Hennessey Performance Engineering is perhaps best known for its hugely powerful upgrade packages for General Motors LS V8-powered vehicles like the C7 Corvette Stingray and Chevy Camaro. However, the Texas-based tuning shop has found itself building more and more Mopar vehicles amid the Hellcat engine craze, and recently released a 1,000-horsepower tuning package for the massive Dodge Durango SUV.
So how does Hennessey manage to squeeze over 1,000 horsepower out of the Durango Hellcat’s supercharged 6.2-liter V8? It starts with a different high-flow supercharger system, which is joined by smaller upgrades like new front and rear driver supercharger pulleys, a heavy-duty supercharger belt, high-flow injectors, upgraded spark plugs, a crank case ventilation system and an upgraded thermostat – pushing output to 1,012 horsepower and 969 pound-feet of torque. Power is sent through an eight-speed automatic transmission and the factory all-wheel drive system. Hennessey will only build 50 examples of its 1,000-plus horsepower Durango, it’s worth noting.
To demonstrate just how fast their 1,000-horsepower Dodge Durango Hellcat is, Hennessey decided to pit the 5,710-pound SUV against one of the fastest-accelerating production vehicles on the market: the C8 Corvette Stingray. While the Corvette Stingray has less than half the power output of the Hennessey-tuned Durango at 490 horsepower, it’s also much lighter, tipping the scales at just 3,366 pounds. We should also point out the Durango has the slight advantage of all-wheel drive, but as any reader of this site will know, the C8 Corvette has no trouble putting its power down anyway.
We don’t want to spoil the results of this drag race, so be sure to check out the video embedded below to watch the C8 Corvette Stingray square off against Hennessey’s tuned Dodge Durango.
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Comments
How sad!
It looked rigged as hell, you can easily catch that just by seeing how c8 easily beaten at the launch against 6000 lbs pig! Clearly C8 driver was not even trying. But when you think this a commercial for their product you can’t expect anything different. It would have been very funny if they beaten a 495 hp car in their hype video of 1000 hp vehicle. I guess it would be a little bit let down!
Impressed with the Vette! Less than HALF the horsepower and TWO wheel drive and it is beat by two car lengths!!! Try the coming ZO6 next year.
GJG but half the weight too! If you have ever raced before you would understand how important even a couple hundred lbs is. With mid engine design rwd isn’t necessarily a handicap. Not sure which video you watched but 2 car lengths – lol
Purely a horsepower battle brotha. Put 1000HP in that Corvette and it won’t even be close. Hell, it would probably beat the Durango with 600HP. Less than half is just too much of a disadvantage. And let’s be honest, the Corvette wasn’t supposed to win, this is a video by Hennessey for Hennessey after all.
Corners my dude. Dodge is building drag cars, the new corvette is a track ready car. If the Durango wanted to keep up with the c8 on a track with turns I’d imagine we’d see an SUV on its side.
If you really listen it doesn’t sound like the Corvette was trying to hard. Definitely didn’t use launch control the right way because he’s still sitting still after the Dogde left! I wouldn’t expect any different out come, just not 2 car lengths!
Why don’t they run the Hennessey C8 against the Dodge I bet the outcome would be different!
495hp vs 1000hp AWD…doesn’t matter if there is a weight difference, 1000hp AWD is going to win. I do a lot of test and tune with my Camaro. Yes, weight is a disadvantage but when 1000hp goes up against 500hp, its going win. However, the gap is the tale of the tape and the launch. That DCT is extremely quick on launch and very fast smooth shifts so not sure why the launch wasn’t closer…. the gap was about 2-4 cars, couldn’t really tell in the video, but another 150hp could easily reel the Durango in and win based on weight of the Corvette. I saw the Corvette video racing the 2021 GT500 and that was real close. How about the Escalade 1000hp race the 650hp ZL1 and beat it. The ZL1 is very handicapped on launch…
Anyway, Hennessy is getting good marketing and selling speed… The need for Speed…
Do the power to weight ratio. Durango 5.64 lb/1 hp, C8 6.87 lb/ 1 hp; The Durango should win.
Biased at best. The guy driving the Corvette is slow at the light. You can tell by the video that the Dodge pulls the light faster.
Well let’s also take something into account here gentleman. Take it to a track with corners. I would hope dodge specializing in drag racing would beat a car designed to corner quickly and not flip.
If Hennessey is advertising one of their packages you already know the outcome of the race. They will always show their product in the best possible light regardless of how fair the race is. This wasn’t as bad as some, but most of their C8 vs videos have honestly been nauseating to watch for a multitude of legitimate reasons. I will be glad when Hennessey finally figures out how to build a fast C8 so we can see the home cooking go the other direction for a change lol.
I still love my C8 !!
I didn’t even watch that stupid sh**. Simple math will tell you who’s gonna win that.
Durango jumped early. Twice!
I call total BS never seen a Corvette that slow off the line this thing is fixed to pump up Hennessy
I fail to see the point of this challenge, except as many have already said, Hennessy wants to show off what they can do, although who cares? I wouldn’t buy a supercharged Durango under any circumstances anyway. I am however looking forward to seeing a Chevy Tahoe SS with a supercharged 6.2. Now I would buy one of those!