(Hennessey Performance)
Imagine hitting 257 miles per hour…in one mile.
That’s the new event record for a standing mile set over the weekend by Sean Kennedy of Katy, Texas, at the Texas Mile event in Beeville, behind the wheel of a modified 2006 Ford GT. The current Guinness Book-recognized mark is 223 mph, also set by an '06 GT.
Sporting a twin-turbocharged setup by Texas tuning house Hennessey Performance, the 5.4-liter V8 runs at an astonishing 34 psi of boost and is controlled by a high performance MoTeC engine management system.
The exact power output of the motor is unknown, but John Hennessey tells FoxNews.com “2000 hp is a pretty safe bet.”
For comparison, the stock Ford GT with its supercharged version of the engine put out 550 hp with 12 pounds of boost and had a top speed of 205 mph. Kennedy’s car was going 204 mph at the half mile mark.
Read: Is Ford working on a new supercar?
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Kennedy's car is that it competes in the street legal class, although it was burning 117 octane racing fuel for the record run.
Owned by Mark Heidaker, the GT has been competing for several years, increasing its performance at each outing. And his team isn’t done with it yet.
Kennedy says they’ll be back for the next Texas Mile competition in October and has their sights on 260 mph.