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2015 Hennessey Ford Mustang hits 207.9 mph

After hitting over 195 miles per hour a few months ago, John Hennessey was barely out of his personal HPE700 Mustang before he said that 200 mph was achievable. Don't doubt a man who knows a ton about taking cars to insane speeds. With the new HPE750 Mustang, he and his customers can finally surpass the 200-mph mark in their cars. "If at first you don't succeed, just add more horsepower and rpm and try again," Hennessey said in the company's announcement. Rather than the 717 horsepower and 632 pound-feet of torque from the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 in the HPE700, the HPE750 ratchets the same powertrain up to an even more potent 774 hp and 648 lb-ft. In a real show of confidence, the Hennessey team brought along Jay Leno when it returned to the Continental Tire Proving Grounds in Uvalde, TX, to set a new top speed with the HPE750. The upgrades to the Mustang definitely paid off because the pony car reached a GPS-verified 207.9 miles per hour down the straight. The run will eventually appear on a segment on the upcoming Jay Leno's Garage TV show that will air CNBC. Prices for the HPE750 start at $59,500 USD, including the base 2015 Mustang GT, but building an exact replica of this one would cost $69,374, according to Hennessey. In addition to the huge top speed, the company claims that the coupe can reach 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and cover the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds. 774 HP Hennessey Mustang Tested to 207.9 mph Jay Leno visits Texas tuner for upcoming TV series on CNBC June 2, 2015 Uvalde, Texas—On Wednesday, May 27, 2015, professional driver, Brian Smith, drove the Hennessey HPE750 Supercharged Mustang to a top speed of 207.9 mph. In the process, Hennessey's potent pony car became the first 2015 Mustang to break the 200 mph mark. Jay Leno was on hand to witness the record speed while filming an upcoming episode of Jay Leno's Garage, which will air on CNBC later this year. The run was made on the 8.5 mile high speed oval at the Continental Tire Proving Grounds located in Uvalde, Texas – the same test track where John Hennessey test drove the company's HPE700 Mustang to a top speed of 195 mph back in February of this year. During both tests, speeds were validated with Racelogic's VBox 3i GPS data logging system. "If at first you don't succeed, just add more horsepower and rpm and try again," said company founder and president, John Hennessey.

Car Stories: Owning the SHO station wagon that could've been

A little over a year ago, I bought what could be the most interesting car I will ever own. It was a 1987 Mercury Sable LS station wagon. Don't worry – there's much more to this story. I've always had a soft spot for wagons, and I still remember just how revolutionary the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable were back in the mid-1980s. As a teenager, I fell especially hard for the 220-horsepower 1989 Ford Taurus SHO – so much so that I'd go on to own a dozen over the next 20 years. And like many other quirky enthusiasts, I always wondered what a SHO station wagon would be like. That changed last year when I bought the aforementioned Sable LS wagon, festooned with the high-revving DOHC 3.0-liter V6 engine and five-speed manual transmission from a 1989 Taurus SHO. In addition, the wagon had SHO front seats, a SHO center console, and the 140-mph instrument cluster with mileage that matched the engine. When I bought it, that number was just under 60,000 – barely broken in for the overachieving Yamaha-sourced mill. The engine and transmission weren't the only upgrades. It wore dual-piston PBR brakes with the choice Eibach/Tokico suspension combo in front. The rear featured SHO disc brakes with MOOG cargo coils and Tokico shocks, resulting in a wagon that handled ridiculously well while still retaining a decent level of comfort and five-door functionality. I could attack the local switchbacks while rowing gears to a 7,000-rpm soundtrack just as easily as loading up on lumber at the hardware store. Over time I added a front tower brace to stiffen things a bit as well as a bigger, 73-mm mass airflow sensor for better breathing, and I sourced some inexpensive 2004 Taurus 16-inch five-spoke wheels, refinished in gunmetal to match the two-tone white/gunmetal finish on the car. That, along with some minor paint and body work, had me winning trophies at every car show in town. And yet, what I loved most about the car wasn't its looks or performance, but rather its history. And here's where things also get a little philosophical, because I absolutely, positively love old used cars. Don't get me wrong – new cars are great. Designers can sculpt a timeless automotive shape, and engineers can construct systems and subsystems to create an exquisite chassis with superb handling and plenty of horsepower. But it's the age and mileage that turn machines into something more than the sum of their parts.

A 1985 Ford Escort for $915,000? If it was owned by Princess Diana

What makes a used car worth more than the car itself? If it was owned by John Lennon. Or Muhammad Ali. Michael Schumacher, perhaps, or Stirling Moss. This year’s edition from the Hagerty organization of its “Power List” makes for amusing reading even if youÂ’re not on it. But you can make believe that you are. Essentially, the list, which was launched only last year, tracks the impact of celebrity ownership of a vehicle on its value, as measured by its worth at auction. Nearly 400 sales of celebrity cars and bikes have been analyzed from around the world by Hagerty using market data and “expert” analytics. Hagerty is aware, certainly, that famous folks — from royalty, sports, movies and music — grab gobs of attention from ordinary people. ThatÂ’s why the 2023 Power List comprises these categories: Art Cars, Racing Drivers, Movies and TV, Musicians, Royalty, Screen Stars, Sporting Icons. But you don't have to be a rock star or a F1 pilot to get listed: Princess Diana, besides an Escort Turbo RS that she owned between 1985 and 1988, numbered a convertible 1994 Audi 80 Cabriolet and a Jaguar XJS Cabriolet among her rides. HereÂ’s a look at some of the more notable entries: Racing driver category: In pole position was an unlikely titleholder, a 1976 Ford Bronco. This was the car bought new by legendary Canadian Formula 1 driver Gilles Villeneuve and untouched since his death; it sold at the Aguttes auction in Paris last December for $148,000, a huge 210% increase over the $47,800 that Hagerty would value a regular example in the same condition. Just a note: The list doesnÂ’t include race cars, only vehicles kept privately by the drivers. Musicians: A 1974 Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow had been Freddie MercuryÂ’s personal chauffeur-driven transport from 1979 until his death in 1991. Without celebrity ownership, Hagerty would value the Silver Shadow at a lowly $9,500, a car that would take a lot of time, effort and money to restore properly. But add in MercuryÂ’s aura and bids ended at $362,500. “ItÂ’s no surprise that MercuryÂ’s car dominated our Musicians list on the 2023 Hagerty Power List,” the company said. Movies and TV: For those readers now emerging from hibernation since 1968, the news is that the historic Highland Green Mustang from “Bullitt” remains at the top of the Power List for the second year running.