The Hennessey H700 Convertible Is A 700bhp Supercharged Drop Top ‘Vette

The Texan tuner has boosted the convertible version of Chevrolet’s mid-engined Corvette

28 Feb 2024

The C8 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 is an astonishing piece of engineering. Benchmarked against the superb Ferrari 458, its 670bhp 5.5-litre motor is the most powerful naturally aspirated V8 ever fitted to a road car. All well and good, but the move to a flat-plane crank configuration means it loses some of that good old American-style V8 burble. What if you want supercar power from a Corvette, in something that sounds… like a Corvette?

As is so often the case, the solution comes from Texas-based tuning firm and hypercar builder, Hennessey. Joining the coupe version unveiled last year, Hennessey’s H700 supercharger package is now available for the Corvette Stingray Convertible.

The H700 uses the Corvette Stingray, the lowest rung of the Corvette range, as its base. The standard car uses General Motors’ 6.2-litre LT2 V8, making 490bhp and 465lb ft of torque in US-market form. That’s enough for a 0-62mph time of around 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 194mph.

Hennessey’s upgrade takes those figures to a Z06-beating 708bhp and 638lb ft, thanks in the most part to a big ol’ supercharger. Elsewhere, the air intake, fuel system and exhaust have all been fettled, and Hennessey has recalibrated the engine and eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Further options include 19-inch forged alloys and a valved exhaust system.

While Hennessey doesn’t quote performance figures, expect them to be significantly improved over the base car and close to, if not better than, the Z06’s quoted figures of 0-60mph in 2.5 seconds and a 195mph top speed. If nothing else, it’s released a video showing the H700 convertible dusting a Tesla Cybertruck, just in case anyone was cross-shopping the two cars for drag strip duty.

The H700 upgrade has been available for the Targa-topped Stingray coupe for around a year now, but its inclusion on the Convertible should expose the car’s occupants to some serious supercharger whine.

While Hennessey hasn’t announced pricing, the same kit for the coupe started at $34,950 (approx. £27,600) this time last year, so we’d expect a similar figure for the Convertible. That’s on top of the US-market starting price of the Stingray Convertible; $76,995 (approx. £60,900). So, a chunk more power than the $118,795 (approx. £94,000) Z06 convertible at a significant discount – and Hennessey will give you a three-year warranty, too. What’s not to like?

The first full sentence spoken by an infant Mike was a review of the ride quality of a Volvo 850. It was “Daddy’s car goes bumpy-bump on a bumpy road,” so would probably need proofreading a bit, but it was a start.