Hennessey Joins Forces with C&D, Gets New CEO

It's not only automakers that are engulfed in restructuring processes, but smaller tuning/manufacturing houses as well. Only that, for some, restructuring does not necessarily mean you have to hit rock bottom before getting back on track.

Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE) announced today it has joined forces with California-based C&D Performance. So, from now on, the new partnership will host, under the same roof, HPE, C&D, Lonestar Motorsports Park and the newly established Tuner School.

As a result of the merger, C&D Performance CEO Don Goldman also became the CEO of HPE. HPE founder, John Hennessey, will remain President of HPE with focused interest on new product design, development and marketing.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for HPE, Tuner School and Lonestar," John Hennessey said in a release. "While other companies in the automotive business have substantially cut back or gone out of business, HPE has been experiencing growth with all three of our companies."

"The new partnership gives us the additional resources and talent needed to better meet the needs of our clients as well as to substantially expand our operations. Don's strong track record in business growth will give us the depth in management that is needed to move our companies to the next level."

HPE plans to expand its business as a result of the new developments, and has several plans to do so. First, it will increase the HPE facility from 24,000 square feet to 30,000 square feet to accommodate new equipment.

Testing of Hennessey vehicles will be done on the existing 1/4 mile dragstrip, which will get 1.1 mile race track extension. The Lonestar Motorsports Park will also get a 0.8 mile karting track.