America has been known for many years as the "land of opportunity", now it can be known as the "land of the insane engineering." This change of title is due to a car which defies convention and could be considered the Bell X-1 of tuned sedans. This vehicle truly breaks down what is possible in the tuning market and plows a new path. This seminal vehicle is the 2012 Hennessey Twin Turbo V1000 CTS-V Coupe. The guys over at Hennessey were the only people to look at the 2012 Cadillac CTS-V and think "ya know, we need to make it as powerful as a medium sized ICBM," and the outcome is simply staggering.
This latest offering from the Texas based tuning company boasts 1,000 horsepower and 950 ft/lbs of torque. This will push the sports car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and will allow it to do the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 136 mph. All this while pushing it all the way to a top speed of 230 mph.
If you're screaming "I want one!", you will have to a right a large check (somewhere north of 150K). You will also have to be quick because only 12 are being made. If you are lucky enough to have this automotive Hulk, you will undoubtedly love to get under the skin of other super car owners. They will roll their eyes at this pauper, but as soon as you press the loud pedal, you will definitely give their Mercedes SLS AMG and Ferrari 458 Italia models a fright.
Hit the jump for more details on the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Twin Turbo V1000 by Hennessey.
2012 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Twin Turbo V1000 by Hennessey
- Make: Array
- Model: 2012 Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Twin Turbo V1000 by Hennessey
- Engine/Motor: LS V-8
- Horsepower: 1000
- Torque: 950
- [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Exterior and Interior
The Cadillac CTS-V looks exactly as it should, as long as it maintained its luxury coupe status. With the power upgrades provided by Hennessey, however, the sports car needed people to know just by looking at it that it had a ferocious bite. Since a blinking neon sign advertising the 1000 ponies ready to thrash the competition would be too ostentatious, Hennessey opted for a carbonaero CTS-V widebody upgrade consisting of a new front splitter, rear diffuser, front fenders, extractor hood, and rear fender flares, all made of carbon fiber.
The interior upgrades weren't so much aggressive as they were luxurious, with the tuner adding an Alcantara headliner to go with the carbon fiber door sill and upgraded leather and stitching. Any chance that the customer didn't know this was a project by Hennessey was thrown out the window when they see the Hennessey embroidered headrests and premium floormats.
Engine
The mind-boggling speed found in the modified CTS-V was accomplished by taking apart the standard 6.2-liter CTS-V engine and refitting it with parts that can stand the rigors of very high speeds. What Hennessey was left with was a 7.0-liter LS V-8 with revised forged steel internals, low compression pistons, cylinder heads, camshaft, and fuel systems. The CTS-V's original supercharger was wasted and replaced with twin ball bearing turbochargers with dual wastegates and a boost-controller. Cooling and control is exerted through stainless steel piping and exhaust, an air-to-air intercooler, and a high-flow K&N air filter. The engine was also given an HPE Engine Management Calibration to control the changes made.
As previously mentioned, these changes left the souped-up sedan with 1,000 horsepower at 6,400 rpm and 950 ft/lbs of torque at 4,000 rpm. This will push the sports car to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and will allow it to do the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds at 136 mph. All this while pushing it all the way to a top speed of 230 mph.
Control and Stopping Power Get a Boost
The added power could not be dealt with accordingly unless the transmission was also given a transformation of it own. For this, Hennessey provided the manual tranny with a centerforce dual friction clutch upgrade and the automatic option with a performance build and torque converter upgrade. The suspension needed its own special attention so it was upgraded with a factory magnetic ride control tuned by automotive engineer and noted racecar driver, John Heinricy.
The brakes were also given a once-over and upgraded with a Brembo carbon ceramic brakes consisting of 15.1 inch carbon ceramic rotors and calipers, 8-Piston for the front and 6-Piston for the rear. These calipers can be found surrounded by 20" Hennessey monoblock wheels and Michelin Pilot Super Sport Tires, 275/30YR-20 for the front and 345/30YR-20 for the rear.
Pricing
Pricing for the Cadillac CTS-V Coupe Twin Turbo V1000 by Hennessey is available upon request, but we're thinking potential customers will need to fork over about $150,000 for the chance to own this revelation of a machine. That extravagant price tag will be well worth it considering the purchase comes with a one-day driver training/track experience with John Heinricy.
Conclusion
We love to always root for the underdog here atTopSpeed, but we feel that this power plant and upgrades are almost too much. Do we all want 1000 horses at the disposal of our right foot? Yes, even with about as much practicality as a snowmobile in summer, we still love the unhinged Hennessey Twin Turbo V1000 CTS-V Coupe.