Tag Archives: Tuning

Marvel At Hennessey’s 850 HP C7 Corvette Z06 Showing Off

If you happen to own a C7 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 or plan on buying one, Hennessey has just released an upgrade package that promises to lift the sports car to new heights.

Dubbed the HPE850, the package sees a handful of modifications made to the Z06’s 6.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, which ordinarily produces 650 hp at 6,400 rpm and 650 lb-ft (881 Nm) at 3,600 rpm, and lifts it up to 850 hp and 715 lb-ft (969 Nm).

Hennessey has been able to make these gains thanks to upgraded cylinder heads, valve springs, camshafts, intake system, and exhaust. It also tweaks with the ECU to ensure the car runs just as it should and doesn’t suffer from any reliability issues that could be caused by the horsepower and torque gains.

Watch Also: Why Wait For A ZR1 When When You Can Have A Twin-Turbo Corvette C8

The Texas tuner says that a Corvette Z06 equipped with the HPE850 package is capable of hitting 60 mph (96 km/h) in a mere 2.6 seconds while also being able to sprint down the quarter-mile in just 10.3 seconds at 136 mph (219 km/h).

With the exception of some badges, few visual changes have been made to the car, meaning you’ll be able to shock other Z06s, plus lots of exotics, on the street with this Vette’s performance.

Finally, this is going to be a limited run, as Hennessey plans on just offering 100 examples of its HPE850 upgrade package to customers.

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Why Wait For A ZR1 When When You Can Have A Twin-Turbo Corvette C8

A company by the name of Late Model Racecraft has just built one of the craziest C8 Corvette Stingrays anywhere, adorning it with a bespoke twin-turbo setup that will be able to handle upwards of 1,200 hp.

The first twin-turbo package we saw for the C8 Corvette a few months ago came from Hennessey Performance. That kit, as well as others in the market, has seen the turbos mounted low and directly behind the rear bumper. By comparison, Late Model Racecraft has created a top-mount setup where the turbos sit directly above the engine.

Watch Also: Twin-Turbo C8 Corvette Delivers 736 HP At The Wheels

This solution arguably looks better than hiding the turbos behind the rear bumper but does appear more complex. For example, there is an air-to-water intercooler system that sits just above the exhaust and slightly protrudes into the rear storage compartment of the sports car. All of the associated piping with the twin-turbo setup fits neatly under the engine cover but does get very close to some of the exposed carbon fiber parts in the engine bay.

The upgraded engine is coupled with a custom catback exhaust system that the tuner has built. This exhaust works regardless of whether the C8 remains naturally aspirated or is twin-turbocharged. For now, the car retains the Corvette’s standard ECU but that will soon be tuned to complement the addition of the turbochargers.

It’s important to keep in mind that it is still early days in the world of C8 Corvette tuning. As more examples reach the hands of customers, we can expect to see new and exciting upgrade packages hit the market.

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Chevrolet Colorado ‘Kymera’ Feels Right At Home Tackling The Wilderness

Say hello to ‘Kymera,’ an insane off-roader built by a shop out of South Carolina dubbed Fab Fours.

Recently featured in an episode of Ridiculous Rides, Kymera started out life as a 2015 Chevrolet Colorado, not that you’d be able to tell from its crazed outward appearance. In fact, it looks more like a Trophy Truck than a Colorado.

For starters, Kymera is no longer front-engined; instead, the engine sits where the bed once was. This isn’t any regular engine either, but a 5.9-liter Cummins diesel V8 that’s been fitted with a pair of turbochargers, so it now delivers 650 hp and spews out plums of black smoke whenever you touch the accelerator pedal.

Read Also: Chevrolet Colorado To Get Small Styling Update, Three New Packages For 2021MY

It’s not just the engine that makes this Colorado special.The vehicle features all-new suspension, including absolutely massive Fox shocks and springs, and also utilizes military-spec axles. What’s more, it has a rear-wheel steering system that means it is very maneuverable, despite its size.

While Kymera certainly turns heads on the roads, that’s not where it is at home. Instead, the truck is best suited to climbing up rocks along difficult off-road trails or bashing through the desert. It is the ultimate toy car and we’re sure would be an absolute ball to drive. Given how big the Fox shocks are, we imagine it rides over small rocks like a Rolls-Royce rides on the pavement. In the unlikely event that the truck does get stuck, it has a 12,000 lbs winch up front to help pull it free.

