Dodge Viper GTS Is Definitely No Garage Queen
Viper GTS owner enjoys his car, but doesn’t baby it at all. To him, stone chips in its paint are part of ownership process.
With its curvaceous bodywork and exotic V10 engine, the original Viper GTS coupe is an American work of art on four wheels. But Dodge didn’t build it just so it could be mounted on a wall or encased in glass. They made it to be driven. And that’s exactly what Casey Putsch does with his ’97 model.
Putsch, founder of the Genius Garage non-profit organization, tells Petrolicious he had been interested in possibly getting one before he came across this specimen. After its owner let Putsch drive it on the Nelson Ledges Road Course in Garrettsville, Ohio, he was absolutely sure he wanted a Viper GTS of his own. Putsch ended up buying it from him. “I immediately fell in love. That curvy, blue, sparkling hood; the big white stripes; those big blue mirrors. And it just made a sound that talked to you.”
The GTS’s initial appeal didn’t stop Putsch from heightening its abilities. “There’s nothing absurdly modified. However, over the years, it’s gotten coilover shocks and it’s got cross-drilled and vented, slotted rotors so they won’t fade if you’re really on it.” To help the V10 breathe more easily out of the rear center-exit outlets, Putsch replaced the stock exhaust with a straight-pipe setup that gives the 8.0-liter behemoth an interesting, dynamic sound.
Exterior cosmetic changes include a set of white wheels and a tall rear wing. Inside, there’s a different steering wheel and shifter for the six-speed manual gearbox.
Putsch’s Viper has close to 90,000 miles on it and he only plans on adding to those. He’s not just going to bring it out for parades and boulevard cruises, though. As Petrolicious‘s cameras roll, he unleashes the enhanced V10’s power and flies down the roads between acres of farmland. He even drives his American exotic out by the water so he can go fly fishing.
The more Putsch enjoys his car, the more it’ll age and he’s OK with that. “As the years go by, things might break and I fix them. You maintain it. It gets stone chips in it and it ages with you.”
Some people buy cars so they can hermetically seal them off from the outside world, turning them into garage queens in motionless exile. Putsch didn’t do that. His Viper is a road warrior princess.
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