Video: Hennessey sends its 1,000-HP Jeep Gladiator on a desert drive

The famous Texan tuner unveiled its Jeep Gladiator Maximus project in May 2019; today, the team showed us just how well the crazy truck rides the sands.

The Gladiator had its stock engine swapped out for a supercharged 6.2 V8 rated at 1,000 horsepower (745 kilowatts). The losses incurred by the eight-speed auto transmission and AWD system result in only 700 hp (522 kW) and slightly over 850 Nm (627 lb-ft) reaching the wheels, but at this performance point, no one should be complaining, really.

The Maximus also features a 15cm (6-inch) suspension lift, new 20-inch wheels wrapped in BF Goodrich KD tires, heavy-duty bumpers, and a revised interior.

Hennessey will be producing 24 such vehicles starting from U.S. $225,000.