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Beefed-Up Dodge Durango Hellcat Drag Races Lambo Aventador, Someone Gets Walked

A drag race between a big SUV and a supercar seemed ridiculous a couple of decades ago. But with so many carmakers now producing beefed-up SUVs, it's actually a common thing to see a big-power hauler tackle a supercar in a straight-line race. In this case, we have a Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat vs Lamborghini Aventador duel.
Dodge Durango Hellcat HPE1000 vs Lambo Aventador drag race 1 photo
Photo: Hennessey Performance/YouTube
We could say it's a somewhat fair fight given the output figures of the two vehicles, but the Durango is far from stock. This SRT Hellcat has been upgraded by Hennessey Performance with the HPE1000 package. Already a ridiculous SUV in stock form thanks to the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 rated at 710 horsepower, this SRT Hellcat now pumps out 1,000 horses.

The Lamborghini Aventador is impressively potent too at 730 horsepower coming from a naturally aspirated, 6.5-liter V12, missing almost 300 horses compared to the Durango. But the Italian supercar is notably lighter and, just like the SUV, benefits from an all-wheel-drive system, so maybe that's enough to win a drag race against Hennessey's rig?

Well, not really. The Durango snaps off the line like a rocket and needs only a couple of seconds to build a solid lead. The Aventador seems to catch up later in the race, but it's still at least a second behind the big SUV.

Hennessey runs a second race, letting the Aventador decide when it's go time. This type of race usually gives the car that signals the flag a slight advantage, but it almost makes no difference here. The Durango gets in front after just one second and builds a solid lead again.

This drag race is Hennessey Performance's way to celebrate the fact that it finished putting together the first Durango SRT Hellcat HPE1000. This SUV is already on its way to its owner and I'm pretty sure whoever ordered it will be pretty happy with the results.

Hennessey's HPE1000 package for this SUV includes an upgraded high-flow supercharger system, new pulleys, a heavy-duty supercharger belt, upgraded spark plugs, and high-flow fuel injectors and filtration system. There's also a new crankcase ventilation system, TCM and ECM calibration upgrades, and all the necessary gaskets and fluids.

The beefed-up 6.2-liter V8 is rated at a massive 1,012 horsepower and 969 pound-feet (1,314 Nm) of torque. The Durango HPE1000 is limited to just 50 units.

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About the author: Ciprian Florea
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Ask Ciprian about cars and he'll reveal an obsession with classics and an annoyance with modern design cues. Read his articles and you'll understand why his ideal SUV is the 1969 Chevrolet K5 Blazer.
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