The Escalade-V rolls out of the Cadillac factory armed with a hand-built 6.2-litre supercharged V8 mated to a specially calibrated 10-speed automatic gearbox. The powertrain puts out a colossal 681bhp and 885Nm of torque, which helps the Escalade-V shoot from zero to 96km/h in less than 4.4 seconds – an impressive stat for a behemoth that tips the scales at 2.8 tonnes. Plus, with a starting price of about $149,990, the standard Escalade-V is not exactly from the affordable end of the spectrum.
So, the thought of giving this SUV more power (by spending more money on it) is unlikely to cross your mind, unless you work at Hennessey Performance.
The Texas-based high-performance vehicles specialist has taken the Escalade-V and slapped on its new H1000 tuning kit, which has converted the SUV into a 1,000+bhp vehicle. With the performance upgrades, the Escalade-V H1000 puts out about 1,004bhp and 1,196Nm of torque.
The H1000 kit comprises a high-flow air induction system and high-flow catalytic converters, upgraded lifters and push rods, a custom camshaft and engine management calibration from HPE, an upgraded auxiliary fuel system, improved valve springs, ported cylinder heads, new gaskets, and an oversized heat exchanger.
There aren’t many visual upgrades, apart from ‘Hennessey’ and ‘H1000’ exterior badges and a serial-numbered plaque in the engine bay.
It’s worth mentioning that Hennessey offers the H1000 kit with a three-year / 36,000-mile warranty. As for the price, that has not been revealed yet.