Just like alcohol, horsepower is intoxicating. That’s why Bugatti bested its 1,001-hp Veyron with the 1,200-hp Super Sport. That’s also why companies like Hennessey Performance stay in business. Certain Ferrari 458 Spider owners out there feel that their prancing horse’s 562 ponies aren’t strong enough. The Texas tuner is happy to pour them a shot of its HPE700 Twin Turbo Performance Upgrade.
Dual ball bearing turbochargers, two wastegates, stainless steel turbo downpipes and HPE engine management calibration are distilled into 738 hp and 532 lb-ft – increases of 176 and 134, respectively.
If those numbers don’t leave you feeling tipsy, toss these back: 0-60 mph in 2.8 seconds and a 10.5-second quarter mile.
Drink in the HPE700 Twin Turbo 458 Spider’s sound from the video below and soak up a couple of eyefuls of the tuned Italian from the picture gallery.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
