The folks at the American LeMans Series are as excited as we
are about the return of the Viper to the racing world and
leading up to the ALMS debut of the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R later this season; the racing league has
put together a video review of the top 5 wins for the original Viper race
program.
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.
The 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR currently holds the
production car record at the Nürburgring Nordschleife with a lap time of just 7
minutes and 12.13 seconds but there have been 5 vehicles that have turned
better times than the Viper.That group
includes the Radical SR8 and Radical SR8 LM, the Gumpert Apollo Sport, the
race-only Pagani Zonda R and the race-only Ferrari 599XX.The Radical models are technically street legal
in some places but they are clearly race cars squeezed into the legal
restrictions of some areas.The Gumpert
Apollo Sport is a street legal, limited production vehicle with a price tag
upwards up a half million dollars and the Pagani and Ferrari simply are not
street legal.Other than those five
cars, no vehicle has officially lapped the famed Nurburg Germany track that has
become known as the Green Hell.
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.
It has been made official that when the American Le Mans Monterey
Presented by Patrón kicks off on May 12th at Laguna Seca Raceway in
California - the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R will be among the vehicles
partaking of the grueling 6 hour road race.
The American Le Mans Monterey Presented by Patrón is the third stop of
the 2012 ALMS season with the Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway in California
serving as the setting for the Viper's glorious return to endurance
racing. There will be two teams entering the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R into
the first race back in the ALMS after being a dominant force in the
endurance racing world in the late 90s and early 2000s, with drivers
Dominik Farnbacher, Marc Goossens, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Kuno Wittmer
handling the driving. The specially prepared Viper GTS-R race cars will
be built by Riley Technologies and with any luck, the first race for
the new Viper in the ALMS will bring us the full specifications of the
new race-built Viper.
Today, we get a look at the changes that help the 2013 SRT
Viper make an awesome 640 horsepower with the help of the Viper's Chief Powertrain
Engineer Dick Winkles.While many
expected that the 2013 Viper would sport a larger engine than the 8.4L V10
offered in the 2010 Dodge Viper, with rumors that an 8.7L mill was on the way,
the 2013 SRT Viper makes all of that power with the same displacement as the "old"
Vipers thanks to new materials and new components.
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.
We have gotten an overview of what went into making the 2013
SRT Viper so incredible and we have gotten an in-depth look at the exterior
design cues. So the logical next step is a closer look at the interior of the
new Viper.
Helping walk us through the
cabin of the 2013 Viper interior are three of the men who had a heavy hand in
the new race inspired layout of the next generation SRT Viper - Advanced Lead
for Interior Design Chris Welch, Lead Interior Designer Tome Jovanoski and
Interior Designer Ryan Nagode.
The Chrysler Group has announced that when the very first
production unit of the 2013 SRT Viper rolls off of the Connor Avenue assembly
line in Detroit, it will be destined for the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction in
Orange Country California.Like many "first
off" vehicles that head to a high profile auto auction, the proceeds will go to
charity with the beneficiaries of the first 2013 Viper auction being the Austin
Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer.
The Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer helps assist
families who have a child battling pediatric cancer and while there is no way
of knowing just how much the first production version of the 2013 SRT Viper
will bring - we can bet that it will be a nice chunk of change.
The second in the series of in-depth videos on the 2013 SRT
Viper focuses on the exterior design, walking us through the key design points
of the new Viper and how they improve both the look and performance of the new
American supercar.
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.
When Ralph Gilles introduced the 2013 SRT Viper last
Wednesday, he surprisingly announced that there would be not one but two
trimlines for the new Chrysler Group supercar.This begins with the standard 2013 SRT Viper which is designed to offer
all of the incredible performance and "a deliberate preservation of what has
become the iconic DNA of the Viper." What this means is that like past Vipers,
the standard Viper doesn't come with many bells and whistles focusing, and is focused on the supercar's performance capabilities
The Chrysler Group has issues a series of short videos
discussing many of the fine details of the 2013 SRT Viper that help make it so
incredible and today, we take a look at the first video in that series.This video is a broad overview of the new
Viper, brought to us with the help of Graham Henckel - the Chief Engineer for
the 2013 SRT Viper program.
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.
In addition to SRT CEO and President Ralph Gilles
introducing the new 2013 SRT Viper on Wednesday, the boss of the Street and
Racing Technology division introduced the all new SRT Viper GTS-R--a purpose-built race car headed for the American Le Mans Series.No indication has been given as to when the
Viper will hit the grid, but the new GTS-R will debut before the end of the season.
The 2013 SRT Viper debuted this morning at the New York Auto Show, marking the return of the awesome American supercar after a three-year hiatus. The reveal was no secret, but after SRT CEO Ralph Gilles he announced the Viper's two trim lines, he dropped a big surprise: The Viper GTS-R will join this year's ALMS grid. Hit the jump for all the details.
Today, the people at the Chrysler Group's Street and Racing
Technology introduced what is intended to be the final teaser of the 2013 SRT
Viper ahead of the formal debut of the new supercar this Wednesday around noon
at the 2012 New York Auto Show.This image,
while still leaving plenty to the imagination, provides us with our best
official look at the new Viper since the company began teasing the car in late
January.
