Hennessey HPE700: When a McLaren MP4-12C just isn’t good enough

By Stephen Edelstein September 15, 2013

Hennessey HPE700 McLaren MP4-12C — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The McLaren MP4-12C is, to put it mildly, an amazing car. It’s built by the championship-winning Formula One team that built the F1 and the Mercedes-Benz SLR. It has a carbon fiber body, a 616 horsepower V8 engine, and the ride quality of a Rolls-Royce.

But what if that isn’t good enough? If you’re that hard to please, you turn to Hennessey, a speed shop known for working its magic on everything from the Cadillac CTS-V coupe to the Ferrari 458 Italia. It also built a little number called the Venom GT.

The Hennessey HPE700 sounds like a recipe for awesome, and it is. The 3.8-liter twin-turbocharged V8 now produces 704 hp and 538 pound-feet of torque.

With so much power, this souped-up McLaren will now do 0 to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds, and the quarter mile in 10.3 seconds.

Other than the steroidal engine upgrades, the HPE700 isn’t that different from a stock 12C. Hennessey didn’t bother messing with this supercar’s high tech suspension, or its aerodynamic body.

This is probably the only time the word “sleeper” can be applied to a mid-engined supercar.

If 700 hp isn’t enough, there’s also an HPE800 with an extra 100 ponies.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

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