Watch A Christmas Tree Hit Nearly 200 MPH

The fastest that Christmas has ever moved

196 miles per hour. Apparently, it’s about as fast as Christmas trees get. It’s unlikely the Grinch was able to hit that on his way down Mount Crumpit, but Texas-based Hennessey continues to up the game (not that anyone else is even competing). The new record took a 5-and-a-half-foot Christmas tree strapped to the roof of a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 to a whopping 196 MPH at Chase Field in Beeville, Texas. Why, you may ask? Well, when you have the fastest Corvette around, and it’s December, can you think of a better way to celebrate the holidays?

Hennessey took this pine past 190 mph

The record was set regardless of the weight added by the more than 200 lights (and accompanying ribbon). It marks Hennessey’s seventh Christmas Tree Run, and the third piloted by pro driver Spencer Geswein. The record surpassed the previous 192 mph run, set in 2022, with a Hennessey Venom 1000 Ford Mustang.

This year’s run used the above ZR1, but it’s clear the brand has more room to run. During testing on the runway, the Hennessey team also tested the fully optioned C8 ZR1 ZTK track pack car without the tree, managing 206 mph before running out of room. Ideally, next year, Hennessey will be able to break 200 with a tree on top. It’s probably a significant aerodynamic obstacle to overcome, but one that can likely be outdone with a little more power. Surely Hennessey, of all tuners, can manage that. Below you can find a record of the Christmas Tree Run arms race, showing each car’s top speed with the tree intact. It’s not much of a leaderboard without competitors, so here’s hoping some other brands get involved. You can also check out the full run, captured on video, below.

Watch Hennessey’s record-breaking Christmas Tree Run

Hennessey Christmas Tree Speed Runs, 2017-2025