Update: A previous version of this article referred to the featured vehicle as a Grand Cherokee Trackhawk and that it featured a 6.2-liter V8. This was incorrect. This video features a Grand Cherokee SRT8 with a 6.9-liter V8 engine. We regret the error.
Jeep has a well-earned reputation as a "go-anywhere" vehicle. With that said, no-one has ever accused a Jeep of getting anywhere in a hurry.
After all, Jeeps all but started the sport of rock crawling. It's pretty obvious by the name that speed is not the end goal of that particular form of motorsport.
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The release of the 420-horsepower Grand Cherokee SRT8 in 2006 did a lot to change that reputation, and since then Jeep has made build fast SUVs a cornerstone of its business. A 6.4-liter-powered SRT8 replaced this 6.1-liter SUV in 2011, and then, Jeep went mad and installed a 6.2-liter, supercharged V8 Hellcat engine in its popular five-seater and created the Trackhawk, one of the fastest SUVs on the market.
But back to that 420-horsepower model. Its 6.1-liter engine was plenty potent, but that doesn't mean it was enough. Enter Van Drake Racing and 2,000-horsepower SRT8. Featuring a 6.9-liter V8, a massive 88-millimeter turbocharger, Mickey Thompson drag rubber, and a whole bunch of engine and carbon-fiber work, this one-of-a-kind Grand Cherokee can scoot to 197 mph. And this video from That Racing Channel can show you what that looks like, along with the incredible work that Van Drake Racing put into this beast.
In the video, we can see it going up against plenty of exotic sports cars in one half-mile drag race after another, taking all comers and sending most of them home crying.
If you happen to line up next to a tough-looking SUV in your sports car, think twice.
Source: That Racing Channel on YouTube
