Escalade

Make
Cadillac
Segment
SUV

Hennessey Performance has a reputation for making ridiculously fast cars go even faster. We recently witnessed the 1,000-hp Camaro ZL1 Exorcist hit a top speed of 217 mph, beating the Corvette's claimed 213 mph top speed. But what happens when you pit a stock Camaro ZL1 against a Cadillac Escalade SUV tuned by Hennessey in a drag race? The Texas-based tuner offers a HPE800 package, which transforms the Escalade into a supercar-beating SUV with a hefty 805 horsepower on tap, doubling the power available in the stock Escalade.

This is achieved by attaching a high-flow 2.9L supercharger to the 6.2-liter V8 engine, among other upgrades. As a result, the Hennessey Escalade can hit 0-62 mph in 3.7 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 11.7 seconds at 116 mph. What better way to showcase the benefits of Hennessey's Escalade tuning package?

By pitting the souped-up SUV against an established American muscle car, of course. For this duel, Hennessey selected a stock Camaro ZL1, which is powered by a 650-hp supercharged 6.2-liter LT4 V8 engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. Its Active Rev Match sends power to the rear wheels, so the Camaro is at a disadvantage since the Escalade features an all-wheel drive system. That said, while the modified Escalade is more powerful, the Camaro is much lighter, which makes for a compelling drag race. We won't spoil the outcome, so you'll have to watch this unique drag duel to find out which car was victorious.

Trust us, it's an entertaining watch – just watch the Escalade's front end come close to performing a wheelie. That's something you don't see every day.