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John Hennessey Takes the HPE600 Camaro Z/28 for a Spin

When it was introduced at the New York Auto Show last year, the Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 pushed the envelope when it comes to track-focused muscle cars. It's naturally aspirated LS7 7-liter V8 engine packs 505 horsepower, oomph that comes alive with the help of the specially tuned chassis and suspension.
Hennessey HPE600 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 1 photo
Photo: screenshot from Youtube
So what would you say about an enhanced version of the Z/28? Specifically, the HPE600 tune job from Hennessey Performance? Dyno testing showed that this bad pony lays 636 horsepower and 545 lb-ft (739 Nm) at the flywheel. As for rear wheel horsepower, the tuned Chevy Camaro Z/28 boasts with 552 ponies and 474 lb-ft (642 Nm). Is it enough?

Well, the founder of Hennessey Performance wanted to find that out by taking this beast for a quick test-drive. John Hennessey tells that in essence, the Camaro Z/28 is to Chevrolet what the 911 GT3 RS is to Porsche, and we kind of agree with that considering both are designed to be the ultimate machines on a race track. Although it's a pretty capable car in the twisty bits, John explains that at speeds over 90 - 100 mph, the downforce generated affects acceleration. This is where the HPE600 comes to stage.

What you can see and hear in the clip below is a client's vehicle with only 500 miles on the clock, so John didn't push that particular Chevrolet Camaro Z/28 too hard. We point out that the place chosen for this test-drive is the Lonestar Motorsports Park, so you're in for a lot of super fast, super loud and super cool driving action, riding shotgun with none other than the tuning company's founder at the wheel.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

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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