You might notice that we talk about the latest <a href=”https://www.ford.com/performance/gt350/”>Shelby GT350 and GT350R</a> quite a bit around here. That’s because it’s one helluva car. The Mustang platform is already very well sorted out, giving Shelby a solid foundation to build upon, to which, they enhance it significantly—creating the GT350. Shelby even ups the ante with the introduction of the GT350R. But what if you wanted more?
Enter horsepower merchant John <a href=”http://www.hennesseyperformance.com”>Hennessey</a>. When I say “Horsepower Merchant”, I mean that if you’re looking for horsepower, then Hennessey can deliver. What kind of a reputation does he have?
Let’s see…he manufactures his own car, and it’s a world-class performer. He can take someone else’s good car and make it great, and make a great car even greater. So what can he do with a Shelby GT350? Make it greater, of course!
In this video, John Hennessey gives us an in-depth driving impression of the HPE850 Supercharged GT350 Shelby Mustang. Hennessey’s HPE850 engine upgrade catapults this GT350 way past what a stock 350 or a GT350R is capable of.
They actually offer FOUR upgrades for the Shelby; the HPE850 would be considered the second step over the naturally aspirated HPE575, and before the twin-turbo HPE1000 and HPE1200, respectively.
The heart of the 850 upgrade is a 2.9-liter blower delivering 5-6 lbs of boost. That, plus a larger throttle body, intake and fuel system upgrades all working together to crank out a whopping 858 horsepower and 673 lb-ft of torque.
But, in addition to the car review and the absolutely wonderful snippets of the 5.2 Voodoo engine singing at full chat; John gives us a candid look at how the GT350 compares to cars like the Corvette, Camaro ZL1 and the Challenger Hellcat. He also talks about the company as a whole, driving, about his personal GT350R and how Ford Performance’s driving school helped him to appreciate how great of a car he owned. He also talks about his Ford GT he has on order. Will there be a Hennessey upgrade for the GT? Check the video to find out!
Living in Richmond, Tx, PJ Rentie has been in the automotive industry for more than 30 years. This former Assistant Editor at Vette Magazine also spent time with companies like NOS, Edelbrock, Hillbank Motorsports, Classic Industries, and was an automotive instructor for Cypress College for ten years. In his spare time, PJ hopes to one day bring his Fox Body Mustang out of the back yard and back onto the street!
