Results from the Car & Driver Supercar Challenge prove that John Hennessey’s Vipers are the fastest tuned cars in America. Hennessey took the grand prize last November with a specially prepared, twin-turbo version of Dodge’s Viper that won both the 0-150-0 and road course tests against the best that Kleemann, ReNNtech and Lingenfelter had to offer.

Following the success of the C&D’s test, Hennessey is offering a version of the car which won the challenge, but now with more horsepower and better performance. Called the Viper Venom 1000, Hennessey takes the base model 500bhp Viper and completely reworks the engine to produce 1000 bhp. With these figures, the Venom 1000 is one of the only road-legal cars that can now challenge the Bugatti Veyron.

Hennessey has been modifying Vipers out of Houston since its release in 1992. Not limited to his dramatic engine upgrades, Hennessey also offers suspension and brake packages. Some of his Vipers also feature radical bodywork that gives these Venoms an image and appeal all their own.

Hennessey claims that on MT ‘ET Street’ tires, the Venom 1000 can reach zero-to-sixty in 2.25 seconds and the quarter mile: 9.75 sec. This unbelievable acceleration was the main factor that let Venom 1000 win Road & Track’s Standing Mile contest at 25.6 seconds, .3 seconds faster than the Saleen S7 Twin Turbo!

To double the stock horsepower rating of the Viper, the Venom has been bored, stroked and pressurized to 15psi. This system includes JE Pistons, Manley Rods and twin Garret Turbos. While Hennessey lists their custom headers & exhaust systems separately, they are a must for the $50 000 engine.

To keep the car in check, the engine has a lowered compression ratio, reduced cams and a varible boost rate. below 80 mph the engine is kept under 7psi, and continues with 11 psi until 100 mph when the the maximum 14 psi boost engages.

To match the ferocious nature of the Venom 1000 engine, a variety of tasty options are available. These include a fully adjustable suspension ($4250), Light-weight Rotors ($4500), Connolly Leather ($6500) Front Dam with Rear Diffuser & Spoiler ($9500) and a range of wheels. When all is said and done, the fully trimmed Venom 1000 should cost around $180 000 USD, much less than similar cars boasting the same performance figures.

Be on the lookout: For 2006, Hennessey will debut the Venom 1000 Twin Turbo SRT Coupe . Only 24 examples will be built at a price of $225,000 USD, each with a top speed of 255 mph!

Story by Richard Owen for Supercars.net