With minimal effort, Hennessey keeps the Viper ahead in the “mine’s bigger” race.

For $11,500 (including installation), Hennessey Performance Engineering in Sealy, Texas, will upgrade any 2008 Viper—coupe or roadster—to Venom 650R spec. The name is slightly misleading because the final horsepower count is in fact 678, but who would want Venom 678R plastered on the car’s flanks?

When you start with 8.4 liters and 600 horsepower, an increase of 78 demands only a K&N air filter and a tweaked exhaust featuring custom headers, aftermarket catalytic converters, and high-flow mufflers. That’s it. Two-piece brake rotors, which save eight pounds per corner, complete the performance upgrades. Otherwise, the price of entry nets buyers a laundry list of “look at me!” features: “Powered by Hennessey” valve-cover badges, Hennessey and Venom 650R exterior badges, a Hennessey windshield banner, “Hennessey Venom Power” floor mats, and serial-numbered plaques on the dash and in the engine bay.

 

Just a Little Bit of Money, Just a Little Bit Faster

 

All the plaques and mats in the world won’t make a car faster, but those engine tweaks will. Leave it to a supertuner to ignore not only 0-to-60-mph claims, but also 0-to-100s. The first performance benchmark Hennessey cites is 0 to 150 mph. He claims the Venom 650R will do it in 15.5 seconds, 1.5 seconds quicker than the last stock ’08 Viper we tested. Eventually, he gets around to making other claims, such as 0 to 60 in 3.3 seconds (a 0.2-second improvement), the quarter-mile in 11.3 at 131 (0.3 second quicker and 5 mph faster than stock), and a top speed of 211 mph for the coupe (9 mph better).

And consider this: Not only does the ZR1 still lack the horsepower advantage, but for the first time in the Viper’s existence, the Dodge, with a starting price of $97,446, is more affordable than the six-figure Corvette. That may well be the most important aspect of Hennessey’s latest creation.