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Hennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk Embodies SUV Hegemony

With the WK2 on its way out, Hennessey Performance Engineering decided to remind us why the previous-generation Grand Cherokee is one serious utility vehicle. HPE1000 is how the range-topping upgrade for the range-topping Trackhawk is called, and contrary to how it’s called, the SUV in the following clip develops a simply insane 1,012 horsepower.
Hennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged Upgrade 12 photos
Photo: Hennessey on YouTube
Hennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged UpgradeHennessey 1,000-HP Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk HPE1000 Supercharged Upgrade
If the bone-stock torque rating of 645 pound-feet (875 Nm) doesn’t float your boat, fret not because the HPE1000 develops a whopping 969 pound-feet (1,314 Nm) from 4,200 revs with premium gasoline. How can a non-car guy understand these figures better? Let’s just say that a Ram 3500 develops up to 1,075 pound-feet (1,456 Nm), the kind of torque that helps the heavy-duty pickup gooseneck tow 37,100 pounds (16,828 kilograms).

When equipped with drag radials out back, the Hennessey-tuned utility vehicle can blitz the drag strip in 10.2 seconds at 133 miles per hour (214 kilometers per hour). Zero to 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) is outrageous too at 2.6 seconds, matching the acceleration estimate for the most potent Porsche 911 on sale today - the Turbo S Sport Chrono Package.

How does the Sealy, Texas-based company achieve this ridiculous performance from an already ridiculous SUV? Upgrades include a thumpin’ great supercharger, backed up by long-tube headers constructed from stainless steel and high-flow catalytic converters to keep the EPA happy. A recalibrated engine control unit, high-flow induction, and crankcase ventilation round off the list of hardware, but the upgrades don’t end here.

Every single build is complemented by HPE1000 and Hennessey badges for the exterior, two serialized plaques for the engine compartment and interior, and a two-year/24,000-mile warranty, whichever comes first. Not bad for $34,950 excluding the cost of the car, right? Speaking of which, the WK2 still is available to order, and the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk still is very expensive at $88,365 excluding destination charge and optional extras.

Not long now, the all-new Grand Cherokee for the fifth generation will be Hellcat-ified by the mad professors who used to be Street and Racing Technology. Even though SRT has been disbanded by the Stellantis group, SRT hi-po models will continue to roll out across the automaker’s brands.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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