Unveiled: Hennessey shows off Supercharged 6.2L LS9 V8 squeezed into Camaro

A7XFan22

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Source: Motortrend
Written By: Scott Evans

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In case you were wondering, a 6.2L supercharged LS9 V-8 normally found beneath the windowed hood of a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 will also fit under the hood of a 2010 Chevrolet Camaro, and Hennessey has the pictures to prove it.

Of course, if you've been following the Camaro's story at all, this shouldn't come as much of a surprise. We reported back in February that GM was all but ready to launch the Camaro Z/28 with a 6.2L LSA supercharged V-8 under the hood, though that project's been put on indefinite hold. Still, it illustrated that the idea of a supercharged V-8 breathing fire from beneath a Camaro hood was already dancing around in GM engineers' heads, and there was room in the engine bay to make it happen. The only question was, who would do it first? Few were surprised when John Hennessey answered the call.

Indeed, Hennessey has already proven that it can be done without factory assistance. The Texas-based tuner showed off a slightly less wild car called the HPE550 Camaro last month that sported a 562-hp 6.0L LS3 V-8 under the hood with an aftermarket supercharger bolted to the top. Now, less than two months after taking delivery of the Camaro that would become the first LS9-powered HPE700 model, Hennessey has pictures of the ZR1 heart successfully transplanted into the unsuspecting Camaro.

While most would consider 638 hp to be sufficient in the Camaro as well as the ZR1, that's just not how Hennessey does things. No, the HPE700 will not make a ZR1-matching 638 hp. It will make 705 hp and 717 lb-ft and hit 60 mph in an estimated 3.7 seconds, and it's yours for $109,000. That is, if you get one in time. Hennessey is only building 24 copies and 11 have already been spoken for. And if 705 hp just isn't enough for your gasoline-filled veins, you can always have them upgrade it to a twin-turbo 850-hp or 1,000-hp mill -- for a price.

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Why would anyone have this over a ZR1?
 
Why would anyone have this over a ZR1?
I would ... I prefer the Camaro looks to the Corvette ... having the ZR1s power with the better looks would be my choice ... :)

(yes, I know - the ZR1 is more than just "power" ... I?d still have the Camaro on steroids even if it won?t be able to do the Nurburring times the ZR1 can do)

Camaro fanboys.
I?m not a Camaro Fanboy ... I just like it?s looks better than the Vette. I would (prob) have neither ... but if I had to decide if the powerd-up camaro or the Vette, the Camaro would win.
 
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I personally would rather have the corvette. The grille on the camaro is too small and angled
 
If I were faced with this choice I'd have a hard time choosing. I really like the looks of the Camaro, but the engine would probably be better in the car it was designed for (i.e. Corvette)
 
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Over 7 hundred hp and lb-ft of torque and only 3.7 seconds to 60? That Camaro is a pig.
 
Well, very nice and all but...how hard can it be?

I like it - 700hp Camaro and only $110k...
Now all I need to do is grow a mullet.
 
I looked at this thread in the morning and noticed how little Hennessey hate there was when compared to Autoblog. Obviously, I did not wait enough time initially.
 
Over 7 hundred hp and lb-ft of torque and only 3.7 seconds to 60? That Camaro is a pig.
Probably can't put the power down because of its shitty suspension. Meh, if you like the true concept of a muscle car then I guess this fits the bill.
 
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