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You Can Now Buy Patrick Dempsey’s Panoz-Built 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback SVT

The 1965 Ford Mustang Fastback is a fine car in stock form, but actor and racer Patrick Dempsey wanted it significantly improved to use it as a daily driver.

To help him turn the Mustang into the pony car of his dreams, he commissioned Panoz Auto Development and JRD, the official tuner of Panoz vehicles. 3,900 hours and approximately $300,000 later, Dempsey was presented with the black Mustang you see in these photos.

Completed in 2008, the project used a number of components from both the S197 and SN95 Mustangs, including a 420 HP supercharged 4.6-liter V8, Tremec T-56 six-speed manual transmission, bits of the suspension and brakes, and some interior items.

Watch Also: Patrick Dempsey Takes Jay Leno For A Thrill Ride In Two Stunning Porsches

Dempsey later sold the car to Equus Automotive, which brought further updates to the exterior and interior. The current owner, who is based in Utah, has had it for the past three years and is now willing to part ways with it for a satisfactory amount of money. At the time of writing, and with six days until the auction ends, the highest bid on Bring A Trailer stands at $75,000.

So let’s see what you would get if you decided to bid for it – besides bragging rights for driving a car that Patrick Dempsey used to own.

On the outside, the 1965 Mustang keeps things classy with a black paint, rear wheel-arch flares to accommodate the S197 rear axle, 17-inch Torq Thrust–style wheels shod with BFGoodrich G-Force Sport tires, as well as HID headlights and LED taillights with a high-mounted third brake lamp. Upon acquiring the car from Dempsey, Equus Automotive modified the front and rear lower valances and replaced the hood and rear side window glass.

The changes made to the cabin are much more obvious and include a custom upholstered dashboard, metal pedal covers, air conditioning, power windows and door locks – all made by Panoz, with the power-window switches and climate-control buttons coming from a 2004 SVT Cobra. Equus Automotive redid the cabin with black leather seats, a modified lower console and a retro-style Becker Mexico radio with Bluetooth; plus, it also placed its logos on the modern steering wheel and headrests.

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Since it was built to be a daily driver, the 1965 Mustang restomod also features modern tech such as power rack-and-pinion steering, ABS, traction control, front and rear three-point seatbelts, a collapsible steering column, and a child-seat restraint system in the back seat. Furthermore, Panoz used computer-assisted design and custom molds to develop front and rear crumple zones, integrated side-impact protection, and a reinforced toe box for additional chassis rigidity.

The car has been driven for approximately 8,500 miles (13,679 km) since the initial build and is now offered with a complete build guide and a clean Utah title. Check out the listing and following videos for the full details.

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How Does The 495 HP 2020 Corvette Fare Against A 760 HP Mustang Shelby GT500?

Whenever a performance-focused vehicle is released in the U.S, you can be assured that Hennessey Performance will get its hands on one and bump up its performance. However, before working on a recent C8 Corvette and Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 that came into its shop, the tuner lined up the two to see how they compare in a straight-line.

Kicking things off is a drag race from a standing start where the Corvette has an advantage. You see, while the ‘Vette’s 6.2-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine ‘only’ churns out 495 hp with the Z51 Performance Package, it is mid-engined and has much better grip than the GT500.

Watch Also: All American V8 Brawl – Dodge Charger Hellcat Widebody Vs New Corvette C8

Consequently, the Corvette gets off the line for quicker than the Mustang which, by the way, uses a 5.2-liter supercharged V8 with no less than 760 hp. The Chevy holds on to its lead for quite a long time and it isn’t until the C8 hits roughly 120 mph (193 km/h) that the Mustang overtakes it and storms ahead thanks to its added power.

For the second test, the two went toe-to-toe in a rolling drag race from 40 mph (64 km/h). This race favors the Mustang because it is able to put all of its power to the ground from the get-go without encountering any traction issues like it does when getting off the line.

Neither of these results are surprising but they have made us very intrigued to see how Hennessey’s twin-turbo Corvette will stack up against a GT500 when it’s been tuned and is running at full power.