Isn’t pumping even more power into the world’s fastest sedan more or less overkill? Hennessey certainly doesn’t seem to think so and honestly, we agree.
Well, maybe it’s best if I clarify. There’s only so much power you can handle when you’re putting it on the road by using just your rear wheels.
It’s not that the car can’t make use of it, it’s that it can’t make GOOD use of it while launching.
On the flip side, an extra 100 HP (or so) isn’t going to hurt anybody, and that’s what HPE has done here, giving the Charger Hellcat a total of 805 HP – from its initial 707 HP.
The HPE800 comes with a new ECU, upgraded tuning software, high flow air filter, a lower pulley upgrade which increases boost by 1-2 psi, and of course a few aesthetic changes such as the Hennessey embroidered head rests and the exterior emblems.
If you want even more power, you can opt for the HPE850 version which has 852 HP and should, at least in theory, be considerably quicker than the standard Charger Hellcat.
It still probably won’t accelerate as fast as a McLaren 650S, but it might cut around half a second off the Hellcat’s 0-62 time.
Again, is this overkill? It really depends on where we’re headed with fast super-saloons. I do wonder how much muscle European models will have in another 5-10 years, since a Mercedes E63 AMG S already has almost 600 HP.
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