The Dodge Viper isnt selling well and everyone in the auto industry knows that, but no one (outside of Chrysler Group meeting rooms) seems to know what to do to help the Viper move units. Some people think that making it smaller and lighter would make a difference. Others think that figuring out a way to pack the new Hellcat Hemi under the hood, thus lowering the purchase price, would help out while others follow a same line of thinking – except rather than installing a blown Hemi, they want to see a similar supercharged atop the Viper V10.
I think that the best decision would be to add the new heavy duty TorqueFlite 8-speed automatic transmission from the Challenger and Charger Hellcat models to the Dodge Viper option list.
Sure, a proper sports car should have a manual transmission, but there is no denying that less and less people are able to drive the modern Viper because fewer people are able to drive a manual transmission. Especially when you consider the fact that the old people or the uber rich yet surprisingly uncoordinated celebrities who all have the kind of money needed to buy $125,000 supercar are either too clumsy or too physically dilapidated to drive a manual transmission – having a self shifting automatic transmission could go a long way in boosting Viper sales.
I have driven the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat with the new 8-speed heavy duty automatic and I have no doubt that it shifts hard enough and quick enough for the Viper, while also being tough enough to stand up to the big power…so I see this being the right time for Chrysler to offer up a Viper with an automatic transmission.
Click here to head into the forum to tell us whether or not you think that the Dodge Viper should get the same 8-speed automatic as the Hellcat Charger and Challenger.
"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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