Although some may find it aesthetically repulsive, Tesla's long-awaited Cybertruck is a seriously fast machine. Cyberbeast is the moniker of the quickest and fastest version available, a three-motor land missile that needs 2.6 seconds to reach 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). The Cybertruck in the video below is the dual-motor AWD, which is a tremendously impressive truck in and of itself.
Despite being one motor down on the Cyberbeast, the All-Wheel Drive is listed with a 0-60 time of 4.1 seconds and 112 miles per hour (180 kilometers) as opposed to 130 mph (210 kph) for top speed. But as expected of an electric pickup, this fellow is quite heavy, as in 6,603 pounds or 2,995 kilograms.
Pictured at the Pennzoil Proving Ground's drag strip, the Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive has to prove itself against a much lighter Corvette. Rather than your usual Stingray, this C8 packs 708 horsepower and 638 pound-feet (865 Nm) as opposed to 490 ponies and 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) factory stock.
Those pumped-up numbers wouldn't have been possible without Hennessey's new H700 upgrade, which comprises more than a centrifugal supercharger. Compatible with both the coupe and convertible versions of the Stingray, the H700 package further includes better induction, cooling, software calibration, a dyno test, up to 500 miles (a little over 800 kilometers) of road testing prior to delivery, some badging, a serialized plaque, and a three-year warranty for extra peace of mind.
This particular example of the breed sweetens the deal with an optional exhaust upgrade that makes the 6.2-liter small block that more sonorous at idle and under load. The power-only package is $34,950 at press time, whereas the H700 with the aforementioned cat-back exhaust and some lightweight wheels will set you back $49,950 on top of the car's retail price. Otherwise put, the final price exceeds $100,000.
Photo: Hennessey on YouTube
Hennessey president and chief operating officer Alex Roys is much obliged to demonstrate how quick and fast the H700-infused C8 is at the strip, making easy work of the Cybertruck All-Wheel Drive. Then again, what did you expect from the lighter and more powerful of these vehicles?
It's hard to believe how big of a gap there is between them as the winner crosses the finish line, and especially so if you remember that most C8s are rear-wheel drive. The only exception to the rule is the E-Ray, and not long now, the ZR1-derived Zora will take things up a notch with a twin-turbocharged V8 and the E-Ray's front-mounted drive unit.
The Cyberbeast would have been a much better pick for a quarter-mile showdown, and one could also call for the Zora instead of the ZR1 or lesser specifications. Unfortunately, the ZR1 will have to wait for the 2025 model year. The 1,000-odd-horsepower Zora is reportedly coming for 2026, but model year 2027 would be a much safer bet for the ultimate C8 Corvette.
Going forward, the C9 isn't expected to embrace all-electric muscle to the detriment of small blocks and flat-plant crankshaft V8s. General Motors will invest hundreds of millions of dollars into the production of the next-generation small block, which – given the increasingly draconic fuel economy regulations – could be reserved for body-on-frame pickup trucks and the C9 Corvette.
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
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