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Hennessey 605R or 650R? Anyone installed?
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<blockquote data-quote="slocum1946" data-source="post: 11786278" data-attributes="member: 98310"><p>from <a href="http://www.300cforums.com/forums/general-discussion/21978-efool-gets-punked-his-own-board-2.html" target="_blank">http://www.300cforums.com/forums/general-discussion/21978-efool-gets-punked-his-own-board-2.html</a></p><p></p><p>post 11:</p><p></p><p></p><p>"http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=234868</p><p></p><p>I have recently been contacted by a few of you and questioned about my dealings with Hennessey and how everything worked out. I understand he is telling people that we are "cool", NO ... Far from it. After a financial sob story he asked me if he could send me a check for $1,000.00 per month until his debt is paid. The check was supposed to be sent on Jan 30. Today the 8th of Feb ... still no check. But my deal was insignificant compared to what you are about to read next!!</p><p>About three weeks ago I received an E-mail from a gentleman in Utah that had read my thread about Hennessey all to late. He was fooled like me and many others and was taken for a TON of money. I wanted to post this the next day but I decided to wait until the legal process was officially started. Today Hennessey was served. I would aske the moderators to please let this stay ... this information is intended as a warning to others, is truthful and is not simply "bashing" Thank You!!</p><p></p><p>Here is the E-mail:</p><p></p><p>Hi Bill,</p><p></p><p>I followed your story about John Hennessey with much interest and want</p><p>to thank you for your various posts regarding it. Unfortunately however,</p><p>I hold the title of the King of Stupid when it comes to falling victim</p><p>to John Hennessey's scams and I know my loss (in monetary terms alone)</p><p>easily gives me bragging rights to that title. =) It was greatly to my</p><p>disadvantage that I didn't get wind of Hennessey's antics (as posted on</p><p>the Corvette Forum and the VCA forum) until long after I'd already given</p><p>him my car, as well as -all- of the money agreed upon up for the</p><p>scheduled work in advance. I feel like a complete jackass.</p><p></p><p>Do you happen to remember the issue of Motor Trend this last Spring that</p><p>showed John Hennessey's Venom 800 on the cover? Never having been an</p><p>true American muscle car fan as much as a Porsche guy up until that</p><p>time, I didn't really know all that much about Vipers, other than I</p><p>liked the look of them, etc. But when I saw the numbers John supposedly</p><p>wrung out of that orange Viper in the article, I was astounded. I had to</p><p>have one! So I did some looking on the web, found his website, and sent</p><p>him an e-mail. He responded and after that initial contact I talked to</p><p>him on the phone, as well as thru e-mails. He was personable and</p><p>friendly (as I'm sure you found him to be initially) and he seemed</p><p>competent and straightforward. </p><p></p><p>Accordingly, I located a new Viper GTS in Idaho and had it trucked down</p><p>to Utah (where I live) and continued to go over everything with John as</p><p>I decided which options to go with, etc., until finally we'd come to an</p><p>agreement that totaled $122,500--not including the car (yes, I know, I</p><p>know, Bill--I'm a complete idiot). In my defense, I guess, I'd like to</p><p>say that: 1) I didn't really know Vipers--as I mentioned--and it seemed</p><p>to me that all of the options I'd chosen were both very worthwhile or</p><p>necessary; 2) the Venom 800's performance put it into another league</p><p>altogether and as such the cost seemed reasonable in light of what you'd</p><p>get (or not get) for the same money if you went with a very custom</p><p>Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini, etc.; and 3) Hennessey seemed to have</p><p>a very solid reputation in the tuner industry (I -assumed-), not unlike</p><p>RUF, Lingenfelter, or Saleen, etc.</p><p></p><p>I drove my new Viper only several hundred miles over the next few weeks</p><p>before I arranged to have John send a fellow to pick up my car and</p><p>transport it down to his shop in Houston. Interestingly, John pushed</p><p>pretty hard for all of the money for the Venom 800 project up front,</p><p>though he only really insisted on half. Based on what I believed to be</p><p>one of the most trusted names in the industry, however, I agreed to wire</p><p>him the entire $122,500 up front, which I did. What an unbelievable</p><p>mistake. A date of approximately 12 weeks from the date he took delivery</p><p>was projected for completion of the car (he took delivery of the car in</p><p>April of last year), making the due date approximately mid-July.</p><p></p><p>Over the course of the next couple of months, I heard very little from</p><p>John, but I assumed all was in order (I'd never done this sort of thing</p><p>before, after all). In early July, John called me to discuss ways to</p><p>produce even more horsepower from the car buy rebuilding the engine with</p><p>all titanium parts so that it could run reliably at 16-18 psi, vs. the</p><p>originally planned 10-12 psi. For this new upgrade (which he dubbed the</p><p>"Venom 1000" due to his anticipating between 1000 and 1100 bhp at the</p><p>crank) he stated that he needed another $20,000, and asked for it ASAP</p><p>if possible, stating that it would greatly speed up his ability to get</p><p>the parts quicker. I agreed and sent him another wire for $20,000.