Watch Hennessey takes this tuned Chevrolet SS to 163 mph on a Texas toll road

By Peter Braun January 7, 2014

watch hennessey little fun texas toll road 163 mph chevy ss — Ordinarily this would be a sign that something is about to go terribly wrong, but don't worry Hennessey has permission. Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Chevy SS really is a ’60s muscle car that traveled forward in time … and also from Australia. How do we know this? Well, it’s a car that you can still legitimately get souped-up. Fortunately for everyone who loves a good muscle car, Hennessey has done just that.

In this video we see Hennessey take a supercharged SS out on a Texas toll road for a little bit of testing. Refreshingly enough, Hennessey isn’t doing the testing for his ego; this 163 mph speed run is for the good of the community. Well, at least the toll road community. That’s because Hennessey apparently regularly works with the toll road, and the state police, to make sure that radar traps and toll collection systems work for everyone … especially those more than doubling the posted speed.

On an unrelated note, kudos to the Texas state police for running some truly badass looking Dodge Chargers as highway pursuit cars.

While the modifications are still in their initial stages, the results look impressive. By my count, 0-163 mph took just over 17 seconds. That is, to put it mildly, brisk. And if it weren’t for the SS’ gearing, it could be doing a lot more than just 163 mph.

Hennessey is still cagey about some of the details, but this bad boy is putting out upwards of 600 horsepower. Quite the jump over the standard 415 hp but not as insane as some of the other tuning projects that Hennessey has gotten up to over the years, like the 738 hp Ferrari 458 Italia.

If this level of madness isn’t quite your speed, Hennessey should be offering some more sensible performance modifications like air induction systems, intercoolers, turbos, and suspension upgrades.

All of this tuning madness really is enough to make you think that you are in the ’60s when peak performance was just a new carburetor away.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

Peter is a freelance contributor to Digital Trends and almost a lawyer. He has loved thinking, writing and talking about cars…

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