Hennessey is on a year-long mission to answer one question: how much power do you need in a Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to take down a stock McLaren 720S supercar. This is their third attempt, and this time they've brought along a 1,200 horsepower modified version.
A Jeep is drag racing a McLaren. Imagine where these brands were 10 years ago and what kind of cars they were making while you let that sink in for a while. That said, this isn't your normal state of tune, and Hennessey found less success when it used a 1000 horsepower beast against the sharer European exotic.
The 720S claims 710-hp by American standards, and when Hennessey strapped one to the dyno, they found it produces a very impressive 676 hp at the wheels. Still, Ferrari now plays in this ballpark, while the Corvette is a $60,000 thorn that's poised to sting everything that crosses it.
Let's talk about the Jeep in more detail, because it's far from stock. The SUV puts down about 1000 to all four wheels while torque is registered at 892 wheel lb-ft (1,000 lb-ft at the engine). At this very track, Penzoil Proving Grounds, it's been clocked at 0 to 60 in 2.3 seconds and 9.6 seconds over the quarter-mile.
The list of mods is too extensive, but highlights include the new 4.5-liter supercharger system, a pulley upgrade, a new throttle body, ported cylinder head, new cams, forged aluminum pistons, forged connecting rods, stainless headers, new cat, new injectors and pump, software and all the accompanying bits and bobs. If drag racing a supercar-rivaling family car has you worried, consider the 1-year warranty offered by the tuner.
The race itself goes pretty much as you'd expect. The Trackhawk charges ahead in a cloud of smoke from all four wheels, but by the end of the track, the slipperier supercar is catching up.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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