Actually, this car came to market as a SRT Viper. The folks at Dodge decided the Viper needed to had its own brand in 2013, however that just caused confusion and was soon Dodge again. This is the last iteration of the Viper- for model years 2013 through 2017. It's probably also the last of any car like it. Manual transmissions are becoming scarce- Ferrari and Lamborghini dropped them years ago- and even the Corvette is no longer available with one. That's due to market demand (not enough people know how to drive them), and the fact that an automatic can shift faster than you can- and more efficiently too. A stick shift coupled to a ridiculously huge 645HP naturally aspirated (no turbos or super chargers... meaning instant power) is just not going to happen again. While electric cars will be able outrun anything with a gas engine- the symbiotic interaction with the machine, and the visceral sounds and feeling of a mechanical orchestra will be lost. I suppose someone thought the same thing watching the last horse drawn carriage leave the showroom, or barn, or wherever those came out of. This car is magnificent. Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, then Chairman of Ferrari, said this car left him speechless. It feels every bit the part of a super car costing 2-3 times the price. I had the opportunity to tour the Viper plant in Detroit in 2016. About 80 assembly line workers assembled 2-3 cars per day. They all worked hard to be there- having to be in the top 1% of their trade to be considered for the job. They could stop what they were doing and talk to us- and you could feel the pride they had in their work. I asked the person giving the tour how it was possible to be profitable with such limited production- and he responded that it never had been. These were the Halo cars for Chrysler corporation- to inspire the public to want a Dodge, and that was the real value to the company. They feel alive- there is not a much more visceral driving experience. Vipers are often compared to Corvettes, and I would argue that the Corvette is hands down the best value, and can be called America's Sports Car- but the Viper is not a comparison. They are purpose built for performance, much like the Cobra's of the 60's. There have also been fewer Vipers produced in its entire 92'-17' production than a single year of Corvettes produced. It is, in my opinion, the American Supercar.
- 645 HP
- 8.4L V10
- Curb Weight 3,354 lbs
- 0-60 3.4 Seconds
- Top Speed of 200MPH