You may expect that John Hennessey, the automotive mastermind behind Hennessey Performance and the record-breaking Venom GT hypercar, to drive around in one of his more extreme creations, as he really seems to be into big horsepower figures. However, his daily driver, for the last 3,000 miles (4,800 km) at least, has been a front-wheel drive hatchback, albeit a rather quick one – the new 2013Ford Focus ST.
His car is not stock, though, and with a recent video, he has showcased a series of modifications which up the power of the car’s 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, from 250hp to 300hp, thus creating the HPE300 performance pack, which is now available for $995. Torque is up too, by 54Nm (40 lb-ft), which means the car now has an impressive 415Nm (306 lb-ft) of pulling power, on tap from around 2,500 rpm.
The power hike comes courtesy of a Hennessey Performance-designed cold air intake and a remapped ECU. A stainless steel cat-back exhaust system is also optional, at extra cost, and it brings forth a modest 7hp gain, as well as more noise. However, it is not too noisy, and the car can still be a comfortable cruiser for your every-day commute, for those days when you don’t feel at all frisky.
Hennessey will only modify around 300 vehicles in total, and you will be able to tell them apart from stock Focus STs thanks to special HPE300 and Hennessey badging, as well as “serial-numbered dash and engine plaques”.
Check out the full video and photos after the jump.
By Andrei Nedelea
PHOTO GALLERY
VIDEO