[Video] Hennessey Ford GT: The New Standing Mile World Record Holder

A Hennessey-tuned Ford GT may just be the best supercar - ever.

After yesterday's nearly heartbreaking news about a 1,000hp Ford GT getting totaled in Brazil, we bring some better news today that'll rightly cheer up everyone's' spirits.Last weekend, a crew from tuning firm Hennessey managed to set the world record for the standing mile while behind the wheel of a Hennessey-built twin turbo Ford GT. The car is owned by Mark Heidaker and was driven by Sean Kennedy.
Obviously this was no ordinary Ford GT, as it once had both a twin-turbocharger and a supercharger before Hennessey added their own magic touch. Basically, the tuner decided to drop the supercharger for the twin-turbo setup, citing efficiency reasons. In the end, they GT had a top speed of 257.7 mph.

Hennessey also just released this video showing Kennedy behind the wheel setting the record. Chances are the Brazilian driver from yesterday would have been killed if he tried anything like this in his GT. Instead, he just crashed the thing.

[Video] Hennessey Ford GT: The New Standing Mile World Record Holder

Jay Leno’s Garage Welcomes John Hennessey and his Venom GT

The car-loving late night show host welcomes back the Venom GT and its creator to check out the now street-legal supercar.

Having recently been made road legal, something Jay Leno was almost positive would never happen, the Hennessey Venom GT and its creator John Hennessey were invited to the comedian's garage for a chat and a drive.This is the fifth car to have been made, and after a series of refinements including fitting a standard 6-box Ford GT Ricardo transmission to handle the awesome power, the car is ready to hit the streets and can be yours for a million dollars even.

Although not its sole aim, the 1200hp Venom GT is expected to break the Veyron Supersport's top speed record and bring it back to the states.

Leno checks out the 6.2-liter twin-turbo at his enviable garage before taking it for a spin. Built to be a real drivers' car with no ABS or traction control, surely this is a supercar capable of a burn-out? Check out the video to find out.

Hennessey Previews 800hp Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8

With serious power and a price to match, Hennessey Performance has come up with a monster Jeep. 

Just in time for the festive season, Hennessey has released a rendering of their take on the SRT8 with the tag line: "Who needs reindeer when you have an 800hp twin turbo sleigh?" Quite.The factory 6.4-liter HEMI V8 has had its displacement increased to 7.0-liters and a hefty twin turbo system fitted. 465hp and 465lb-ft of torque gets cranked up to 805hp and 823lb-ft of torque in the Hennessey SRT8 and the result is a Porsche Turbo-beating 0-60mph time of 3.1 seconds, down from 4.8.

Hennessey says its HPE800 Twin Turbo can also do the quarter-mile in 10.9 seconds at 130mph. Santa's gonna love that.In addition to performance upgrades, the Jeep gets an upgraded transmission system and torque converter upgrade, 15.1 inch Brembo brakes, a lowered sport suspension, lighter alloys, carbon-fiber front splitter and a custom leather interior with Alcantara steering wheel.Limited to 24 vehicles and priced at $235,000 this is HPE's most lethal Jeep SRT8 and one that can handle all weather conditions at serious speed.

Top Gear Magazine takes Ultimate Aero and Venom GT for a Spin

The Top Gear team has been in the US checking out the Bugatti Veyron competition. 

Top Gear has been kind enough to release a selection of pictures from a recent photo shoot that involved a Hennessey Venom GT and a SSC Ultimate Aero. Cheers guys!The awesome pictures feature in an article that focuses on these monstrous machines and how they compare to the Bugatti Veyron. Can either of the US-based companies challenge Bugatti and raise the bar on the world-record top speed?

The cars tested are well matched. The SSC Ultimate Aero boasts a 6.3-liter bi-turbo V8 that produces a whopping 1,287hp and 1,112lb-ft of torque, while the Hennessey Venom GT has a 6.2-liter bi-turbo V8 producing an equally astonishing 1,200hp and 1,155lb-ft of torque. The Venom GT has a claimed top speed of 275mph and 0-62mph time of 2.5 seconds so is the quicker of the two super-muscle-cars; the Ultimate Aero has relatively more conservative figures of 257mph and 2.78 seconds.Only 16 Ultimate Aeros were made and all have been sold. The Venom GTs comes with a $1 million price tag, and six of the 29 to be built have already found buyers.Even if Hennessey is confident that the Venom GT can beat the Veyron's record, the SSC has the Tuatara, also captured during the shoot, waiting to do battle. And there's little doubt that it's up to the challenge.