Here We Go Again…

A while back Hennessey decided to take a stock Cadillac CTS-V wagon and tuned it to make it even faster – nothing wrong with that at all. However I was unimpressed because they took it to a drag strip to take on a previous generation Porsche 911 Turbo. Again, nothing wrong with that, but there was a real sense of bragging and I didn’t understand why anyone would pit a tuned car against a previous generation stock car. What exactly does that prove?

Well apparently Hennessey didn’t read my rant because they went and did the same thing again. They pitted their hotted up Caddy wagon against a previous generation Nissan GT-R. That’s right, the 485 (give or take) horsepower version. Why didn’t they try to take on the 2012 GT-R which has 530 horsepower? Considering their CTS-V wagon churns out 650 horsepower, that would’ve seemed like a bit more of a fair fight.

But apparently that didn’t matter much since Hennessey only beat the previous gen GT-R by a hair. 0.1 seconds to be exact. And to me that’s more embarrassing. Their car can barely beat an older GT-R? Well done.

[Youtube]

Do Automakers Think We’re Stupid?

Can someone explain to me why so many automakers are now investing time and money into comparisons that don’t make any sense?

First Chevrolet did it when they compared their new Cruze to a previous generation Hyundai Elantra, then Audi did it when they compared their new A8 to a Mercedes-Benz S-class that is a 6 year old design and now Hennessey has done it.

They basically took a stock CTS-V wagon (which can hold its own as it is) and gave it 650 horsepower. They then brought it to a drag strip to take on a Porsche 911 Turbo.

You can watch the video, but I’ll save you the trouble and just tell you that the hotted up Caddy wagon won. Shocker.

But here’s my problem with this comparison. Hennessey compared apples to oranges. The Porsche 911 that they used, according to them, had a tiptronic transmission. That, combined with the lack of LED tail lights, means they compared it to a previous generation 911 turbo.

What is the sense in doing that? Is it really all that cool to brag that your product is better than a product from a different era? That’s like me bragging that I could easily beat up a 10 year old. I mean, it’s true, but why would I ever do that? It just doesn’t make any sense. And on top of that, of course a tuned car would likely beat a stock car in a drag race. We’re talking close to a 200 horsepower difference between the two!

To all automakers: STOP DOING THESE STUPID COMPARISONS. By doing so you give the impression that you think we all somehow have the IQ of George W. Bush. And it really makes me want to not buy your product. If you’re going to do comparisons with your rivals, at least make them somewhat believable and fair.

[Youtube]

Henney Without the Coke

AKA only for the hardcore.

This is Hennessey Performance’s latest creation: the Venom GT.

It has the hardcore looks, and is based on the Lotus Elise. But wait until you hear the numbers.

The Venom GT will use the same 6.2 litre V8 found in the Chevy Corvette ZR1, which means there will be 725 horsepower and…..

…..Wait, what’s that?

This just in: Hennessey is also planning on producing a twin turbo V8 as well which will make 1000 horsepwer and 1200 horsepower as well! Combine that with a curb weight of less than 2,400 pounds and you’ve got yourself a car that is guaranteed to make you shit yourself. There’s no other way of saying it.

Only ten will be made, and four are already spoken for, so if you’ve got $600,000 laying around and want to have the thrill of your life, then you should probably pick up the phone.