my career.