</p><p>Because of the additional modifications, John now estimated a September</p><p>delivery date.</p><p></p><p>September came and went. Then, around the end of October, I started</p><p>putting a little pressure on John, asking him when he was going to be</p><p>done with the car. He blamed his inability to get certain parts for the</p><p>Venom 1000 on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (no, I've never been able</p><p>to see the connection either) but assured me that everything would be</p><p>wrapping up soon.</p><p></p><p>November came and November went. Then in early December, I got a phone</p><p>call from a fellow who asked me how my car was doing and what I'd heard</p><p>about it. I replied with the facts above and he told me that John was</p><p>basically sticking it to me and that I should go to the Viper Club of</p><p>America forum and the Corvette Forum and do a little reading. Your case</p><p>was noted. He assured me that I was getting screwed badly. I began to</p><p>get nervous. It was at this time that I first read your bad experiences</p><p>with John Hennessey, as well as those of others and I began to get even</p><p>more nervous. And I began to get angry. </p><p></p><p>I called John and asked him straight up, "John, will I get my car back?"</p><p>To which he replied with a hurt tone, "Yes! Of course. What do you</p><p>mean?," and wanted to know why I didn't trust him anymore. I didn't tell</p><p>him that anyone had called me, but I did tell him that I'd read a lot of</p><p>disturbing things on the forums about him. He had no reply whatsoever</p><p>for that one and changed the subject. I told him I wanted my car</p><p>finished and I wanted it finished quickly. He agreed that it would be</p><p>ready in the beginning of January. Then, without warning, I flew a</p><p>trusted buddy down to Houston to simply show up at John's shop and see</p><p>what the status of my car was for himself. </p><p></p><p>What my friend found was terribly discouraging. My car was there in his</p><p>shop all right, but he discovered that John had sold my hood (one of the</p><p>parts on a Viper worth quick cash I'm told - since they're $14,000 to</p><p>replace) though I had NOT ordered his carbon fiber replacement hood,</p><p>wanting instead to keep my stock one. I also discovered that John had</p><p>sold my stock wheels and tires, though I had specifically requested that</p><p>my stock wheels be fitted with slicks and returned to me as a second set</p><p>of rims/tires. None of the parts that I had ordered (suspension upgrade,</p><p>HRE wheels, body parts, Brembo brakes, Quaiffe diff, Connolly leather</p><p>interior, etc., etc., etc.) were anywhere to be seen and John admitted</p><p>that he did not have them.</p><p></p><p>I told John at this time (thru my friend) that I wanted all the parts</p><p>I'd ordered collected and the upgrades completed ASAP or there would be</p><p>trouble. John hung his head and shifted from one foot to the other and</p><p>assured me that everything would be completed immediately. My friend set</p><p>a date in mid-January at which time he would return and actually hear</p><p>the completed, modified engine actually start, in my car. John agreed.</p><p>After this visit, John sent me a number of cheery e-mails in which he</p><p>talked at great length about other subjects and another Viper he'd been</p><p>working on and how he was getting great power out of it, etc., but not a</p><p>thing about my car.</p><p></p><p>Well Bill, my friend did indeed return to visit John just a few days ago</p><p>and found that NOT A SINGLE THING had changed or had been completed. My</p><p>car continues to sit in the corner of John's shop where it collects</p><p>dust. The wheels are still missing, the hood is still missing, and the</p><p>engine is yanked but as yet remains unmodified. Meanwhile, two reliable</p><p>sources have told me that John just bought or built a new home for</p><p>himself in Colorado. And I know I'm the one who made the down payment</p><p>for it. </p><p></p><p>I've decided that I've waited long enough. I contacted my attorneys</p><p>recently and I'm starting the ball rolling on going after John for my</p><p>car and for the $142,500 I fed into a black hole. I have no delusions</p><p>about my likely failure to get anything out of John eventually, of</p><p>course. I guess this is just one of those painfully difficult lessons</p><p>life throws at you from time to time--in this case a lesson that cost me</p><p>a staggering amount of money. It also makes me see just how amazingly</p><p>stupid I really am. =) </p><p></p><p>Bill, I hope you don't mind me unloading my experiences with John</p><p>Hennessey on you. I realize you don't know me at all, but after reading</p><p>your posts on the Corvette Forum, I felt a sort of kinship to you thru</p><p>the misfortune we've shared at the hands of the same crook and I hope</p><p>you don't mind my having contacted you with this lengthy story. I don't</p><p>know anyone on the Corvette or Viper forums and since I never really</p><p>entered into conversations there it seemed that it wouldn't really