This week’s Photo of the Week feature looks at a 2013 SRT Viper GTS caught out in the wild but this is no ordinary Viper – this Viper is owned by Mr. Ralph Gilles, Head of the SRT brand.
While attending the premier of the new movie Snake and Mongoose, I noticed Mr. Gilles entering the theater while during the previews. After the movie, as we headed out to our cars in a nearby parking garage, I couldn’t help but notice the tail end of a new Viper sticking out a few spots away from my car. I walked up to look at the car and when I saw the STORM10 Michigan license plates – I knew that this was the Viper built for Ralph Gilles.
Ralph’s 2013 SRT Viper GTS is Viper White (my apologies for the lighting in the video – the parking garage had yellow lighting) and it is equipped with the SRT Track Package including the Sidewinder II wheels as well as the Advanced Aerodynamics Package. He may also have some interior upgrades but I wasn’t looking to be poking around his car, looking in windows and such when he returned from the theater. While I was there taking pictures, several other people walking by also took pictures but I didn’t see those folks taking pictures of the many muscle cars or the Aston Martin Rapide parked on the same row…probably because the new Viper is just that awesome.
It is cool to see a car that cost at least $130,000 but stumbling across Ralph Gilles’ privately owned 2013 SRT Viper GTS just chillin’ in a parking garage with so many average cars was a situation that is worth sharing with DodgeForum.com.
"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.
