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Here’s How Hennessey Builds and Tests the 1,000 HP “Exorcist” Chevy Camaro ZL1

Tuning is many things to many people, but for Hennessey, this word includes over-the-top performance in a straight line. But have you asked yourself what kind of work goes into extracting ridiculous amounts of horsepower from an already potent V8 motor?
How To Build a 1000 HP Camaro ZL1 1LE! // THE EXORCIST by HENNESSEY 27 photos
Photo: Hennessey
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Shop manager and lead technician Jerry Dellaportas is much obliged to talk you through the process, using a customer’s Exorcist to unravel every stage of the build. First and foremost, the front fascia is removed from the car and the LT4 supercharged V8 is disassembled in order to receive a hotter camshaft.

Ported cylinder heads, upgraded valvetrain components, lifters, pushrods, you name it. There’s a lot that goes into this engine, and everything is topped off by a 2.9-liter Whipple supercharger. On this occasion, however, Hennessey made an exception to satisfy the customer’s preference for an Eaton TVS R2650-based Magnuson.

An auxiliary fuel system, long tube headers, and an upgraded 10-speed transmission sum up the hardest part of the build. The next step is hitting the dyno, lay down some numbers, and fine-tune the software in accordance with the upgraded hardware. You know, Hennessey has to ensure the performance doesn’t interfere with the drivability of the car in day-to-day scenarios like a short drive to the supermarket.

The Exorcist then heads over to the test track for more calibration, which includes the engine’s behavior at idle, at wide-open throttle, and at steady RPMs. It’s thanks to this extensive testing in the shop and on the blacktop that Hennessey Performance Engineering is capable of guaranteeing the Exorcist for two years or 24k miles.

Although the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 is hugely impressive right off the bat, the HPE-infused monster exceeds all expectations. 60 miles per hour (97 kph) takes as little as 2.1 seconds with 20-inch drag radials for the rear axle, the quarter-mile run ends in 9.57 seconds at 147 mph (237 kph), and top speed is estimated at 217 mph (349 kph).

Hennessey Performance Engineering has delivered more than 50 examples of the 1,000-horsepower Exorcist to date, and Jerry built 20 of them.

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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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