be</p><p>appropriate for me to post this out of the blue, in any event. After</p><p>reading your posts, however, as I said, I felt the need to get this off</p><p>my chest to someone who really understood what it was like to get</p><p>screwed by Hennessey firsthand. And if there is anything I can do to</p><p>help you, as I embark on the next step of trying to get something back</p><p>from Hennessey, I would be very pleased if you would let me try--and I</p><p>mean this not as a platitude, but in all sincerity. Thanks for</p><p>listening. =)</p><p></p><p>Best regards,</p><p></p><p>Taig Stewart"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="slocum1946, post: 11786278, member: 98310"] from [url]http://www.300cforums.com/forums/general-discussion/21978-efool-gets-punked-his-own-board-2.html[/url] post 11: "http://forums.corvetteforum.com/zerothread?id=234868 I have recently been contacted by a few of you and questioned about my dealings with Hennessey and how everything worked out. I understand he is telling people that we are "cool", NO ... Far from it. After a financial sob story he asked me if he could send me a check for $1,000.00 per month until his debt is paid. The check was supposed to be sent on Jan 30. Today the 8th of Feb ... still no check. But my deal was insignificant compared to what you are about to read next!! About three weeks ago I received an E-mail from a gentleman in Utah that had read my thread about Hennessey all to late. He was fooled like me and many others and was taken for a TON of money. I wanted to post this the next day but I decided to wait until the legal process was officially started. Today Hennessey was served. I would aske the moderators to please let this stay ... this information is intended as a warning to others, is truthful and is not simply "bashing" Thank You!! Here is the E-mail: Hi Bill, I followed your story about John Hennessey with much interest and want to thank you for your various posts regarding it. Unfortunately however, I hold the title of the King of Stupid when it comes to falling victim to John Hennessey's scams and I know my loss (in monetary terms alone) easily gives me bragging rights to that title. =) It was greatly to my disadvantage that I didn't get wind of Hennessey's antics (as posted on the Corvette Forum and the VCA forum) until long after I'd already given him my car, as well as -all- of the money agreed upon up for the scheduled work in advance. I feel like a complete jackass. Do you happen to remember the issue of Motor Trend this last Spring that showed John Hennessey's Venom 800 on the cover? Never having been an true American muscle car fan as much as a Porsche guy up until that time, I didn't really know all that much about Vipers, other than I liked the look of them, etc. But when I saw the numbers John supposedly wrung out of that orange Viper in the article, I was astounded. I had to have one! So I did some looking on the web, found his website, and sent him an e-mail. He responded and after that initial contact I talked to him on the phone, as well as thru e-mails. He was personable and friendly (as I'm sure you found him to be initially) and he seemed competent and straightforward. Accordingly, I located a new Viper GTS in Idaho and had it trucked down to Utah (where I live) and continued to go over everything with John as I decided which options to go with, etc., until finally we'd come to an agreement that totaled $122,500--not including the car (yes, I know, I know, Bill--I'm a complete idiot). In my defense, I guess, I'd like to say that: 1) I didn't really know Vipers--as I mentioned--and it seemed to me that all of the options I'd chosen were both very worthwhile or necessary; 2) the Venom 800's performance put it into another league altogether and as such the cost seemed reasonable in light of what you'd get (or not get) for the same money if you went with a very custom Porsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini, etc.; and 3) Hennessey seemed to have a very solid reputation in the tuner industry (I -assumed-), not unlike RUF, Lingenfelter, or Saleen, etc. I drove my new Viper only several hundred miles over the next few weeks before I arranged to have John send a fellow to pick up my car and transport it down to his shop in Houston. Interestingly, John pushed pretty hard for all of the money for the Venom 800 project up front, though he only really insisted on half. Based on what I believed to be one of the most trusted names in the industry, however, I agreed to wire him the entire $122,500 up front, which I did. What an unbelievable mistake. A date of approximately 12 weeks from the date he took delivery was projected for completion of the car (he took delivery of the car in April of last year), making the due date approximately mid-July. Over the course of the next couple of months, I heard very little from John, but I assumed all was in order (I'd never done this sort of thing before, after all). In early July, John called me to discuss ways to produce even more horsepower from the car buy rebuilding the engine with all titanium parts so that it could run reliably at 16-18 psi, vs. the originally planned 10-12 psi. For this new upgrade (which he dubbed the "Venom 1000" due to his anticipating between 1000 and 1100 bhp at the crank) he stated that he needed another $20,000, and asked