Video: Hennessey releases 602-hp Camaro HPE600 Convertible

If for some strange reason you find that the Chevrolet Camaro Convertible SS doesn’t quite pack the punch you need, Hennessey has you covered. The Texas tuner has officially pulled the sheets back on the very first example of the company’s HPE600 Camaro Convertible, complete with a walloping 602 horsepower. That’s a full 172 ponies more than the most powerful production version, and the nudge in grunt comes courtesy of a TVS2300 supercharger and host of other upgrades designed to help the big V8 breathe a little easier.

As we’ve come to expect from Hennessey, the company’s wrenches also turned their attention toward the vehicle’s suspension, and buyers who opt for the muscle-bound droptop can expect to find a KW adjustable coilover suspension and wider 20-inch wheels wrapped in super-sticky Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires.

Hennessey says that the topless wonder is good for dashing to 60 miles per hour in 3.9 seconds and can clip off the quarter mile run in 12 seconds flat at 118 mph. That’s moving. Hit the jump to take a look at a video of the car in action as well as the full press release.

Read More

Hennessey Venom GT Chassis #03 dressed up in red

We’ve seen the silver-colored Hennessey Venom GT chassis number 01 out running about, and now, the tuning company has decided to show off its bright red chassis number 03. The 1,200-horsepower supercar can ran from 0-60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds and has an estimated top speed of 267 mph.

We’ve stared at it, heard it, seen it belch fire on the dyno, Jay Leno’s had his time with it and now we say enough is enough. We’re more than ready for our test drive, and while the red paint job of this latest build is indeed sexy, we’d gladly drive one in beige if it meant some seat time was in order.

Click through the gallery below to see the 2011 Hennessey Venom GT looking resplendent in its shiny new red coat of paint.

Read More

Video: Hennessey beats 2011 Nissan GT-R again, this time with twin-turbo Escalade

The problem with being the standard-bearer for world-class performance is that you’re saddled with the burden of defending your crown at every turn. Take the 2011 Nissan GT-R, for example. This vehicle has the proud distinction of offering one of the highest performance-per-dollar ratios of any car on the planet, and as such, it’s the go-to challenger for any high-horsepower machine looking to make a name for itself.

Those would-be stars are typically low-slung tuner creations, but the team from Hennessey chose to line the big-bad Nissan up against something a little less traditional: its HPE1000 Cadillac Escalade. Whereas the 485-horsepower 2011 GT-R can dash to 60 mph in as little as 3.4 seconds, the big SUV packs two turbos, over 1,000 horsepower and 0-60 sprint of 3.3 seconds.

To be fair, the Godzilla in the video after the jump isn’t the new-and-improved 2012 model (stop us if you’veheard this one before…), and the Caddy gets a massive jump on the Nissan, but the fact that a 6,000-pound SUV can manage to keep up with anything from the GT-R bloodline is an impressive enough feat. Click past the jump to check it out for yourself, and remember to keep your fender-to-fender shenanigans off the street.

Read More