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Hennessey, a brand well-known for supercharging and turbocharging virtually anything to unparalleled levels of performance, is at it again with the batshit-crazy 2024 H700 Corvette C8 Convertible.
The formula is pretty simple; the way the folks down in Sealy, Texas like to do it. They strapped a supercharger to GM’s bulletproof LT2 6.2-liter V8, allowing the humble Corvette Stingray to become the most powerful Corvette C8 convertible currently on sale, besting, even, the outputs of the absolutely insane 670-horsepower, naturally aspirated Corvette Z06 or the hybrid-powered, all-wheel drive Corvette E-Ray.
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More Than Just A Blower
The result of strapping a blower to that mid-mounted V8 is nothing less than impressive, resulting in a 218 horsepower increase, and a generous 173 lb-ft of torque bump over the base car. The total output is therefore rated at 708 horsepower and 638 lb-ft of torque. The car is still mated to the base Corvette’s Tremec-sourced eight-speed dual clutch automatic transmission. The beauty of it all is that Hennessey backs the package with a 3-year, 36,000-mile warranty.
On its website, Hennessey runs down all the modifications that allowed the base Stingray convertible to become the fire-breathing supercar pictured here. Among the changes, there is, of course, that centrifugal supercharger system, but also a high-flow air induction system (which can be spotted through the rearview mirror), an air-to-water intercooler upgrade, a high-flow cat-back sport exhaust system, as well as an in-house calibration upgrade.
Hennessey also swaps the Corvette’s OEM wheels for an in-house 19-inch (front) and 20-inch (rear) lightweight wheel package. All Hennessey H700s are adorned with the Hennessey C8 Heritage livery, available in blue, white, black, silver or red.
Supercharged C8 Stingray Sounds “Wicked”
In a video showing big boss John Hennessey himself driving the 2024 H700 Corvette C8 Convertible, we can clearly hear how the upgraded supercharger package and modified exhaust system alter the LT2 V8’s sounds. I have personally driven the C8 Corvette Stingray and while I loved hearing that snarling V8 behind my head, I did find its exhaust note could have had a bit more bite.
That problem is solved with Hennessey’s H700 performance package. Indeed, the car sounds like a bat out of hell thanks to the expected supercharger wine, especially at higher RPMs, and the burbling exhaust note of the modified cat-back performance system. Hennessey doesn’t yet mention 0-60 MPH times, but I reckon that thanks to the Corvette’s impressive launch control programs, the convertible H700 can beat even the Corvette E-Ray’s impressive 2.5-second run.
The Hennessey ‘H700’ is arguably the best value high-performance supercar in the world. –
John Hennessey, Founder and CEO
We’ll have to wait for official performance metrics to confirm that, but if we are to base ourselves on Hennessey’s backlog of bang-for-the-buck performance offerings, the H700 could indeed give much more expensive supercars a serious run for their money.
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