Ever get the sense that your last-of-the-line Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is just not quick enough? Heck, 1,011hp and a 0-100kph time of 1.66 seconds is basically snail’s pace.
Well, it is to Hennessey. The Texan tuner has announced a new ‘Demon 1700 Twin-Turbo’ with – you guessed it – a whole 1,700hp. Yikes.
Hennessey is actually setting up a whole new department with this car known as Hennessey Special Operations (HSO), and the folk working there will apparently “build ultra-exclusive, ultra-high-horsepower vehicles for its most discerning customers”. That department will build 15 to 20 vehicles per year, and just 12 of these ultra-Challengers will ever exist.
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So, how does Hennessey expect to get to that headline power figure? Well, it’ll start by blueprinting the existing 6.2-litre V8, before removing the whole powertrain and shrink wrapping it for safe keeping. It’ll then build a bespoke new twin-turbo powertrain “with every component optimized for performance”. Diplomatic use of 'optimized', there.
We’re told the new powertrain will be motorsports-spec with forged internals and special cooling. The price will be $200,000 (around P11.27-M), but that won’t include the donor Demon 170. We hope you’ve already specced the optional parachute.
“Demand for our powerful vehicles over the past several years has been so strong that we had to shift from being a high-volume tuning company to more of a factory with assembly lines and all of the logistics that go with delivering over 500 vehicles per year,” said John Hennessey.
“That meant that we had to shift some of our resources away from the high horsepower vehicles that have kept the Hennessey name in the automotive headlines for the past 33 years.
“We are happy to announce that we’ve created a new division within the company that allows us to build mega-powerful vehicles in small production runs. Taking my new Dodge Demon 170, removing the blower, adding a pair of turbos, and increasing power from 1,025 to 1,700 horsepower was exactly what we’ve been wanting to do.”
Clearly John is customer number one then, so that means just 11 Demon 1700 Twin-Turbo slots remain. Best get in there quick.
Note: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
