At the very top of the engine lineup, the GMC Sierra is available with a 6.2-liter V8 that outputs 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. Those ratings aren’t bad at all for a half-ton truck, but Hennesey Performance Engineering begs to differ.
Although it’s nothing new, the Goliath 700 supercharged upgrade comes back into focus thanks to a promo clip with a lot of magnificent sounds from the blower and exhaust system as well. Befitting a pickup truck with such a bad attitude, Hennessey chose a classic song from ZZ Top for the soundtrack, namely Sharp Dressed Man.
In production since May, the Goliath 700 ups the ante with six pounds of boost for the 2.9-liter supercharger. That’s 700 horsepower at 6,300 revolutions per minute, and Hennessey is charging $29,950 excluding the donor vehicle. Speaking of production, the tuning company offers only 100 examples of the breed per year.
“The demand for upgrading luxury pickups is at an all-time high,” said head honcho John Hennessey. “We’re offering a complete turnkey power package with warranty that delivers an exciting driving experience both on and off-road.” Regarding the latter, the Stage 1 Off-Road Package is sold separately for… wait for it…$18,950.
The optional extra consists of a six-inch lift, massive wheels and Toyo rubber boots, a custom bumper up front with LED lighting, and that’s about it. Available goodies that also need mentioning include the electric retractable bed cover, drop-down side steps, stainless-steel exhaust system, and the Goliath-branded interior package.
In other words, Hennessey is charging a lot of money for this sharp-dressed workhorse. An eye-watering $105,000, to be more precise. As expected of a vehicle at this price point, the tuner offers a warranty of three years or 36,000 miles for all of these upgrades, including the custom camshaft and hardened pushrods.
Something that may not be to a customer’s liking is that the 10-speed automatic transmission hasn’t been strengthened to take the abuse of the additional torque. General Motors says the 10L80 in the Sierra 1500 can withstand 460 pound-feet while the 10L90 in the Camaro ZL1 levels up to 650 pound-feet of torque. The Goliath 800 package, on the other hand, features an “upgraded transmission.”
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. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News