Hennessey-tuned GT350 R Mercilessly Whoops on Dodge Viper
They say that everything’s bigger in Texas. We’re betting the farm that includes Hennessey horsepower numbers, too.
Hennessey Performance in Sealy, Texas may be best known for tuning Dodge Vipers. They’ve long since proven that they have a knack for turning the already potent V10-powered sports cars into fire-breathing monsters.
Now, they’ve turned their attention to another venomous snake, the Shelby GT350 R Mustang in a video from their official YouTube page. Already a potent car in stock form, Hennessey’s HPE850 package adds a supercharger into the mix. The 2.9-liter supercharger is running 5 to 6 pounds of boost, and is backed up by all the requisite supporting mods, including a heat exchanger and an upgraded fuel system.
The result is an incredible 858 horsepower at 7,700 RPM and 673 lb/ft of torque at 4,600 RPM. With that kind of power, the HPE850 GT350R is good for a blistering 10.8 second quarter mile time, with 60 miles per hour coming in a scant 3.3 seconds. That’s supercar territory.
That’s pretty brutal performance any way you slice it. To show just how capable this machine is, Hennessey has released a video of an HPE850 GT350R Mustang drag racing against a stock Dodge Viper.
Obviously, the Viper is no slouch. In stock form, it’s good for 650 horsepower. Hennessey is using these races to test both cars, getting baseline numbers on the Viper for future tuning. Still, it’s fun to watch a Mustang put a whoopin’ on the Viper.
Despite a difference of around 200 horsepower, the numbers say that both cars will be very closely matched. Still, unsurprisingly, the tuned Shelby GT350 R prevailed.
So, just how much faster is the Mustang than the Viper? From a 30 roll, the Mustang begins to nose ahead right away. At around 100 miles per hour, the Mustang pulls away more rapidly, putting a car length on the Viper in short order. The gap widens to one and a half car lengths before the race shuts down around 120 miles per hour.
That’s impressive performance from a Mustang, even a GT350 R. While the Viper will be even faster after all of the modifications Hennessey Performance will subject it to, we’d still rather have the Mustang. Honestly, would you expect anything different from us?