562 hp Hennessey Camaro HPE550 is the Z28 that never was
Hennessey Chevrolet Camaro HPE550 - Click above for a high-res image
The Chevrolet Camaro Z28 may be stuck on an indefinite holding pattern, but Hennessey Performance is one of the first aftermarket firms to step up and fill the void between the base SS and Henessey's own 705-hp, ZR1-powered Camaro HPE700.
The Camaro HPE550 begins life as a standard SS model, and with the help of a Magnuson supercharger and a Corsa exhaust, the blown LS3 puts out 562 hp at 6,200 rpm and 557 lb-ft of torque beginning at 4,200 rpm. Hennessey is claiming a 0-60 mph time of 3.9 seconds (down from five seconds on the standard model) and a quarter mile pass of 11.9 seconds at 119 mph.
The entire HPE550 package, which also includes high-flow fuel injectors, an aero package and aluminum wheels, will set you back $24,950 plus shipping uninstalled, or $31,000 installed, not including the cost of the donor car. If that's not enough, you can send your new SS to Hennessey for the aforementioned HPE700 package, or go completely nuts with either the 850 hp or 1,000 hp twin turbo setup that will set you back $54,500 or $59,500, respectively – again, not including the cost of the stock Camaro SS. All the details are in the press release below the fold.
PRESS RELEASE
HENNESSEY PERFORMANCE ENGINEERING ANNOUNCES LIMITED EDITION 562 HP HIGH PERFORMANCE PACKAGE FOR THE 2010 CAMARO
SEALY, TX – Hennessey Performance Engineering (HPE), well known for their extreme performance sports cars and muscle cars, announces their Limited Edition 2010 HPE550 Camaro.
At the heart of the beast is a supercharger system added atop the LS3 V8 making 6 psi boost combined with a Corsa stainless steel exhaust system and custom engine management calibration from HPE. This upgrade system results in 562 bhp and 557 lb-ft torque. Rounding out the package, HPE adds a set of light weight 20 inch wheels, Hennessey's Cam-Aero ™ body upgrades include: Rear lip spoiler, carbon side rocker panels and front splitter, Hennessey graphics package and premium floor mats.
Hennessey plans to offer up to 500 units for the 2010 model year. Each HPE550 will come with its own unique serial number which will be displayed on a plaque located on the dash and under the hood. Other options available from HPE include: Larger brakes, suspension upgrades, upgraded interiors along with larger wheels and tires. HPE will also be offering more powerful engine upgrades including twin turbo systems producing up to 1000 hp.
HPE is also offering a modified version of the LS9 motor which currently powers the 638 bhp Corvette ZR1. The company has been testing their 705 bhp variant of the LS9 since February using retired GM engineer and racer, John Heinricy as their development engineer and test driver. Heinricy recently drove Hennessey's ZR1 at the Texas Mile to a record setting speed of 196.7 mph in the standing mile.
"The HPE550 upgrade package gives 2010 Camaro owners the kind of power they are going to want, especially when they roll up on a Shelby GT500 Mustang", said John Hennessey, President and CEO of Hennessey Performance Engineering. "We will also be offering an extensive list of aftermarket performance parts and accessories for the 2010 Camaro. From mild to wild, new Camaro owners will be able to order air induction systems, exhaust and header systems as well as supercharger systems, suspension kits and more.
HPE550 buyers will also receive a 1/2-day performance driving course at Lonestar Motorsports Park – a ¼ mile dragstrip facility located adjacent to Hennessey's 24,000 square foot production facility and showroom. The HPE550 Camaro is available from select Chevrolet dealers as well as directly from Hennessey Performance Engineering. Production will begin in May, 2009 and orders are now being taken.
Located just west of Houston Texas at the Lonestar Motorsports Park complex, HPE has been building American supercars for nearly two decades with its Veyron-beating Venom Vipers, Ford GT's and recently released Dodge Challengers.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Aprime 3:23PM (4/01/2009)
Inb4 Trishield says he'll buy one.
