Talk about American muscle … Thumbing its nose at hippie ideals like fuel efficiency, the 6.2-litre Cadillac CTS-V is a monster muscle car in stock form, putting out 556 horsepower and 551 foot-pounds of torque straight out of the crate. But for those for whom too much is never enough, aftermarket tuner Hennessey Performance has released details of a souped-up "CTS-VR 1200" that brings together every performance upgrade in the Hennessey catalogue to produce an eye-watering 1,226 horsepower and 1,109 foot-pounds of torque. Handy if you need to tow a trailer … Just watch this thing light up on the dyno rollers.
Headquartered outside Houston, Texas, Hennessey Performance is a high-end performance tuning company that deals with all the major American brands, as well as a selection of European and Japanese models. It seems Hennessey's 2013 flagship model will be the VR1200, a 1,226 horsepower beast that's built out from the Cadillac CTS-V. In stock form, the Cadillac looks like this:
After the Hennessey treatment, it hits 60 mph (96 km/h) in 2.9 seconds, handles the quarter mile (0.4 km) in a shade over 10 seconds, sprints to around 242 mph (389 km/h), and looks like this:
Here's some of the upgrades involved:
Engine upgrades
- 427 CID (7.0L) Aluminum V8 Engine
- Forged Aluminum Pistons
- Forged Steel Connecting Rods
- Forged Steel Crankshaft
- Balanced and Blueprinted Rotating Assembly
- ARP Main Studs & Head Bolts
- High Flow Cylinder Heads
- Hennessey VR1200 Camshaft
- Upgraded Fuel Injectors
- Upgraded Fuel System (Includes Lines, Rails, Regulator & Pump)
- Twin Ball Bearing, Billet Wheel Precision Turbochargers
- Dual Wastegates
- Adjustable Boost Controller (800, 1000 & 1226 HP power settings)
- Stainless Steel Turbo Downpipes and Exhaust System
- Air-to-Water Intercooler
- High-Flow Air Induction System
- Professional Installation
- HPE Engine Management Calibration
- Dyno Tuning & Road Testing
- Hennessey Exterior Badging
- Serial-Numbered Dash & Engine Plaques
- 3 Year / 36,000 (57,936 km) Mile Limited Warranty
Transmission & Drivetrain Upgrades:
- Manual: Centerforce Dual Friction Clutch Upgrade
- Automatic: Performance Build & Torque Converter Upgrade (Add US$20,000)
- Extreme Duty CV-Shaft Upgrade
Brembo Brake System Upgrades:
- 15.1 inch Carbon Ceramic Rotors (Front & Rear)
- Calipers: 8-Piston (Front); 6-Piston (Rear)
Wheels & Tire Upgrades:
- Hennessey Wheels: 20x10 inch (Front); 20x13 inch (Rear)
- Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires: 275/30YR-20 (Front); 345/30YR-20 (Rear)
Suspension Upgrades:
- Lowered 1" (Front & Rear)
- Upgraded Front and Rear Swaybars
- Factory Magnetic Ride Control Tuned by John Heinricy
CarbonAero Widebody Body:
- Carbon Fiber Front Splitter
- Carbon Fiber Rear Diffuser
- Carbon Fiber Front Fenders
- Carbon Fiber Extractor Hood
- Carbon Fiber Rear Fender Flares
Interior Upgrades:
- Alcantara Headliner
- Carbon Fiber Door Sills
- Upgraded Leather & Stitching
- Hennessey Embroidered Heardrests
- Hennessey Premium Floormats
It sounds ever so slightly angry in this dyno video:
Only 12 will be built, so if you like big biceps on your Caddie, you'll have to be quick. Get into the gallery to check out a boatload of pictures, or head over to the Hennessey site for more information.
When a kid soups up his parents previous car he tends to get a car that is capable of going straight very fast. But there has always been muscle cars that handle well. When you see one of these going around corners you decide that it is not a muscle car because it does not conform to your idea of what a muscle car is.