For nearly 30 years Hennessey Performance Engineering has been taking already capable cars and furnishing them with a host of extreme performance upgrades and an array of visual tweaks. And while the Texas-based tuner typically trades in American-made sports cars, modern pony and muscle cars, and pickups, Hennessey does occasionally dip its toes into the world of high-end European important models, such as its latest turbocharged creation: the Audi R8-based “HPE 900 Twin Turbo R8.”
Starting with the Ingolstadt outfit’s naturally-aspirated 5.2L V-10, Hennessey has equipped the R8 with a pair of Precision twin-ball turbochargers with thermal-coated stainless steel down-pipes (and exhaust), a dual air-to-water intercooler setup, a High-Flow air induction system, and dual inlet pipes and blow-off valves. This heavily-massaged turbo treatment adds another 350hp to the stocker’s 562hp output, resulting in a horsepower rating of 912 (at 7,400rpm). The added power also enables the HPE 900 to fire off 0-60mph times of 2.6 seconds and 145mph standing quarter-mile runs in under ten. Protected by a one-year / 12,000-mile warranty, the Hennessey Performance Engineering HPE 900 Audi R8 is available now, with pricing set at $79,500 — plus the $169,900 cost of the R8 donor — ultimately resulting in a German-made, Texas-tuned supercar with a cool quarter-million-dollar price tag.
