Hennessey Performance Engineering wasted no time getting to work on the mid-engine 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The Texas tuner added a nitrous oxide system to the recently released sports car, then took it out for a top-speed run and achieved a claimed 205.1 mph.
That speed was reached at the Continental Tire Proving Ground in Uvalde, Texas, on May 8, and was confirmed with a VBox data logger, according to HPE.
Former General Motors engineer John Heinricy drove the Corvette on its 205-mph run. As head of GM’s Performance Division, Heinricy oversaw development of such cars as the Corvette Z06 and Cadillac CTS-V. The 71-year-old engineer left GM in 2008, but came out of retirement to lead development of the Hennessey Venom F5 supercar.
The Corvette used for the 205-mph run was a Z51 model with a Nitrous Express System and a stainless-steel exhaust system, according to Hennessey. HPE removed the Z51’s rear spoiler, which adds downforce that lowers the car’s top speed from 194 to 184 mph. The car also didn’t have the twin-turbo setup Hennessey is currently developing for the C8 Corvette, which the company claims has made 643 hp in early development tests. The Corvette Z51’s 6.2-liter V-8 puts out 495 hp and 470 pound-feet of torque from the factory.
Hennessey has bigger plans for the C8 Corvette. The company previously said it hopes to extract 1,200 hp from its twin-turbo setup, and will offer a supercharger upgrade with around 700 hp.
If that’s not enough power, the Venom F5 will have a bespoke twin-turbo V-8 making a claimed 1,800 hp. Hennessey is aiming for a top speed of 311 mph, which set a new record for the world’s fastest production car. The current record stands at 304.773 mph, set by the Bugatti Chiron in 2019.
This article was originally published by Motor Authority, an editorial partner of ClassicCars.com.