Last night, the DriveSRT Facebook page offered up the latest
teaser of the 2013 SRT Viper and while it was the first public look at any
portion of the interior of the new supercar; the most important part of the
image was a hidden QR code on the lower portion of the passenger's seat shown
in the image above.While it is almost
impossible to see with the naked eye, there is a QR code that when scanned by a
smart phone, directs viewers to a special Facebook page where the debut of the
2012 SRT Viper will be broadcast on April 4th.
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.
Less than two weeks after a grainy image surfaced on the
internet of what allegedly showed the Hot Wheels version of the 2013 SRT Viper,
the internet gods have presented us with what could be our first look at the
new Viper in metal - again courtesy of the folks at Hot Wheels.
While the February 2012 sales report from Chrysler reported
a whopping 40% improvement over the same month last year, there was some sad
news on the company report - there was not a single Dodge Viper sold in the
month of February.
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.
Recently, Chrysler's SRT division has offered a few bits of information on the upcoming 2013 SRT Viper--including a shadowy picture of the front end and a mystery air intake--but they've been careful to not reveal the whole car. However, in the last 48 hours, this picture surfaced.
Since then, this grainy, grossly pixelated image has appeared on nearly every automotive news site in the world, the explanation being that it shows the SRT Viper from Mattel's 2013 Hot Wheels line. And at first glance, there's little question it's the new Viper. But are we seeing a small-scale rendition of the SRT supercar? A Mattel artist's early rendering before the actual car is revealed? Or something else entirely?
What is it? Well, it's the second in a series of extremely vague teasers from SRT concerning the new Viper. Clearly the dark part is a carbon fiber pit of some-sort, maybe a scoop. When did the Viper ever have carbon fiber scoops?
"Stryker". That's the name of the Viper's newest mascot and it looks pretty freaking cool. I don't know about you all, but the last one looks positively evil. I like it.
It might be only a teaser, but the 2013 SRT Viper already bears the hallmark of its Dodge predecessor. Double bubble roof? Check. Hood scoop? Check. Venomous snake emblem? Check and check.
The picture above shows SRT Brand and Motorsports President and Chief Executive Officer Ralph Gilles at the Conner Avenue (Detroit) Assembly Plant in 2010. Next time he takes this photo, there will be a 2013 SRT Viper behind him.
Throughout its history, the Dodge Viper has been a major player in the world performance market, but in the 1990s, the mighty Viper was one of the most successful models on the world racing scene. Dodge hopes the next generation Viper will repeat such success.
The supercar world has been short of a major player since the legendary Dodge Viper saw its production come to an end last year, but thanks to some spyshots of some Viper test mules captured recently, we have some Viper news to discuss. Dodge has been especially tight lipped regarding what to expect from the 2013 Dodge Viper set to debut in the spring or summer of 2012. explaining only that the next Viper will benefit from driving aides like an advanced stability and traction control system that should not only make the 2013 Viper easier to drive - but also a better performer.
When the last Dodge Viper rolled off the assembly line in July 2010, it looked like the end of the line for Dodge's purebred supercar. Now spy shots from hot weather testing near Death Valley, California suggest a new model is indeed in development. While clad in 2010 Viper bodies, the mules sport a couple of key features showing Dodge is hard at work.
This past Wednesday, DodgeForum.com had a chance to sit down
and speak with Dodge brand CEO Ralph Gilles for a short roundtable.During this discussion, Gilles talked about
the driving force behind the design of the new 2011 Charger, Durango, Challenger,
Avenger and Journey and towards the end of the roundtable, yours truly asked
Gilles "so, what is going on with the Viper?"
Gilles smiled and stated that the next generation of the
Dodge Viper project had completed the design phase and that it had moved onto
the early stages of putting together a prototype version.He went on to explain that the next Viper
will arrive in the summer of 2012 as a 2013 model year vehicle and while he didn't
offer any juicy information on the drivetrain or design of the 2013 Dodge
Viper, he did explain that the next Dodge supercar will feature driver assists
like stability control to make the car friendlier for basic street-driving
duties...proclaiming that he would like to be able to toss the keys to his wife
or nephew and not worry about them taking the car out for a ride.
Even though the 2013 Dodge Viper will receive some help to
make it a little more user-friendly, we can expect that the new Viper will do
the name proud, setting the new standard for American performance cars and
allowing the 2013 Dodge Viper to compete with the most well-known supercars in
the world.
June 20th is the first day of summer in 2012 so
taking Mr. Gilles "summer of 2012" comment very literally, we are 578 days away
from the introduction of the 2013 Dodge Viper.One thing is for sure...DodgeForum.com will be there each step of the way
as we get closer to the full scale introduction of the next generation of the
legendary Dodge Viper.
The folks at the American LeMans Series are as excited as we
are about the return of the Viper to the racing world and
leading up to the ALMS debut of the 2013 SRT Viper GTS-R later this season; the racing league has
put together a video review of the top 5 wins for the original Viper race
program.
