It’s common knowledge that Santa Claus specifically doesn’t deliver Christmas trees because his sleigh is too fast, and at speeds approaching thousands of miles per second, well, a dry tree that was cut a few weeks earlier would surely ignite, turning Santa’s sleigh into a fireball crossing the sky, much like the closing scene of National Lampoon’s “Christmas Vacation.”
But a mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is slightly slower, so it’s perfectly reasonable to strap a fresh-cut Douglas or Fraser fir or a Blue Spruce on top and see how fast a Christmas tree can be delivered.
Amazon Can’t Deliver This Fast
Texas-based hypercar manufacturer Hennessey has been ringing in the holidays in this fashion for eight years now, having propelled a real Christmas tree 174 mph on top of a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody.
This festive stunt has been incrementally cranking up the speeds just about every year from cars like the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (HPE1000), Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang and Audi RS6 Avant (800 horsepower from Hennessey tuners).
Hennessey Christmas Tree Speed Runs
|
Year |
Vehicle |
Speed |
|---|---|---|
|
2017 |
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Widebody |
174 mph |
|
2019 |
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk (HPE1000) |
181 mph |
|
2020 |
Ford Shelby GT500 Mustang |
182 mph |
|
2021 |
Audi RS6 Avant (Hennessey tuned 800 hp) |
183 mph |
|
2021 |
Porsche 911 Turbo S |
175 mph |
|
2022 |
Venom 1000 Mustang |
192 mph |
|
2025 |
Chevrolet C8 Corvette ZR1 |
196 mph |
But in 2021 the Porsche 911 Turbo S, which is beloved for things other than straight-line acceleration, actually took the tree run down to 175 mph. The Venom 1000 Mustang reached 192 mph with a tree on top in 2022.
Now, the 2026 Corvette ZR1 sets a new tree-speed record of 196 mph. Chevrolet’s flagship sleigh needs no magic reindeer. Its twin-turbocharged 5.5-liter flat-plane crank V8 generates 1,064 horsepower and 828 pound-feet of torque. Hennessey says this is the fastest ever speed achieved by a road-legal car carrying a Christmas tree. Can anyone prove them wrong?
‘Crazy Little Holiday Stunt’
“Hennessey’s Christmas Tree Run has evolved from a crazy little holiday stunt into one of the most fun traditions. Every year we strap a tree to something a little wilder and a little faster,” says Alex Roys, Hennessey President. “Cars should be loud, fun, and just a little bit unhinged. Running the 2026 Corvette ZR1 was a perfect finale to another amazing year for the Hennessey team.”
This tree measured 5.5 feet tall, so it probably added about 40 pounds to the roof of the ZR1, including the improvised rack to hold it steady while red ribbons and a strand of 200 lights held on for dear life as specialist driver Spencer Geswein (pictured below) propelled the ZR1 down the runway at Chase Field in Beeville, Texas.
Would Tree Needles Burn Off Upon Entry?
We still have questions. The 200 lights on this tree were not miniature LEDs but the big, glass old-school bulbs that Clark Griswold prefers on the tree that’s too big for his living room. How many bulbs broke during these shenanigans?
How many needles came off the tree, and were special precautions taken to prevent any of them from getting sucked into that monstrous twin-turbo V8?
How Fast Can A 750-Horsepower Porsche 911 Turbo S Deliver A Christmas Tree?
Despite hitting 175 mph, it is still not the fastest tree delivery out there!
The Gift That Keeps On Giving
Where does Hennessey take this holiday tradition from here? Note in the video above that it’s not just about dashing away, dashing away in a straight line, but pushing the car’s lateral boundaries as well with thick smoky donuts on a massive patch of concrete. Perhaps additional high-G testing is necessary next year to see how much force a tree can withstand before it looks like Charlie Brown’s, or Cindy Lou Who’s tree after the Grinch angrily stuffed it up the chimney.
Thank you, Hennessey. This holiday tradition is the gift that keeps on giving.
Source: Hennessey