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 wantto thank you for your various posts regarding it. Unfortunately however,I hold the title of the King of Stupid when it comes to falling victimto 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 mydisadvantage that I didn't get wind of Hennessey's antics (as posted onthe Corvette Forum and the VCA forum) until long after I'd already givenhim my car, as well as -all- of the money agreed upon up for thescheduled work in advance. I feel like a complete jackass.Do you happen to remember the issue of Motor Trend this last Spring thatshowed John Hennessey's Venom 800 on the cover? Never having been antrue American muscle car fan as much as a Porsche guy up until thattime, I didn't really know all that much about Vipers, other than Iliked the look of them, etc. But when I saw the numbers John supposedlywrung out of that orange Viper in the article, I was astounded. I had tohave one! So I did some looking on the web, found his website, and senthim an e-mail. He responded and after that initial contact I talked tohim on the phone, as well as thru e-mails. He was personable andfriendly (as I'm sure you found him to be initially) and he seemedcompetent and straightforward.Accordingly, I located a new Viper GTS in Idaho and had it trucked downto Utah (where I live) and continued to go over everything with John asI decided which options to go with, etc., until finally we'd come to anagreement that totaled $122,500--not including the car (yes, I know, Iknow, Bill--I'm a complete idiot). In my defense, I guess, I'd like tosay that: 1) I didn't really know Vipers--as I mentioned--and it seemedto me that all of the options I'd chosen were both very worthwhile ornecessary; 2) the Venom 800's performance put it into another leaguealtogether and as such the cost seemed reasonable in light of what you'dget (or not get) for the same money if you went with a very customPorsche, Ferrari, or Lamborghini, etc.; and 3) Hennessey seemed to havea very solid reputation in the tuner industry (I -assumed-), not unlikeRUF, Lingenfelter, or Saleen, etc.I drove my new Viper only several hundred miles over the next few weeksbefore I arranged to have John send a fellow to pick up my car andtransport it down to his shop in Houston. Interestingly, John pushedpretty 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 beone of the most trusted names in the industry, however, I agreed to wirehim the entire $122,500 up front, which I did. What an unbelievablemistake. A date of approximately 12 weeks from the date he took deliverywas projected for completion of the car (he took delivery of the car inApril of last year), making the due date approximately mid-July.Over the course of the next couple of months, I heard very little fromJohn, but I assumed all was in order (I'd never done this sort of thingbefore, after all). In early July, John called me to discuss ways toproduce even more horsepower from the car buy rebuilding the engine withall titanium parts so that it could run reliably at 16-18 psi, vs. theoriginally planned 10-12 psi. For this new upgrade (which he dubbed the"Venom 1000" due to his anticipating between 1000 and 1100 bhp at thecrank) he stated that he needed another $20,000, and asked for it ASAPif possible, stating that it would greatly speed up his ability to getthe parts quicker. I agreed and sent him another wire for $20,000.Because of the additional modifications, John now estimated a Septemberdelivery date.September came and went. Then, around the end of October, I startedputting a little pressure on John, asking him when he was going to bedone with the car. He blamed his inability to get certain parts for theVenom 1000 on the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks (no, I've never been ableto see the connection either) but assured me that everything would bewrapping up soon.November came and November went. Then in early December, I got a phonecall from a fellow who asked me how my car was doing and what I'd heardabout it. I replied with the facts above and he told me that John wasbasically sticking it to me and that I should go to the Viper Club ofAmerica forum and the Corvette Forum and do a little reading. Your casewas noted. He assured me that I was getting screwed badly. I began toget nervous. It was at this time that I first read your bad experienceswith John Hennessey, as well as those of others and I began to get evenmore 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 youmean?," and wanted to know why I didn't trust him anymore. I didn't tellhim that anyone had called me, but I did tell him that I'd read a lot ofdisturbing things on the forums about him. He had no reply whatsoeverfor that one and changed the subject. I told him I wanted my carfinished and I wanted it finished quickly. He agreed that it would beready in the beginning of January. Then, without warning, I flew atrusted buddy down to Houston to simply show up at John's shop and seewhat the status of my car was for himself.What my friend found was terribly discouraging. My car was there in hisshop all right, but he discovered that John had sold my hood (one of theparts on a Viper worth quick cash I'm told - since they're $14,000 toreplace) though I had NOT ordered his carbon fiber replacement hood,wanting instead to keep my stock one. I also discovered that John hadsold my stock wheels and tires, though I had specifically requested thatmy stock wheels be fitted with slicks and returned to me as a second setof rims/tires. None of the parts that I had ordered (suspension upgrade,HRE wheels, body parts, Brembo brakes, Quaiffe diff, Connolly leatherinterior, etc., etc., etc.) were anywhere to be seen and John admittedthat he did not have them.I told John at this time (thru my friend) that I wanted all the partsI'd ordered collected and the upgrades completed ASAP or there would betrouble. John hung his head and shifted from one foot to the other andassured me that everything would be completed immediately. My friend seta date in mid-January at which time he would return and actually hearthe completed, modified engine actually start, in my car. John agreed.After this visit, John sent me a number of cheery e-mails in which hetalked at great length about other subjects and another Viper he'd beenworking on and how he was getting great power out of it, etc., but not athing about my car.Well Bill, my friend did indeed return to visit John just a few days agoand found that NOT A SINGLE THING had changed or had been completed. Mycar continues to sit in the corner of John's shop where it collectsdust. The wheels are still missing, the hood is still missing, and theengine is yanked but as yet remains unmodified. Meanwhile, two reliablesources have told me that John just bought or built a new home forhimself in Colorado. And I know I'm the one who made the down paymentfor it.I've decided that I've waited long enough. I contacted my attorneysrecently and I'm starting the ball rolling on going after John for mycar and for the $142,500 I fed into a black hole. I have no delusionsabout my likely failure to get anything out of John eventually, ofcourse. I guess this is just one of those painfully difficult lessonslife throws at you from time to time--in this case a lesson that cost mea staggering amount of money. It also makes me see just how amazinglystupid I really am. =)Bill, I hope you don't mind me unloading my experiences with JohnHennessey on you. I realize you don't know me at all, but after readingyour posts on the Corvette Forum, I felt a sort of kinship to you thruthe misfortune we've shared at the hands of the same crook and I hopeyou don't mind my having contacted you with this lengthy story. I don'tknow anyone on the Corvette or Viper forums and since I never reallyentered into conversations there it seemed that it wouldn't really beappropriate for me to post this out of the blue, in any event. Afterreading your posts, however, as I said, I felt the need to get this offmy chest to someone who really understood what it was like to getscrewed by Hennessey firsthand. And if there is anything I can do tohelp you, as I embark on the next step of trying to get something backfrom Hennessey, I would be very pleased if you would let me try--and Imean this not as a platitude, but in all sincerity. Thanks forlistening. =)Best regards,Taig Stewart