for it ASAP if possible, stating that it would greatly speed up his ability to get the parts quicker. I agreed and sent him another wire for $20,000. Because of the additional modifications, John now estimated a September delivery date. September came and went. Then, around the end of October, I started putting a little pressure on John, asking him when he was going to be done with the car. He blamed his inability to get certain parts for the Venom 1000 on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (no, I've never been able to see the connection either) but assured me that everything would be wrapping up soon. November came and November went. Then in early December, I got a phone call from a fellow who asked me how my car was doing and what I'd heard about it. I replied with the facts above and he told me that John was basically sticking it to me and that I should go to the Viper Club of America forum and the Corvette Forum and do a little reading. Your case was noted. He assured me that I was getting screwed badly. I began to get nervous. It was at this time that I first read your bad experiences with John Hennessey, as well as those of others and I began to get even more nervous. And I began to get angry. I called John and asked him straight up, "John, will I get my car back?" To which he replied with a hurt tone, "Yes! Of course. What do you mean?," and wanted to know why I didn't trust him anymore. I didn't tell him that anyone had called me, but I did tell him that I'd read a lot of disturbing things on the forums about him. He had no reply whatsoever for that one and changed the subject. I told him I wanted my car finished and I wanted it finished quickly. He agreed that it would be ready in the beginning of January. Then, without warning, I flew a trusted buddy down to Houston to simply show up at John's shop and see what the status of my car was for himself. What my friend found was terribly discouraging. My car was there in his shop all right, but he discovered that John had sold my hood (one of the parts on a Viper worth quick cash I'm told - since they're $14,000 to replace) though I had NOT ordered his carbon fiber replacement hood, wanting instead to keep my stock one. I also discovered that John had sold my stock wheels and tires, though I had specifically requested that my stock wheels be fitted with slicks and returned to me as a second set of rims/tires. None of the parts that I had ordered (suspension upgrade, HRE wheels, body parts, Brembo brakes, Quaiffe diff, Connolly leather interior, etc., etc., etc.) were anywhere to be seen and John admitted that he did not have them. I told John at this time (thru my friend) that I wanted all the parts I'd ordered collected and the upgrades completed ASAP or there would be trouble. John hung his head and shifted from one foot to the other and assured me that everything would be completed immediately. My friend set a date in mid-January at which time he would return and actually hear the completed, modified engine actually start, in my car. John agreed. After this visit, John sent me a number of cheery e-mails in which he talked at great length about other subjects and another Viper he'd been working on and how he was getting great power out of it, etc., but not a thing about my car. Well Bill, my friend did indeed return to visit John just a few days ago and found that NOT A SINGLE THING had changed or had been completed. My car continues to sit in the corner of John's shop where it collects dust. The wheels are still missing, the hood is still missing, and the engine is yanked but as yet remains unmodified. Meanwhile, two reliable sources have told me that John just bought or built a new home for himself in Colorado. And I know I'm the one who made the down payment for it. I've decided that I've waited long enough. I contacted my attorneys recently and I'm starting the ball rolling on going after John for my car and for the $142,500 I fed into a black hole. I have no delusions about my likely failure to get anything out of John eventually, of course. I guess this is just one of those painfully difficult lessons life throws at you from time to time--in this case a lesson that cost me a staggering amount of money. It also makes me see just how amazingly stupid I really am. =) Bill, I hope you don't mind me unloading my experiences with John Hennessey on you. I realize you don't know me at all, but after reading your posts on the Corvette Forum, I felt a sort of kinship to you thru the misfortune we've shared at the hands of the same crook and I hope you don't mind my having contacted you with this lengthy story. I don't know anyone on the Corvette or Viper forums and since I never really entered into conversations there it seemed that it wouldn't really be appropriate for me to post this out of the blue, in any event. After reading your posts, however, as I said, I felt the need to get this off my chest to someone who really understood what it was like to get screwed by Hennessey firsthand. And if there is anything I can do to help you, as I embark on the next step of trying to get something back from Hennessey, I would be very pleased if you would let me try--and I mean this not as a platitude, but in all sincerity. Thanks for listening. =) Best regards, Taig Stewart" [/QUOTE]
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