Along the sides of the car, the 1989 Viper Concept is nearly identical to the production version, but there are some key changes. Most notably, the mirrors of the concept car are incorporated into the windshield, but on the production cars, the mirrors had a more traditional pedestal design. Also, the windshield and the rollover bar were much lower than the same parts on the production cars, but the sculpting along the sides as well as the integrated side pipes remained the same.
Our example of a first generation Viper has custom wheels, but the standard wheel was a three-spoke design similar to those shown on the concept car, except the production wheels had less offset and no neon-colored trim.
Out Back
Finally, the back end of the 1989 Viper concept has the same basic shape, as do the taillights, but the production car had a much narrower trunk opening, bringing the taillights in more towards the middle of the vehicle.
The white car shown here from behind is VM01, the first driving pre-production test car. It has a more production-like rear end, although the license plate spot on the production cars was wider to accept European plates. You can see that on VM-02 in front of the white car, both of which were on display during the media debut of the new Connor Center in Detroit.
V10 Power
The first pre-production Dodge Viper (white VM-01 shown above) was powered by a 360-cubic inch V8 and VM-02 was the first pre-production car to get the aluminum V10, but the concept car did have a V10 of its own. The video below shows FCA design boss Ralph Gilles driving the concept at the 2017 Concours d’elegance of America, giving us a chance to hear the car in action followed by a look at the unique engine of the very first Dodge Viper.
"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.
"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.
"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.
"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.
"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.
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