Hennessey Performance Engineering
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Automobiles | |
Divisions | Hennessey Special Vehicles |
---|---|
Website | hennesseyperformance |
Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) is an American hypercar manufacturer and high-performance vehicle creator.
In addition to building the
Tuner School
In 2008, the Tuner School was founded by the company. It is a private institution dedicated to teach and train high performance vehicle tuner technicians. It is located at Lonestar Motorsports Park, near the Hennessey Performance headquarters. All instructors at this education facility are actual performance tuning mechanics.[1]
Notable cars
Hennessey Venom 650R
The Hennessey Venom 650R is one of the first offerings provided from the tuning company. Available as a package to the 1996
Hennessey Venom GT
In 2010, Hennessey Performance revealed the Hennessey Venom GT. The Venom GT is based on the Lotus Exige and has a twin-turbocharged V8 engine that is rated at 1,244 hp (928 kW). The car weighs 1,244 kg (2,743 lb) and has a top speed of 270.49 mph (435.31 km/h). Three "World's Fastest Edition" Venom GT coupés were produced in 2014 to commemorate the car's speed record run.[3]
A roadster variant dubbed the Venom GT Spyder was launched in 2012 on the request of Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler. It is based on the Lotus Elise and adds 30 lb (14 kg) to the curb weight due to structural changes. The production of the Spyder was limited to five units with a one-off Spyder being produced as the "Final edition" model bringing the total to 6 units. The final edition gained a total of 204 hp (207 PS; 152 kW) and was 9 lb (4 kg) lighter than the regular Spyder.
Hennessey Venom F5
The Hennessey Venom F5, successor to the Venom GT, was unveiled at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on November 1, 2017, with high expectations of its intended world-beating speed record, having a projected 2.0 second 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) acceleration time and 301 mph (484 km/h) top speed.[4]
The Venom F5 features a bespoke proprietary 6.6-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine, making this the company's first in-house engine.
VelociRaptor SUV/Off-Road Truck
The Hennessey VelociRaptor SUV is a luxury off-road full-size SUV modified from the
As of 2015, the first generation model has been discontinued. In 2018 the Hennessey Ford VelociRaptor 6×6 option was made available, with a 30-inch extended frame and extra axle for a total of six driven wheels.[8]
Hennessey CTS-V
The Hennessey CTS-V is a 2016
Hennessey Exorcist
The Hennessey Exorcist is an upgrade package for the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 offered by Hennessy Special Vehicles. The package includes a high-flow supercharger and intercooler providing 14 psi of boost pressure, custom camshaft, ported cylinder heads, upgraded valvetrain with new springs, lifters, pushrods and valves and long-tube stainless steel exhaust headers with high-flow catalytic converters. The cars equipped with the automatic transmission will require an upgraded transmission at the cost of US$9,950. The optional drag pack includes 315/30-20 rear tires, modifications to the drive shaft, floor jack and tool kit for faster acceleration at the drag strip at the cost of US$8,995. The optional road race pack includes a set of 20 inch light weight Hennessey wheels with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires at the cost of US$6,995. The upgraded engine with the standard package is rated at 1,000 hp (1,014 PS; 746 kW) at 6,400 rpm and 1,310 N⋅m (966 lb⋅ft) of torque at 4,400 rpm, enabling the vehicle to accelerate from 0–60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 3.5 seconds, complete the quarter-mile in less than 10 seconds and attain a top speed of 217 mph (349 km/h), 19 mph (31 km/h) over that of the original ZL1. The package is available at an additional cost of US$57,455 over the cost of the standard ZL1 for both the manual and automatic versions of the car. The vehicle can directly be ordered from Hennessey Special Vehicles, Chevrolet dealers or the vehicle can be sent to Hennessey Special vehicles by the owners for conversion.[10][11]
Divisions
Hennessey established the Hennessey Special Vehicles division in 2017, in which it builds the Hennessey Venom GT sports car line-up. The division is tasked to learn from its experiences with the Venom GT and apply it to the newest variation, the Hennessey Venom F5, which will succeed the Venom GT.[12] All vehicles sold under the division are branded as a regular Hennessey model, despite being built by the division.
Controversy
Hennessey has been the subject of numerous lawsuits and Better Business Bureau complaints throughout the years, with many BBB complaints left unresolved[13] and, according to court records, many judgements entered against Hennessey. Jalopnik published an article outlining Hennessey's many customer service and potential fraud issues.[14] Thetruthaboutcars also wrote a similar article where Hennessey stole a customer's money without producing a car.[15]
See also
- Hennessey Viper Venom 1000 Twin Turbo – Another car tuned by HPE
- Lingenfelter Performance Engineering – A similar company
- Vorsteiner – another similar company, specialising in modifying automobiles from European Luxury and High Performance Sports Car brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and more. They also have an alloy wheels division.
- Shelby American
References
- ^ Martin, Zach (2019-03-11). "The Hennessey Performance Tuner School- High Performance Education". HotRod Magazine. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ Karr, Jeff (1999-06-01). "Hennessey Venom 650R, the fastest street car we've ever tested". Motor Trend. Retrieved 2018-03-16.
- ^ "$1.25M Venom GT 'World's Fastest Edition' is so quick you've missed your chance". Autoblog. 2014-03-25. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ Gustafson, Sven (2017-11-01). "301 mph, 1,600 hp: Hennessey Venom F5 details emerge". Autoblog. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
- ^ Perez, Jeff (2017-11-01). "Hennessey's 1,600-HP Venom F5 Is Gunning For 300 MPH". Motor 1. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
- ^ Alaniz, Anthony (2019-10-01). "Hennessey Venom F5 Engine Rated At 1,817 Horsepower". Motor1. Retrieved 2020-05-26.
- ^ "Venom F5". Hennessey Venom GT. 2014-08-04. Retrieved 2017-06-20.
- ^ "Hennessey Ford VelociRaptor 6×6". hennesseyperformance.com. Retrieved 2019-01-28.
- ^ "2016 Hennessey CTS-V is properly ridiculous with 1,000 horsepower". Autoblog.
- ^ Carney, Dan (2018-02-21). "Hennessey Exorcist Camaro Hits 217mph". Maxim. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ Delatorre, Kenzie (2017-04-04). "The Exorcist, Hennessey's answer to the Demon". Hennessey Performance Engineering. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ Hennessey Performance (2017-06-19), VENOM F5 - PART 1: ORIGIN OF A HYPERCAR, retrieved 2017-06-20
- ^ Csere, Csaba (2002-09-01). "Supercars Can Bite as Hard as They Can Run". Car and Driver.
- ^ "Ex-Employees Say Hennessey Is A Bigger Mess Than You Ever Imagined". Jalopnik.
- ^ "John Hennessey earns crook badge". thetruthaboutcars.