Watch John Hennessey Drive the Hell Out of a Corvette C8

John Hennessey, the founder of the tuning house by the same name, is the man doing it. He got possession of his brand new Vette last week in Detroit, and what better way to celebrate than to take the car from there to Texas, on a route that allowed all sorts of experiments to be conducted.

Launched in the final months of last year, the 8th generation Corvette is the most extreme to date. The first to embrace a mid-engine configuration and the first that is offered in both left- and right-hand drive versions, the new car is just beginning to ship to customers, after production encountered some minor hiccups.

The stock Corvette is powered by a 6.2-liter small-block V8 that is according to its maker the only naturally aspirated V8 in its segment. It develops 495 horsepower and 637 Nm of torque and, in a first for Chevy, it is linked to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission.

That's probably what Hennessey got, but his business already has a conversion for the car in the works, so we wouldn't be surprised if what you see here will change in some way in the near future.

The garage's tune up for the car is expected to bring the power output up to 1,200 hp thanks to a twin turbo system and several other engine upgrades. Accompanying the increase in power will be carbon fiber body parts

There is no official date yet for when the Hennessey upgrade for the C8 will be ready. In the meantime, you can enjoy the 1,400 miles drive in the 15 minutes video below.