Behind the Wheel of a 1000 HP Hennessey ‘HPE1000’ C7 Corvette ZR1

Want to find out what it’s like driving a Hennessy-tuned C7 Corvette ZR1 with the tuner’s 1,000 horsepower HPE1000 performance package? Watch this video!

Earlier last week, we reported that world-renowned Corvette tuner Hennessy Performance plans to build 100 examples of its HPE850 package equipped C7 Corvette Z06. The HPE850 upgrade adds 200 HP to the total power of the 6.2-liter LT4 motor, but the company also offers an HPE1000 package for the C7 ZR1 models.

Recently YouTuber Tim Burton got a chance to get behind the wheel of a Hennessy-tuned C7 Corvette ZR1. Tim runs the YouTube channel shmee150, and for one of his most recent webisodes, the YouTuber flew down to Sealy, Texas to drive the previous generation ZR1 model around Hennessey’s race track.

As the name suggests, Hennessey’s HPE1000 package bumps up the C7 ZR1’s power up to a 1000 HP, and Tim did not shy away from offering more context for this statistic. “This car has a thousand horsepower, as much as a Bugatti Veyron or nearly as much as a McLaren Speedtail, more than La Ferrari or a 918 Spyder, in a corvette,” Said Burton.

What is even more impressive is that Hennessy Performance claims that its ZR1 HPE1000 will deliver its peak power output at just 64,000 RPM and the powerplant only needs to rev at 4400 RPM to deliver its 966 lb-ft of peak torque.

In true Hennessey Performance fashion, the Texan tuner uses a supercharger kit to achieve these impressive power figures. The supercharger is accompanied by a long list of performance modifications, which include installing long-tube stainless steel headers, high-flow air induction system, ported cylinder heads, high-flow catalytic converters, stainless steel mid-pipes, Hennessy lower pulley, and custom HPE camshafts.

The upgrades are not limited to the powertrain, as Hennessy also tweaks the 8-speed automatic transmission so it can handle oodles of additional power that the 6.2-liter supercharged motor churns out. However, customers who opted for a 7-speed manual transmission do not have to worry about gearbox upgrades. The HPE1000 ZR1 can accelerate to 60 MPH from a standstill in just 2.3 seconds and covers a quarter-mile in 9.4 seconds at 147 MPH.

Burton shared his thoughts on the performance of the HPE1000 C7 ZR1, “ The power isn’t kind of Senna’s heart-stopping power because that thing’s so much lighter, but it is not what you expect from this car.”

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