Hennessey Performance made big news last month when they introduced their new Exorcist package for the 6th generation Chevrolet Camaro ZL1. Designed to battle the new 840 horsepower Dodge Challenger and with a promise of 1,000bhp, this modified Chevy muscle car seems like the best bet for GM fans who want to challenge the quickest Challenger.
Of course, we will have to wait for the 9-second Dodge Challenger to hit the market later this year to see if the Hennessey Camaro ZL1 Exorcist package can drive back any evil competition, but based on the first video of this built Chevy muscle car in action, we know that the 1,000hp rating is lower than the real world numbers.
Hennessey Camaro Exorcist on the Dyno
The Hennessey Exorcist package for the newest Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 still uses the new LT4 V8, but the stock supercharger is replaced with a bigger unit from Procharger, along with a bigger intercooler, ported cylinder heads, a new camshaft, long tube headers, a custom intake manifold and a Hennessey Performance tune. All of these components lift the output of the ZL1 from 650hp and 650lb-ft of torque to 1,000hp and 966lb-ft of torque – or so the company claims in their marketing materials.
However, the video below shows that the Hennessey Camaro ZL1 Exorcist package makes more than 1,000bhp.
The Camaro in action in the video below is fitted with the Hennessey Exorcist package and the 6-speed manual transmission, which should be slightly more efficient than the 10-speed automatic transmission. Even a very efficient transmission will eat up around 12% of the engine power on the way to the wheels, so in theory, a Camaro ZL1 with 1,000hp at the crankshaft will make around 880hp at the rear wheels. This Camaro lays down 959.32 horsepower at the rear wheels, so when using a 12% drivetrain loss ratio – which is pretty conservative – this car is likely making closer to 1,090hp at the crankshaft. If you increase the drivetrain loss ratio to a more reasonable 15%, that bhp number rises to 1,129hp, so the bottom line is that the Hennessey Exorcist package makes closer to 1,100bhp.
In addition to learning the wheel horsepower levels of the Exorcist Camaro ZL1 package from Hennessey, this video gives us a chance to hear the built, cammed LT4 rumble and roar on the rollers, so crank up your speakers and enjoy!