Wednesday 11th December 2013

Hennessey Corvette C7 Stingray: Time For Tea?

V8s? Hell yeah! Especially noisy American ones in Corvettes...

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Watching a man drive the wrong way up a drag strip a few times doesn't sound like the most enticing way to spend six minutes of your life. Indeed, don't bother. Once you've seen the preamble to this and first lap of the improvised circuit just keep it going in the background and turn your speakers up instead. Because if the footage is lacking in fizz the soundtrack most definitely isn't.

Praise be too; no pretentious orchestral score on this video - mainstream manufacturers take note. Just Hennessey Performance's HPE600 Corvette C7 upgrade clearing its vocal chords with John Heinricy ('retired GM Performance Division Engineer and SCCA National Champion Corvette racer' according to his intro) tidily putting it through its paces.

We've featured Hennessey's cars before too, notably the twin-turbo Ferrari 458 and hopped up McLaren 12C. For the 'vette they've kept it old school though, the V8 getting more traditional upgrades like high flow heads, revised cams and stainless steel tubular headers. 603bhp is the claimed result but, frankly, who cares about the numbers when it sounds like this. John only gets to loop it backwards up the Lonestar Motorsports Park drag strip and then around the single track access road but that doesn't hold him back much and from the neat and tidy dabs of oppo required it'd seem the Stingray isn't lacking for power or drama. If you really want to go silly Hennessey will do you a 1,000hp twin-turbo version but, really, do you need more than this?

We liked the look of the standard Stingray as it was. With these surprisingly restrained upgrades we like it even more.

See here.

[Source: Hennessey Performance]

[topless_mx5]

Who voted 0 on the PH O'Meter?

That noise is simply incredible!

[Krikkit]

topless_mx5 said:

Who voted 0 on the PH O'Meter?

That noise is simply incredible!

I can only imagine that's a mistake. What a noise, absolutely gorgeous.

[Bisonhead]

Noise is reminding me of a Cerbera I saw once, very aggressive! Car looks like dog-poo IMO.

It seems to go around corners pretty well for a yank tank. Do you think we'll get them in RHD here a la mustang?

[toppstuff]

Lovely noise.

Seems quite well planted. Driver was pushing on yet was'nt working too hard.

Manual gearbox. Yay !

[V88Dicky]

The roof mounted camera gives an astonishing sense of speed. Sounds superb, goes like greased weasel shyte

[anonymous-user]

V88Dicky said:

The roof mounted camera gives an astonishing sense of speed. Sounds superb, goes like greased weasel shyte

Have a look at this image,



and then watch the video again, keeping your eye on where the speedo needle gets to. You'll see the car is just pottering about making a lot of noise. Let that thing loose and it would be approaching 200 mph very quickly indeed!

Yes, I'll take mine in that colour.

[griffdude]

Chris Harris needs to do a video of this.

[tombstone]

dirrrty sounding... me like! Lots. Be lovely on a 'tunnel run'... even something very small and enclosed like Goodwood's....

[anonymous-user]

Is the guy double declutching or does the car do that automatically?

The sound is great but if its much like other corvettes I've been in it doesn't sound like that inside...

[PascalBuyens]

fatbutt said:

Is the guy double declutching or does the car do that automatically?

The sound is great but if its much like other corvettes I've been in it doesn't sound like that inside...

The C7 has "active rev matching, activated by paddles behind the steering wheel... My guess he's using it. There are a few times were he seems to forget to shift IMO, and definitely no double declutching looking at his leg movements...

It also has a dual mode exhaust, which, as he explained is fully open when in "Track" mode...

Edited by PascalBuyens on Wednesday 11th December 18:02

[RINGMEISTER]

Two fingers in the face of downsizing and turbocharging, and all the better for it with that noise.

Chris Harris this guy certainly aint....

[alpha channel]

ooo... lovely sound, I even like the looks, except possibly the quad exhausts positioning, just doesn't look right to me. Wouldn't hesitate to have one, hell I'd could just listen to it tick over never mind at full chat.

[GIRF]

RINGMEISTER said:

Two fingers in the face of downsizing and turbocharging, and all the better for it with that noise.

Chris Harris this guy certainly aint....

With all due respect to Chris Harris, Mr. Harris could not carry this guys helmet. Chris is great fun to watch doing lurid power slides but John Heinricy has won racing events and championships. Has Chris?

Maybe it's a British thing but you guys spend most of every review be it Top Gear or Chris Harris doing useless (but great looking i'll give you) power slides around corners. A power slide really doesn't convey anything about the capabilities of a car especially since generally you have to disable its electronics and purposely drive in a manner that is slower around a track.

Edited by GIRF on Wednesday 11th December 19:39

[UltimaCH]

GIRF said:

With all due respect to Chris Harris, Mr. Harris could not carry this guys helmet. Chris is great fun to watch doing lurid power slides but John Heinricy has won racing events and championships. Has Chris?

Maybe it's a British thing but you guys spend most of every review be it Top Gear or Chris Harris doing useless (but great looking i'll give you) power slides around corners. A power slide really doesn't convey anything about the capabilities of a car especially since generally you have to disable its electronics and purposely drive in a manner that is slower around a track.

Edited by GIRF on Wednesday 11th December 19:39

Sorry to disagree but I think that Chris Harris can also drive properly without smoking power slides et al. Just look how he drives the 918 Sypder in a clean proper manner...

[British Beef]

I love this car and that noise, just stunning!!

No mention of cost - the website shows limited to 100 units only. Seems strange.

[anonymous-user]

UltimaCH said:

Sorry to disagree but I think that Chris Harris can also drive properly without smoking power slides et al. Just look how he drives the 918 Sypder in a clean proper manner...

Chris is a journo, not a racing driver. He's a 'hand' as they say, but you can't compare his driving ability with a professional racing driver. I like the guy but credit where credits due.

[Krikkit]

fatbutt said:

UltimaCH said:

Sorry to disagree but I think that Chris Harris can also drive properly without smoking power slides et al. Just look how he drives the 918 Sypder in a clean proper manner...

Chris is a journo, not a racing driver. He's a 'hand' as they say, but you can't compare his driving ability with a professional racing driver. I like the guy but credit where credits due.

Agreed, to a point, but I think Chris' skill falls between journo and pro driver. If he was an ordinary hack he wouldn't get invitationals to Goodwood/Le Mans etc.

[Fartgalen]

He get's up to about 100mph, on a track just wider than the car !

[Cacatous]

When was this about Harris vs Heinricy?

The car sounds amazing! I can understand why Tuscan owners make the engine switch now!

I hope the new Ford Mustang V8 can sound as good as this as that *will* be RHD!

[redroadster]

Total value for money is this car not sure what the extra hennesey parts cost but base car shows how us european buyers are been over charged for performance cars.