Ram CEO attends tests of a 1,700-HP Dodge Challenger

We were excited when Texas-based Hennessey Performance spun off a subdivision called HSO (Hennessey Special Operations) in early 2024. It’s been mostly silent since then, but apparently only because it had been working on a Dodge Challenger boosted beyond Bugatti Chiron levels of performance.

As one would expect, the Hemi V8 had to be rebuilt from scratch for this to be even remotely possible. The displacement was upgraded to 7.2 liters and a pair of giant turbos replaced the stock supercharger. All internals were reinforced and E85 was poured in instead of pump gas.

At its very first series of dyno tests, the insane Challenger slammed the test stand with no less than 1,700 horsepower and around 1,900 Nm (1,400 lb-ft) of torque. Apparently, Hennessey Performance was so confident of its accomplishments that it invited Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis – an avid car tuning fan – to attend the tests, and he did.

Quarter-mile runs are still pending, but the tuner believes that its Challenger Demon 170 should be good for a 7.9-second run and 289 km/h (180 mph) or so towards the finish.