• texas-based tuner hennessey is building 24 hellcat-powered 2020 jeep gladiators.
• the gladiator maximus will make 1000 horsepower and 933 lb-ft of torque and will be fully unveiled at the 2019 sema show.
• it will cost $225,000, and that price includes a new 2020 jeep gladiator.

if you aren't entertained enough by the 2020 jeep gladiator, horsepower junkie john hennesssey will entertain the hell out of you. the aftermarket tuner is throwing the hellcat supercharged 6.2-liter v-8 crate engine in the gladiator and appropriately naming it maximus.

about that name and why it's appropriate: if you haven't seen ridley scott's 2000 film gladiator, it stars russell crowe as maximus, a roman general who is betrayed and forced into the arena to fight as a gladiator.

the maximus 1000—signifying that this gladiator makes 1000 horsepower and 933 lb-ft of torque—is powered by a hellcat crate engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. an upgraded ecu, wiring harnesses, radiator, and fuel system are installed, and a stainless-steel exhaust system will make this behemoth sound absolutely absurd.

the gladiator is meant to be an off-road pickup, so hennessey didn't stop at the engine upgrades. the tuner also made it more off-road ready. just as with the hennessey velociraptor, a large steel bumper with led lights is fitted up front with the word "maximus" carved right out of it. it's also beefed up with heavy-duty off-road axles and front and rear driveshafts, a king off-road suspension system with a six-inch lift, and dana 60 front and rear differentials.

adding to the off-road muscle are hennessey aluminum wheels mounted with bfg off-road tires, plus drop-down running boards. inside, the seats have been stitched with hennessey and maximus embroidery.

the 1 of 24 serial-numbered interior and engine-bay plaques are there, too, of course. and as those numbers suggest, production will be limited to a mere 24 units, and everything together costs $225,000, including a new 2020 jeep gladiator. hennessey will display the maximus next week at the 2019 sema show in las vegas.