With the spotlight currently on the all-new Corvette C8 Stingray, it’s easy to forget that there are some truly marvelous examples of the previous-gen out there. One of them is the ZR1 tuned by Hennessey, which boasts a massive output.
Equipped with the tuner’s HPE1000 kit, the 6.2-liter, supercharged V8 has a whopping 1,000 horsepower and 966 pound-feet (1,310 Nm) of torque. The extra 245 hp and 251 lb-ft (340 Nm) have dropped the naught to 60 mph (0-96 km/h) time to just 2.3 seconds. Top speed is 230+ mph (370+ km/h), and the car can run the quarter-mile in 9.4 second at 147 mph (237 km/h).
Also Watch: Corvette ZR1 By Hennessey Is Bad To The Bone, Has 1,139 WHP
Those are some very serious numbers, obtained by upgrading several components in the engine bay and retuning the ECU. To put them into perspective, after strapping their tuned ZR1 to the dyno earlier this month, Hennessey conducted a good old drag race against one serious machine: the Ferrari 488 GTB.
Unlike the ZR1, the Italian supercar is bone stock, but it’s not like it needs any mods to put to shame some well-established contenders as its 3.9-liter, twin-turbo V8 pumps out 661 HP and 561 lb-ft (760 Nm) of torque. It can hit the 60 mph (96 km/h) mark in just a little under 3 seconds, and flat-out, it will do 205 mph (330 km/h). This would be enough to teach a lesson or two to the stock Corvette ZR1, but does it actually stand a chance against Hennessey’s monstrous ‘Vette?