Recently in Viper Category

This 1994 Dodge Viper RT/10 is so clean that the current owner claims that there is not a newer 94 Viper in the world and he guarantee's that, promising that he will pay for people's gas if they come to see the car and don't agree on the impeccable quality of this 18 year old roadster.

The Dodge Viper did plenty of winning in the American LeMans Series, taking the top spot for the GT Super class in all 6 races in they entered in 1999 and winning 10 of the 12 events entered in the 2000 season.  The Team Oreca Viper GTS-R race cars were the dominant force in the GTS class through those two years with the #91 taking home the majority of the major wins with a variety of different driver combinations at the helm.

In the first year on the ALMS tour in 1999, the pair of Vipers fielded by Team Oreca missed the first two events of the season but they made their debut in the GTS class for the third race of the season.  The Team Oreca Viper won their first race of the ALMS season and went on to win all six races throughout the rest of the 1999 season.  A Viper also turned the fastest lap for the GTS class in all six of the wins in 1999.

Since the introduction of the 2013 SRT Viper, Viper GTS and race-ready Viper GTS-R, there have been a variety of informative videos issued about the Viper but this one might just be the coolest thus far.  This video offers a brief look at the history of the legendary Dodge-turned-SRT Viper going all the way back to the original Viper Concept's debut at the 1989 Detroit Auto Show.

The video includes SRT CEO and President Ralph Gilles talking about his first time "meeting" the Dodge Viper followed by a look at how the Viper idea was established.  The video then walks us through the progress from concept to production with a variety of shots of the original Viper concept being tested and the production model being introduced.  We also get a cool look at what drove the design of the original Viper V10 engine.

This new 2013 SRT Viper engine video begins with Dick Winkles talking about the specific features that separate the 2013 Viper V10 from the similar engine used in 2010 when the Viper was last available as new.  The new Viper features a new, higher flowing intake manifold that works with a new camshaft profile to make more top end power without hurting low end acceleration.  Items like sodium filled exhaust valves and new forged pistons help to make the new engine lighter and more durable while an enhanced cooling system ensures that the 640hp engine doesn't get too hot during cruising - or track time.

As is the case with every Viper Cup race since the series began in 2010, the first weekend of the 2012 SRT Viper Cup featured a pair of celebrity drivers racing for charity.  For this event, the celebrities were author/experienced racer Burt Levy and former WWF wrestler/well known car collector Bill Goldberg.  These guys, like all of the celebrities that will race in the 2012 SRT Viper Cup will be doing so to benefit the National Breast Cancer Coalition.

The goal of the design team was to build a voluptuous, beautiful vehicle and while we likely all agree that they did just that - this video opens with 2013 SRT Viper Chief Designer Mark Trostle explaining how the most eye-grabbing details are as functional as they are aesthetic.  The 2013 Viper was first made as a clay model, which is a fairly normal part of the process but CEO Ralph Gilles asked the team to take that one step further - producing an identical replica of the Viper out of sculpted foam.

While five minutes is nowhere near enough to really give a full overview of the 2012 SRT Viper, Henckel touches on all of the most important areas of design and engineering.  He addresses the fact that the designers did look at their new cousins from Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo while in the early stages but in the long run, the group made sure to capture the real look and spirit of the new American supercar.

This means that those rabid Dodge, SRT and Mopar lovers who want to want live as the 2013 SRT Viper meets the world at the New York Auto Show won't have to make the trek to the Big Apple - instead watching the debut from the comfort of their home or office when it is unveiled next Wednesday around 12:00pm EST.

Click here to check out the DriveSRT Facebook page for more information on the 2013 Viper debut.

The cause for Sam Hubinette's decision to leave the drifting world where he has done so well is that two of his team's major sponsors "changing interest".  There is no detail beyond that, but we have to wonder if one of those major sponsors is Dodge/Mopar. Over the past few years there has been no name more prominently advertised by The Crazy Swede on and off the track. Due to drifting's lack of popularity in the US, it wouldn't come as a huge shock if the Chrysler Group found their support of the drift program to be non-beneficial to the company.

I did some digging through company records and I was unable to find a month since the Viper was introduced in 1992 where the company failed to sell a single Viper. Even though the production of the Dodge Viper ended at the Detroit Connor Avenue plant in July 2010, dealerships around the country have been selling 2010 model year Vipers over the past 20 months.

I have an appreciation for all sorts of cars, but deep down I'm a Mopar man.  I've owned Fords and Chevys, but my favorite cars have been my 1983 Dodge Mirada 340 and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340, and when I get to events like SEMA I'm always very excited to see what Mopar has in store for me.

This year, I have to admit that the indoor Mopar display was a little bare, although cars like the Challenger 1320 (click here for more info) and the new Dodge Avenger pro stock car (more info coming soon!) made the display worth the time.  

But there was still Mopar Alley.  The area connecting the Central Hall and South Hall runs you through a parking lot and atop a busy overpass, but for years now Mopar has bridged the gap with a variety of new and vintage Mopars -  both privately owned and featured vehicles owned by Chrysler Corporation.

The new Dodge Challenger has allowed Dodge enthusiasts a chance to buy a new "muscle car", with the definition of rear wheel drive, front engine, V8s.  However, models like the Charger SRT-8 and Dodge Viper SRT-10 have filled the gap in Dodge performance, although in other segments, and both have proven to be very successful.

In speaking with a handful of performance enthusiasts (both Dodge, other domestic, and import enthusiasts), I found that the following models were the most commonly mentioned in the question of "what is the best Dodge muscle car of all time?  There is no right answer, so here are the 8 models that were mentioned when I was asking people the same question, so I present to DodgeForum a tail of the tape for each of the following 8 cars for your consideration in what you would pick as the greatest Dodge muscle car. 

The Chrysler Corporation Employee Pricing system offers great low prices to company employees, but that program has typically had its exclusions, such as the Dodge Viper.  However, with sales suffering in a rough economy, the sales of the already slow selling Viper have gotten worst.  Even though the Viper appears to be in its twilight hours with the end of production already announced and an effort by Chrysler to sell the Viper program to the highest bidder, Dodge has announced that it is now included in the Employee Pricing Program.  This is great news for company employees who have an uncertain job future, so its questionable how many of the company's 130,000+ employees will jump on the deal.