1997 Dodge Viper GTS: A Visceral Machine Unlike Any Other
Without any creature comforts, the Viper has nothing else on its mind other then going as fast as possible every second it can.
Some cars remind you why you love cars in the first place. The Dodge Viper is one of those cars. The early 1990’s saw a variety of sports car legends sprout to market, especially in the Japanese tuning scene. However, that didn’t mean that they were sleeping over at Dodge. To be precise, Dodge wanted to play with the idea of a sports car that was as unfiltered as possible. I mean, let’s be honest, the original Viper didn’t even come equipped with door handles or key locks. It had no A/C, no ABS, no traction control. It didn’t even have airbags. This machine was as untamed as possible and if you were willing to deal without the easy-of-life features, it rewarded you greatly.
Considering the fact that a radio was considered a luxury option on a first-generation Viper, you best believe that it must have been an amazing car to survive 5 generations. Some thanks is due to Lamborghini, who at the time owned Chrysler and helped make what many considered to be the reason the Viper was so good: the 8.0L V10. If you advertised a V10 engine in today’s market only making 450 HP, you’d probably be the laughing-stock of the industry. However, at the time, this was a statement piece for the company and getting 12 mpg was the least of their concerns. It was about performance driving first and last and it was far from forgiving on the road. Thanks to Petrolicious on YouTube, we get to learn the story behind a man and what makes his 1997 Viper GTS so special.
The owner of this amazing second generation Viper is named Casey Putsch and we have to say that the blue paint with white racing stripes is probably one of the most iconic and attractive color combinations of any car ever. His Viper, being a GTS, received some well deserved upgrades such as airbags, some engine tuning, and around 50 more horsepower. Over time, Putsch has added coilovers, rotors, wheels and tires, as well as a cold air intake and exhaust. This Viper is almost at 100,000 miles and its safe to say with an owner like the one its got, it will survive at least another 100,000 more.
The story of how Putsch came to acquire this Viper is interesting. He said he saw the previous owner at a race track and he asked him if he could take a look at the car because he was interested in buying one in the future. The owner at the time told him, why not take it out on track? After that experience, Putsch fell in love and hasn’t lost his attraction to the car since that moment. Want to learn more about this Viper’s story? We suggest watching the full video, its beautiful shot and produced and you won’t regret a moment of it.
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