It takes a special kind of person to look at a Jeep Trackhawk and think “That’s nice. Shame it doesn’t have a bit more power”. John Hennessey – Top Gear’s favourite Texan – is one such person. As standard these things make 707bhp from a 6.2-litre supercharged V8 – good for 0-60mph in 3.5 seconds and a quarter-mile in the mid-elevens. John Hennessey’s Trackhawk is…faster. Much faster.
That’s thanks to something called the HPE1200 upgrade. It involves upgraded pistons, rods, ported cylinder heads, a camshaft upgrade, long tube stainless steel headers and a bigger 4.5-litre supercharger. Running on 109-octane fuel and 22psi of boost, Hennessey’s Trackhawk makes 1,003bhp and 892 lb-ft. At the wheels. At the crank, you’re looking at 1,200bhp and 1100 lb-ft. Or if you’d rather, enough to win a tug-of-war with a medium-sized aircraft carrier.
Read Article