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Mazda FTW! 5:51PM (4/01/2009)
lulz
Bryan 3:29PM (4/01/2009)
Still a crook
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chconline 6:51PM (4/01/2009)
Exactly. It's fact and Autoblog really needs to stop posting about Hennessey. Even an average Joe knows that Hennessey is a crook.
katshot 3:33PM (4/01/2009)
How is it that GM can build the whole damn car for less than this tuner charges to simply hot-rod it? Crazy.
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Joe K. 3:49PM (4/01/2009)
And attach a warranty they will honor...
Dave 3:50PM (4/01/2009)
Think about that for a while.
Tuners have to buy the car for the market price. Then they have to rip out perfectly good factory pieces and replace them with new stuff, which costs both for the parts themselves and for the labor to install. Finally, they have to mark the final product up a bit so they can have their own profit.
The factory gets to skip all that and build it the way they want the first time using the same process as any other model.
Jared 4:36PM (4/01/2009)
and aftermarket parts usualy cost more to produce.
Nick 3:39PM (4/01/2009)
So if you hand them your stock Camaro, do they give you the gutted parts after they transformed it?
Do you get the engine back etc? One could sell it and get some money back.
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Serge 4:09PM (4/01/2009)
If you can buy the DIY kit for $24,000 I would imagine they give you back your parts for $31,000... the only problem is that they're not changing the engine block or anything like that. I don't know if you'll have luck selling a stock exhaust system for a car that just came out. The SS bumpers might bring home $$$ from LS drivers looking to make their car look better without looking too racy.
tankd0g 9:41PM (4/01/2009)
Hah, with that guy, you'll be lucky to get back anything at all.
cdwrx 3:42PM (4/01/2009)
If it doesn't have a smaller, higher revving engine than the SS then it's nothing like a Z28 to me.
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Todd 11:00PM (4/01/2009)
+1 I hate that people don't realize that the 1st Gen Z/28 was a Trans Am race car built to meet regulations. Personally I think GM could easily revive the Z/28 by tuning the V-6 and replacing some of those body parts with fiberglass.
Sean Flanagan 3:50PM (4/01/2009)
I feel sorry for the owner of the ZR-1 he's going to rip those wheels from.
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Nick 4:04PM (4/01/2009)
"The HPE550 upgrade package gives 2010 Camaro owners the kind of power they are going to want, especially when they roll up on a Shelby GT500 Mustang", said John Hennessey
Too bad it's going to cost $15,000 more. For that amount of money, that GT500 just became a whole lot faster.
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Slizzo 4:08PM (4/01/2009)
Well, considering you can buy an MP1900 from Magnacharger, or from a Magnacharger dealer for ~$6,500-$7,000 (full cost of kit) and install it yourself....
Then find a nice set of rims that YOU like. I'd say total cost of about $8k-$9k for a "DIY" and you're at the same point as this package by Hennessey.
Serge 4:20PM (4/01/2009)
@Slizzo
Unless you're an expert on engine tuning and have full access to the LS3 software... the amount of time spent into tuning the blown LS3 to work perfectly is worth a few thousand over the the $12,000 for the supercharger / exhaust / intake / injectors. Plus you'll have to spend some money into the suspension / gearing to get an even better effect from the power gain.
Now, I'm not sure what else Hennessey does to the car to get it to do 60 in 3.9s and 1/4 mile in 11.9s... but if it's just the engine mods, then I agree that this is a rip-off!
Slizzo 11:02AM (4/02/2009)
@Serge
Take a look at the market already made for the 'Vette and G8 GXP, as well as the new Camaro.
If I bought an MP1900 package from, say, Livernois, and asked them to install it, I think it runs around $10k installed with tuning. That's pretty good, and it leaves you to find a Pedders package for your car for much less than the $24k premium hennessey wants.
Serge 4:14PM (4/01/2009)
The upgrade seems pricy... but the ZR1 wheels look killer on the Camaro!!!
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Stuka 4:24PM (4/01/2009)
That price is absurd. Especially when you can get a GT500 for substantially less.
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