Has John Hennessey ever found a fast car he didn't think he could make faster? His next target is the McLaren MP4-12C, which he's planning to turn the power dial up to a stonkin' 800 hp. Better reach for the fireproof suits, boys, because the flames are comin' this way!
This is the double-double-animal-style of tuner cars. Take something already great and add as many toppings as you can without sacrificing the integrity of the original. Some people will despise it, others will crave it.
Hennessey says he hung out with the Mighty Mac at Goodwood and thought he could take the supercar and give it a bit of Texas extravagance in the form of upgrades to the intercooler and turbo system, a new titanium exhaust, and new wastgates/blow-off valves for the modified twin turbos. The package also includes an upgraded transmission cooler/clutch to handle the extra power.
The goal is to put an additional 200-ish HP to bring the total to 800 HP.
As you can see in the renders, Hennessey also plans to put custom CarbonAero bits on the body for a more aggressive look as well as Monoblock wheels. The interior will also get a "bespoke" embellishment replete with Hennessey's signature on the seats.
Smartly, Hennessey isn't touching the suspension.
"HPE does not plan to offer any kind of a suspension or brake system upgrade as the factory systems will be difficult to improve upon" says the press release. Indeed. Like taking a surgeon's scalpel to Scarlett Johansson.
Haters are certainly going to hate on this one, but we think getting the Hennessey upgrade offers one extremely obvious advantage all sides can agree on: a new name.
Somehow HPE800 rolls off the tongue better than MP4-12C.