Look what happens when Hennessey Performance gets its hands on the Corvette ZR1

AFP Relaxnews December 10,2017

The 2019 Corvette ZRI with a Hennessey HPE1200 Supercharged Engine Upgrade. Image: Hennessey Performance via AFP Relaxnews

Texan tuning and modification firm Hennessey Performance has taken time out from working on its new hypercar, the Venom F5, to make the quickest ever production Corvette even quicker still.

The 2019 Corvette ZR1 may well be the fastest and fiercest production Corvette in the car’s 54-year history. But even with 755hp and 969Nm of torque on tap, plus the ability to accelerate to 60 miles per hour in under 3 seconds on the way to a phenomenal top speed of 212 miles per hour (that’s McLaren 720S territory), there are going to be some fans that were expecting even more.

Luckily, Hennessey Performance has predicted this potential mild disappointment and has already developed three upgrade packages for the latest ‘Vette even though it’s yet to go on sale.

However, once you can get your hands on one, Hennessey will be able to modify it to the tune of 1200bhp! That figure, which until very recently was reserved solely for the Bugatti Veyron, will enable the Hennessey HPE1200 Corvette ZR1 to accelerate from rest to 60 miles per hour in 2.2 seconds, cover the standing quarter mile in 9.2 seconds, and achieve a top speed in excess of 230 miles per hour.

Such physics-bending performance is only possible because the company is doing the upgrade properly. Anyone who knows their way around an engine bay can conceivably fit a car with a bigger supercharger. But in order to make a car go faster on a regular basis, without causing the engine to melt down or the brakes to fry or suspension to disintegrate under the increased torque levels, means going through the whole powertrain with a fine-tooth comb.

In the case of the Corvette, Hennessey has increased engine capacity up to 7-liters and added a high-flow supercharger system. But more importantly, it’s upgraded essentially every engine piece and peripheral from the pistons and connecting rods to valves and valve springs plus of course the cooling system and exhaust.

Each customized model will come with a plaque noting its serial number and stating its capabilities, but best of all, the car will also come with a warranty. JB

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