This is the Gladiator on steroids.
Aftermarket tuners and horsepower-hungry weekend workers didn’t wait long after the Jeep Gladiator was launched to start swapping the Gladiator’s engine for the Hellcat’s 707-horsepower (527 kilowatts) Hellcat mill. For some, however, 707 horsepower is not enough. Hennessey constructed the 2020 Hennessey Maximum 1000, an 800-horsepower (745 kW) Gladiator, earlier in the year. It will travel from Texas to Vegas next Wednesday for this year’s SEMA show.
Hennessey did a lot in order to increase the Hellcat’s supercharged, 6.2-liter V8 from 707 horsepower to 1,000 horsepower. The mill received its HPE1000 engine upgrades by Hennessey, which also increased the torque to 933 pound feet (1,264 Newton-meters). All new are the ECU, wiring harness and radiator as well as the fuel system, stainless steel exhaust system, front and rear bumpers and LED lights. The engine is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Hennessey also upgraded suspension by adding a 6-inch suspension lift. The Maximum can ride on 20-inch wheels with 20-inch BFGKD off-road tires. Hennessey upgrades the interior by adding a leather interior package that includes Maximum embroidered seats and Hennessey.
The 2020 Hennessey Maxmus is not cheap at $200,000, but that includes the donor Jeep. Each truck will take approximately four months to build. Production is expected to start in July, with two trucks per month.
Hennessey presented the Maximus in May with three images and the usual list upgrades and improvements. The Maximus was not shown in motion. The video that announced the truck’s SEMA appearance shows us the Tuned Supercharged 6.2-liter V8. It sounds as terrifying as you would expect from the Texas tuning company.