Hennessey’s Twin-Turbo Ferrari 458 Makes 738 Horsepower

Hennessey is debuting its first modified Ferrari at Concorso Italiano, and it’s 738-horsepower, biturbocharged Ferrari 458 Spider.

 

Adding twin turbos (and seven psi of boost) to the 458’s 4.5-liter V-8 allows it to produce 738 horsepower at 8400 rpm, and 532 pound-feet of torque at 5600 rpm. It can do 0-60 in 2.8 seconds, and hits a quarter mile in 10.5 seconds at 137 miles per hour.

 

 

The kit includes the twin low-inertia ball bearing turbochargers, dual wastegates, dual air induction filters, stainless steel downpipes and exhaust, a fuel system upgrade, custom oil and transmission lines, and an air-to-water intercooler. The ECU gets some new programming, too, to optimize fuel injection and spark. The $59,995 price tag for the kit includes installation, badging, serialized plaques, and a 1-year/12,000-mile warranty.

 

 

Other optional upgrades include Hennessey’s CarbonAero carbon fiber exterior upgrades, Hennessey monoblock wheels, Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires, KW adjustable suspension, custom interior leather, and carbon fiber interior upgrades.

 

Listen to the sound of the twin-turbo Ferrari 458 in the video below, or have a closer look in the photo gallery. Scroll down for more details and specs in the press release, below.

 

 

Ferrari 458 with Hennessey HPE700 Twin Turbo upgrade
Explosive power; not for the timid!

If engines were cartoon characters, the Ferrari 458 Spider’s powerplant, as modified by Hennessey Performance, would be the Tasmanian Devil. Lay into the throttle, the twin low-inertia ball-bearing turbos spool and the 458 Spider—a moment ago a static, Pininfarina-penned sculpture—whirls to life, spitting, hissing and fur flying in a mad, gyroscopic ball of energy. Even gentle throttle after start-up awakens the turbos, whose ascending siren-like moan feeds any paranoia about a car so capable of effortless speed that you feel a little pre-arrested just buckling in. Before the Hennessey update, the Ferrari’s 4.5-liter V-8 was angry; now it’s just flat pissed off and looking to vent its full 708-horsepower fury on some innocent stretch of road.

The urgency and immediacy of both power and sound are startling; you have to re-acclimate to the fast-forward pace of the road rushing up toward you as the rear tread blocks claw desperately for a pavement foothold. A Grand Touring experience this is not. There is a touch of lag when you’re down low, way out of the powerband, but when boost hits, it’s all you can do to slap the right shift paddle like you’re hammer-fanning a revolver. Did I click through six speeds or only five? Now to tell you the truth I forgot myself in all this excitement.

Before, engine and chassis were in near perfect synchronicity; now, the power-to-grip equation favors power, so treat the throttle like the precision rheostat it is to maintain rear grip. Wrest those 295-width rear Pirellis loose and most often it’s a quick yaw moment and then traction is regained, the Ferrari’s close-coupled moment of inertia fending off the long, lurid slide—assuming you’ve eased out of the throttle. It takes some work to put the immense power down cleanly, but gawd, it’s rewarding when everything clicks and the car tears forward, uncaged. With the a twist of the steering wheel’s manettino switch, you can soften or sharpen the powertrain’s demeanor, but for true debauchery you’ll at least want to click it from Sport to Race.

The sounds alone are nearly worth the price of admission. Hammer it through an underpass (for full echo effect) and you’d swear you’re at Monaco with Formula 1 cars erupting from the tunnel, then hard on the brakes into the Nouvelle Chicane. Each tuned exhaust pulse is a hammer-blow; back off, and the there’s that ragged, guttural melody on overrun. The sequential LED shift lights built into the top of the wheel—itself an exotic near-hexagonal piece trimmed with carbon fiber and perforated leather, incorporating turn signals, engine start button and manettino—flit from left to right, struggling to keep pace with engine revs. It’s a wild ride, a prancing horse turned maniacal stallion with a burr beneath its saddle.

Doug Kott, Communications Manager for Hennessey Performance, brings 25 years of automotive journalism experience and vehicle evaluation skills to his current position.