If you live in the
United States, you can visit a Chevrolet dealership and walk out with a Tahoe
or Suburban that produces 1,000 horsepower and 1,185 Nm of torque.
Let that sink in for a moment. You would expect such an insane amount of power
from a muscle car, yet you can have it in a massive three-row SUV too. The
upgrade comes courtesy of Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) and is available
through Chevy dealers as SVE has been a second stage manufacturer for GM for 25
years.
What that means is
your 1,000-hp Tahoe or Suburban comes with a 36-month/60,000-km warranty for the engine and supercharger, the same warranty for the paint and
chrome trim options, as well as a 12-month/19,000-km warranty for
the heavy-duty automatic transmission upgrade.
Well, the pricing may put some buyers off because the High-Output Series Stage
II 1,000 HP Supercharged package costs US$ 66,995 — before you factor in the cost
of the 2019 Tahoe/Suburban donor vehicle with a 5.3-liter engine and 2WD. For
those who find it too expensive, SVE also offers a Stage I package that offers
“only” 810 horsepower and 1,016 Nm of torque for US$ 44,995.
Using GM’s
6.2-liter V8 engine as a starting point, the upgrades feature many
modifications including a larger 6.8-liter displacement, forged aluminum
pistons, forged steel crankshaft, and a massive supercharger.
The trucks also
feature some styling tweaks such as side-oriented stainless steel dual exhaust
tips, custom badging inside and out, and special embroidered headrests. If
those are considered too subtle, the list of options adds stuff such as 22-inch
chrome alloys, satin-finish clear-coat paint wrap, and a sports suspension
package that brings the trucks 2 inches (51 mm) closer to the ground.
