This Chevrolet Camaro can hit 217 MPH and practically anyone (with about $120K burning a hole in their pocket) can buy one.
If you told those lead designers and engineers in Chevrolet back in 1966 that one day their muscle car, the Camaro, would hit 217 MPH without breaking a sweat, they’d probably think you were nuts. But here we are. According to Hennessey Performance and their video they dropped earlier last week (Feb 20, 2018) not only does the Camaro hit 217 MPH just by putting their foot into it, they’ve got the video and telemetry data to prove it. Check out the amazing bit of footage for yourself below.
Naturally, as Hennessey Performance is in Texas, they’ve got access (with permission) to Continental Tire’s 8.5-mile high-speed oval complete with a one-mile-long straightaway. As John Hennessey explains in the video, the ZL1 Camaro that the Exorcist Camaro is based on is already certified by Chevrolet to hit a reported 198 MPH. After Hennessey Performance slaps on a higher flowing supercharger and ups the boost along with all the right supporting mods, the Exorcist Camaro has a dyno proven 1000 HP and 883 lb-ft.
Although the ZL1 Camaro is plenty capable without Hennessey Performance’s help, it wasn’t exactly designed to be a top speed missle with its inherent muscle car styling. So when Hennessey Performance slaps on another 350 HP, all that extra power can only do so much to push this sleek brick up to its new unlimited top speed of 217 MPH.
When I say anyone can buy this Hennesey Performance Exorcist, at the moment I do mean anyone. Hennessey has said that they’d only build 100 units of this Dodge Demon counterpart a year, but so far I haven’t heard anyone reporting that they’ve sold out for the year (or last year for that matter.)
At around $120,000 after all is said and done (that’s including the price of a base ZL1) the Exorcist is a good $34,000 more than a Dodge Demon. But whereas the Dodge Demon is a hyped up one trick drag strip pony where the average Joe can only dream of breaking into the 9s in the quarter mile, the Exorcist is an already capable track machine with a bunch more power under the hood.
Hennessey Performance did hint that they’re working on bringing the quarter-mile time of the Exorcist down to where the Demon is at 9.6 seconds. According to Motor Trend, the ZL1 is capable of hitting 11.5 seconds at the hands of one of their more proficient drivers. I’m assuming Hennessey Performance is finding that right formula to shave off a good 1.9 seconds, an eternity for drag racing.
