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John Hennessey’s twin-turbo Ferrari 458 is 738 hp of rolling hyperbole: Motoramic Drives

Motoramic

The Ferrari 458 Spider: An emotional roller coaster, brimming with eccentricity, brought to earth as one of the finest supercars the Prancing Horse has ever delivered. Its capricious character keeps the driver honest, and its effervescent personality enthralls. So why would you ruin it by adding more power?

That’s the question I sought to answer last week in Pebble Beach, as John Hennessey and his Hennessey Performance revealed his latest creation — a 738-hp, twin-turbo Ferrari 458.

Keen enthusiasts will recognize the Hennessey name, as he offers performance upgrades for practically every vehicle on the market — even a Ford Taurus. In recent months, the company’s claim to fame has been its Venom GT, partially based on a Lotus, and arguably (if you ask Hennessey himself) the fastest road car in the world.

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I’m not opposed to insane tuning, like with the Venom GT. In fact, I welcome it. But adding power to a Ferrari 458 seems, well, pointless. To me, tuner cars should be Nissan GT-Rs and Cadillac CTS-Vs—all of which Hennessey tunes to great acclaim. Both, admittedly, needn’t be touched, but for those that want the ultimate in performance, cars like these offer the perfect platform. Messing with a Ferrari feels like sending your dish back to Thomas Keller for not having enough spice; surely Ferrari's chefs know what's best for their creation.

So what about this Ferrari? Would an owner having just shelled out close to $300,000 on a shiny Italian supercar really have it tuned?

By simply adding two turbos, each with a mild seven psi of boost, power from the 4.5-liter V-8 rockets from 562 hp to 738 hp. Other than some cooling work and a reflash of the Ferrari computer controls, that’s all Hennessey has done. (Oh, and added some custom black wheels.) There are no suspension tweaks, no ride height adjustments, no braking upgrades, nothing. It’s just more raw power.

I fired the engine, readying for my drive. It didn’t rattle. It didn’t clatter. It’s like my wife’s mashed potatoes, perfectly creamy and without lumps. (Most of the time.)