2013 Dodge Viper SRT10 Could Pack Even Bigger/Badder V-10!

by Patrick Rall

While Dodge has been tight lipped with information on the 2013 Viper SRT10 set to hit the streets next summer, rumors floating around the internet suggest that when the new American supercar is unveiled (supposedly at the New York Auto Show in April), it will be powered by a larger and more powerful version of the legendary Viper V10. 

When the Dodge Viper SRT10 left production last year, it was powered
by an 8.4L V10 producing 600 horsepower, but many expect that the fifth
generation of the Viper will be introduced with a new 8.7L variant of
the high performance engine.

We can expect that when the 2013
Dodge Viper SRT10 is unveiled, it will have more power than the outgoing
models and simply adding some extra engine volume could help the SRT
division to reach the desired levels without worsening the emission
outputs from the giant engine. 

The 600 horsepower engine powering the
last Viper SRT10 offered 71.43 horsepower per liter, so using the same
basic engine design, the 8.7L V10 could make power in the range of
625hp…more than enough to be considered an acceptable improvement for
the next generation Dodge Viper, but still less than the ZR1.  Tack on
some new components with help from cousin company Ferrari and that 8.7L
V10 could see the power jump to the range of 650 horsepower – surely
enough to allow it to reclaim its title as the King of the American
Supercars as it overpowers the 638hp Corvette ZR1.

The 2013 Dodge
Viper SRT10 will most likely have additions to make it one of the best
performing supercars on the global market, which will begin with a high
tech suspension system featuring traction and stability control similar
to what the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 offers.  Even though the Viper came
back to defend its production car record at Germany’s famed Nürburgring,
the Corvette ZR1 used high tech driving aides to make it one of the
fastest production cars on the road, while the Viper was able to hold
that title without electrical suspension and traction help.  This
garnered the Viper a reputation for being unfriendly to the driver
(compared to the ZR1 or European models with similar driver aides), but
SRT President Ralph Gilles has plans to make that rep a thing of the
past.

When the first generation of the Dodge Viper was
introduced, it used an 8.0L engine that made 400 horsepower and during
the second generation of the American supercar that same engine saw the
power output increase to 450.  For the 2003 model year (and the
introduction of the first SRT Viper), the engine was enlarged to 8.3L
with an output of 500 horsepower which later was bumped up to 510hp. 
Finally, in 2008 the V10 once again got an increase in engine volume,
this time to 8.4 liters as the power output rose dramatically to 600. 
While Dodge and SRT plan to have the 2013 Viper SRT10 retain its place
as one of the fastest street cars in the world, upping the power of
the new 8.7L V10 to a level above the 638hp Corvette ZR1 would give the
next generation Viper even more bragging rights.

Sounds like a great plan, right? What else would you like to see in the next gen Viper? Shout off in the Forums!