SRT Viper mule caught near Detroit wearing older ACR rims

The other day while cruising down the highway near Detroit I saw a blue SRT Viper GTS test “mule” merging up ahead.  While I see a great many Viper mules in my area, as I approached the metallic blue Viper I noticed something unusual about this particular SRT supercar.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have my camera but was able to get my camera phone out to snap a couple pictures of the gorgeous blue Viper.

As you probably noticed after just a quick look, the Viper’s wheels do not match.  On top of the fact that these wheels don’t match each other, they also don’t resemble anything currently available in the 2013 Viper lineup.  The front wheels offer a large, somewhat clunky 9 spoke design that is unlike anything in the current company product lineup and honestly – I would have a hard time seeing these wheels on the Viper.  Perhaps the fact that they are spinning is skewing their actual look but from what I can see I am led to guess that there are just some wheels that the team had laying around the shop.

On the other hand, the rear wheels on the SRT Viper test mule shown here should look familiar as they appear to be the same rims found on the 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR.  Although these simple, lightweight 5-spoke rims were painted either red or black in 2010 production form, these silver wheels appear to be identical in every other way to the wheels from the American Club Racer that set track records around the globe.

Finally, in addition to the odd wheels, this SRT Viper GTS test mule has circular exhaust tips poking through the side sills rather than the angular, molded exhaust tips found on the 2013 SRT Viper production models.  A great many mules running around the Detroit area have circular exhaust tips that do not match what is used on the production version of those same cars but those “test tips” are usually unfinished and fit poorly; generally sticking well away from the body.  On the other hand, these circular exhaust tips appear to be far more finished than the average test tip and they fit into the body very well.

Of course, the SRT Viper is no normal vehicle, so perhaps the SRT engineers wanted to make sure that even their test mules are special.  So these unusual wheels and finished non-production exhaust tips could be nothing more than odd-ball parts thrown on a test vehicle.  However, perhaps this is more than just the average test mule.  The previous generation Viper ACR had circular exhaust tips (as did all of the Vipers in 2010) along with the 5-spoke wheels shown on the rear of this car.  Perhaps this is some sort of higher performance mule car, sporting a traditional body dressing that allows it to blend better, but with unique exhaust and special rear wheels – maybe we are looking at a few of the design cues of the upcoming 2014 SRT Viper ACR expected to dawn next year.

Patrick Rall

"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.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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