This week’s Mopar Muscle Thursday feature video takes a look at the 2013 SRT Viper GTS on a short autocross course driven by yours truly. This video was captured at the Chrysler Chelsea Proving Grounds during a new product testing day and while this video is fairly brief, it provides a great chance to hear the new Viper roar as it effortlessly slips through the tight turns of this short autocross course.
The 2013 SRT Viper GTS shown in action here is fitted with the Track Package for optimal handling and the course was laid out in a manner that allowed us to launch in 1st gear and after the 2nd gear shift, no other gear changes were needed until we got back to the starting area. At times, it might not seem like this Viper is going all that fast due to the lack of any slipping or sliding but with speeds reaching near the 100mph mark at times – this video is a glowing example of just how well this car handles itself at those speeds. Carving through these turns at speeds that hovered in the range of 60-70 miles per hour was literally effortlessly and with more practice, I’m sure that the new Viper will offer handling limits well beyond what I experienced here.
In any case, check out the video below of the fully loaded 2013 SRT Viper GTS with me behind the wheel on the Chrysler test autocross course and make sure that your speakers are cranked up to hear the V10 roar!
"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.
