Like the Dodge Viper, the Copperhead is a rear-wheel-drive vehicle and like the Viper, the concept car featured a 5-speed close-ratio manual transmission. However, unlike the Viper, there is no V10 under the hood of this roadster. Instead, Dodge went with a modified version of the 3.5-liter V6 from the Intrepid, packing 220 horsepower and 188 lb-ft of torque. Upon seeing those numbers, you might realize why this car never became a production reality, even in 2000 those were fairly unimpressive power figures.
In the long run, this car was built to handle better than the Viper, so while it may not have been able to keep up in the quarter mile, the Copperhead would handle turns better than the early Viper.
Naming Controversy
In addition to the lackluster power levels and other random roadblocks in bringing the Copperhead to production, Dodge ran into a problem with the name. Unfortunately, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons owned a custom 1950 Ford named “The Copperhead” and the new Dodge concept car was infringing on Gibbons’ ownership of the name. Rather than wrestle with the rocker in court, then-owner DaimlerChrysler just changed the name from the Dodge Copperhead to the Dodge Concept Car. That is why today, toys and appearances in video games refer to this machine as the Concept Car rather than the Copperhead. But real Mopar fans will always know the true name of this stunning sports car.
"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.
