The 717bhp Hennessey Supercharged V8 Mustang Is Out To Show The Hellcat Who's Boss

This is the HPE700 Hennessey Mustang, and it is out to shame high-powered muscle car rivals from Chevrolet and Dodge. You see, the 5.0-litre V8 version of the new Ford Mustang has to get by with just 430bhp. Pretty pacey, you’d think, but when the Corvette Z06 is going to pack 641bhp, and the Hellcat makes 697bhp, the poor little pony is going to get left behind.

Not anymore. Hennessey has worked its magic, and the result is a planet-shifting 717bhp and 630lb ft of torque. Much more like it. That monumental jump in power comes courtesy of an overhaul of the standard car’s V8, the most notable addition being a Roots-type high-helix supercharger running 7.25 psi of boost. The near-300bhp hike in power results in a 0-60mph time of 3.6 seconds and a quarter-mile time of 11.2 seconds at 131mph.

Aside from the ‘charger, the HPE700 Mustang gets a high-flow throttle body and stainless steel exhaust system to help the engine breathe, while an upgraded fuel pump and injectors help feed the V8.

The exterior mods are more subtly aggressive than the Roush kit announced earlier this week. The Hennessey gets carbonfibre bodywork parts, including a front splitter, side sills, rear diffuser and rear lip spoiler.

Just 500 units will be sold, making the HPE700 a pretty exclusive bit of kit. At $59,500 (£37k), including the price of the base car, it’s also something of a bargain, coming in a few hundred dollar bills less expensive than the Hellcat. A sub-£40k 700bhp+ muscle car would be pure fantasy for us in the UK… ‘Muricans, do everything in your power to be one of the lucky 500!