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Wednesday, August 03, 2011
Funny Pic Of The Day: People of Walmart
Brought to you by: People of walmart.com
Hennessey V1000 Cadillac
Do not confuse Hennessey and Hennessy. Though homonyms, one is a 20-year veteran of the tuner world whose machines require courage—the kind that originates in one’s nether regions—to fully unwind. The other is a 246-year-old cognac distiller whose hooch builds courage. Hennessey Performance and its founder, John Hennessey, gained notoriety in the ’90s for mixing Dodge Vipers with turbochargers. Hennessy also gained notoriety in the ’90s, when the hip-hop community extolled the spirit’s magical ability to mix with everything from cannabis to Coke. Drinking Hennessy while driving a Hennessey is not recommended.
Unlike his other offerings, John Hennessey’s CTS-V–based V700 didn’t trigger our low-courage warning light. That may be because Hennessey told us that this was his personal car used to cart his children around suburban Houston. Or it may be that the sedan, aside from its massive 20-inch billet aluminum wheels (a $5500 option) and blacked-out trim, looks bone stock. More likely, it was because we knew that Hennessey recently lured John Heinricy, one of the GM engineers responsible for the current, very friendly CTS-V, from the cozy nest of retirement to consult with him on changes to the car.
As the V700 nomenclature hints, the modified 6.2-liter LSA underhood makes 707 horsepower at 6300 rpm. To bump output from the stock engine’s 556 horses, Hennessey pushes the redline 300 revs to 6500 and ups the boost to 13.5 psi (from 9.0) by manipulating supercharger-pulley dimensions. So that the highly stressed engine won’t cannibalize its valves, rings, and seals, he replaces the camshaft, the catalytic converters, the intake, the headers, and the middle section of the exhaust. He swaps the heads for high-flow versions, upgrades the intercooler, and reflashes the ECU. The tweaks run $19,950, installed. If getting your V to Hennessey’s shop in Texas is problematic, he offers a 650-horse mail-order kit for $5950. Our test car also came with Brembo two-piece front brake rotors ($1595), Hawk brake pads ($995), a Centerforce clutch ($2350), some “extreme duty” CV joints ($2900) that hold up to the pavement-shifting grip of drag slicks, and a few cosmetic add-ons. Total cost as delivered: $103,625.
Most tuners don’t stop at the powertrain, swapping springs, shocks, and anti-roll bars for a more aggressive tune that brings ruin to many a well-sorted chassis. Hennessey exhibits remarkable self-control on this front. He told us: “GM Performance engineers and John Heinricy are some of the most talented chassis people in the business. And I have come to appreciate the work that the OEMs do.” His decision to leave the suspension alone was a wise one. The V700 handles and rides as well as any V we’ve sampled, though power comes down like Thor’s hammer, and overanxious throttle inputs introduce abrupt yet controllable oversteer. The big 20s don’t degrade the V’s near-perfect steering; despite wider Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s at the rear (305/35ZR-20s versus 285/35ZR-19s), skidpad grip is in line with a stock V’s, at 0.91 g.
Hennessey passed us the keys with a shrug, not overly concerned about the kind of acceleration times we’d post. It’s a refreshing sort of nonchalance from a guy whose corner of the car business is obsessed with numbers.
He knows that gobs of power and a quick-to-engage clutch make for a finicky launch. And those new tires don’t have total purchase on the pavement until the transmission is in third gear and 60 mph—achieved in 3.8 seconds, 0.5 quicker than a manual-transmission-equipped V—is some 1.5 seconds in the past. But at that point, the V700 is just reaching its stride, matching the Corvette ZR1’s 7.6-second march to 100 mph and its 16.4-second 0-to-150 run. It leaves that stock CTS-V sedan 1.9 and 5.9 seconds behind, respectively. For a 4209-pound four-door, these accelerative feats are nothing short of shocking. Hennessey’s confidence in the car is not misplaced.
Considering that a base ZR1 costs $112,050, one with the means might call the V700 a steal at $99,830. If you want more, Hennessey will build you a twin-turbo, 800-horse CTS-V for an additional $19,550. Or, for about $130,000 (total), he will distill a 1000-hp private reserve. Now that’s something to sip on.
Info and review brought to you by:
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/11q1/hennessey_cadillac_cts-v_v700-specialty_file
Tuesday, August 02, 2011
2011 Dodge Durango
This is where the Durango R/T makes its money over the Durango Heat. Unlike the latter’s 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine with an output of 295 horsepower and 260 lb/ft of torque, the Durango R/T is powered by the loaded 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine that produces an impressive 360 horsepower and 390 lb/ft of torque.
With the added power, the Durango R/T beats out the Durango Heat’s towing capacity, 7400 lbs to 6,200 lbs. On the flip side, the Durango Heat’s less powerful engine allows it to be more fuel-efficient compared to the R/T. The latter comes with an EPA rating of 14 mpg for city driving and 20 mpg for highway driving.
Info brought to you by: http://www.topspeed.com/cars/dodge/2011-dodge-durango-r-t-ar104763.html
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