Next January's Detroit Auto Show will mark the 20th anniversary of the Viper's debut as a concept. Back then, every car in Chrysler's lineup was still derived from the K-Car. The K-cars saved Chrysler from the jaws of bankruptcy, but an executive named Lutz decided the automaker needed a new halo car to generate some excitement as a new decade dawned. Another old guy named Carroll Shelby was sprucing up Daytonas and Omnis at the time, so they decided to revive an idea from earlier in his career. Together they created a minimalistic two-seater with a humongous engine that became an instant American classic. That basic premise lives on today in the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT-10 with only slightly less minimalism. Read on to find out what it's like to live with a snake for a week.
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I have to admit that I'm biased when it comes to the Dodge Viper. I've had a soft spot for the venomous snake since the GTS coupe hit the streets in 1996. The aggressive design, powerful 8.0-liter V10 with 450 horsepower (doesn't sound like much now, but it sure seemed like a lot then), and the blue paint scheme with white racing stripes were the ideal combination for my dream sports car. I'm going to be that guy at the 2030 Barrett-Jackson purchasing a mint, low-mileage, numbers-matching 1996 or 1997 Dodge Viper GTS, and, of course, you'll be the one watching on SPEED commenting how I'm paying way too much for a classic American muscle car.
Yesterday at Chrysler's annual media gathering to show off new products at the its proving grounds in Chelsea, MI, the struggling automaker wanted to demonstrate the performance capabilities of its SRT branded vehicles. SRT staff set up an autocross course on the vehicle dynamics pad and brought out examples of every SRT vehicle from the Caliber SRT-4 to the mighty Dodge Viper ACR. Before we were allowed to hop in the cars, we had listen to a short briefing that described the course and some safety rules. And before being allowed to climb into the big snake, we had to complete at least a couple of laps in one of the five Challenger SRT-8s to get familiarized with the course. For a big 4,140-lb coupe, the Challenger proved surprisingly nimble. We learned that with the electronic stability control enabled, it's almost impossible to get the back end to swing wide. The stability control has two alternative modes. The first is engaged by a momentary stab of ESP button and allows some extra slip before intervening, while pressing and holding the ESP button for five seconds completely disables the stability and traction control leaving only the ABS.
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According to Jalopnik, yes. We reported yesterday that as a part of Project Genesis, Chrysler was planning to cut more models in addition to the PT Cruiser Convertible, Pacifica, Crossfire and Magnum. Jalopnik is reporting that, according to several of its sources, the decision has already been made that the Dodge Viper SRT10 will be cancelled, as well. The decision was reportedly made after Cerberus took control of Chrysler and was not part of the automaker's future product plans prior to its split with Daimler.
While the current 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 just received an update for 2008 that includes a new version of its iconic V10 engine capable of producing 600 horsepower and a track-ready ACR model, it was only ever meant to be on the market for another two years until the fully redesigned next-gen Viper bowed. Since that's reportedly not going to happen, the Viper will reportedly be sold as is through the 2011 model year.
The Viper has never been a cheap car to build, being assembled by hand at the automaker's Connor Avenue Assembly Plant. The obvious argument for killing the halo car is that money spent on developing the next-generation Viper could go towards better interiors and more appealing designs for bread and butter models, the sales of which keep the lights on at the company's Auburn Hills, MI headquarters. The Viper, however, has always been more than just a halo car for Chrysler, it's been a symbol of what the company can do when it's firing on all cylinders. If this report is true, to see it cancelled indicates just how lean these times really are for Chrysler under its new management.
AutoWeek recently got some track time with the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR. The AutoWeek scribes also got Q&A time with some of the car's developers, including Herb Helbig, senior manager of SRT Vehicle Dynamics, Matt Bejnarowicz, supervisor for Viper ACR chassis development, and Mike Shinedling, program manager for the Viper ACR.
The ACR is what the behind-the-scenes gearheads at Chrysler came up with when left to their own drawing boards and ratchet wrenches. We gotta say, in spite of some of its production bland-o-riffic offerings, Chrysler's skunkworks teams come up with the coolest vehicles (Jeep JT anyone?). One of the most interesting elements of the ACR -- other than the weight savings just about everywhere and the bespoke dampers created by KW -- is how the hood louvers ended up where they are. The same engineering team behind the ACR wanted to move them forward as far back as 2003 for aerodynamic reasons, but the design team didn't like the look of it. The engineers got their wish when designer Ralph Gilles, who understood their point, joined the product design office.
There are more than a few snake references like "fanged geometry," "Sidewinder wheel," and "Viper Alignment Machine," but for anyone interested in the ultimate factory-produced Viper, it's a good read.
The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is a racing machine, that's what the three letter suffix denotes (American Club Racer), of course. You don't even have to be within 100 feet of the Viper ACR to know what it is, that wing on the back clues you in. Somewhere, a 737 is missing an elevator flap. If you were to somehow miss the gigantic horizontal stabilizer, the ACR's paint scheme with its wicked-looking asymmetrical stripes announce what it is from a mile away.
The current Viper enjoys a reputation as a natural at the track, though it needs to be handled with a steady, heavy hand. The ACR strips a lot of equipment away in the name of weight savings, and some componentry is swapped out to bring unsprung mass down, as well. The result is a car with even sharper responses than the already born-to-run "regular" Viper. PentastarVideo has supplied us with a very entertaining video, apparently from Chrysler Design Veep Ralph Gilles, of some ACRs ripping it up at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana. Here we sit, using a corporate high-speed internet connection to live vicariously through a heavily compressed piece of video media. Oh cruel world, why can't we just have a Viper and a road course at our disposal?
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