Back in 1989 the concept for the Viper was debuted at the Detroit
Auto Show by Carroll Shelby & Bob Lutz.
They presented an insane V-10 roadster & suggested that it may be
built as a Dodge. There were a lot of
skeptics who figured that this insane car would never happen.
But in 1991, it was born.
One of the most incredible supercars.
The Dodge Viper.
Lamborghini was responsible for the 8.0 liter pushrod
cast-iron V-10 engine. This engine has
400 horsepower with 450 ft. lbs of torque under its long fiberglass hood. It was able to go 0-60 in 4.4 seconds and
completed the ¼ mile in 13.1 seconds. And
the top speed was 164 mph. Very
impressive.
What made it all the more impressive was that it was a very
basic car, a driver’s car. No ABS, no
electronic aids. And the radio, not
really worth mentioning since you can’t really hear it above the roar of the
engine. What the Viper is great at, is
pure & simple, go as fast as you dare fun.
The first generation Viper RT/10 is from 1991-1995. The second generation started in 1996 when
they added the GTS coupe to the line up.
And the second generation had 415 horsepower with 488 ft. lbs of torque
in its V-10 engine. It went 0-60 in 4.0
seconds with a top speed of 185 mph. The
Viper was proving to be quite a car.
But the creators of the Viper knew that it had to be
raced. It was what it had been born to
do. And race it did. The Viper won the GT class of the FIA GT
championship in Europe from 1997-1999, 2001 & 2002.
The third generation Viper, 2003-2008, came out with a new
body style, thanks in part to SRT (Street & Racing Technology). It lost the roundness & huge one piece
hood for a more conventional hood. The
engine also went through some changes.
It was beefed up to a 8.3 liter V-10 that produced an incredible 504
horsepower with 525 ft. lbs of torque.
It could now go 0-60 in 3.8 seconds with a top speed of 190 mph. And there was still no electronic aids other
than ABS.
The fourth generation Viper, 2008-2010, increased the engine to an 8.4 liter V-10
that produced in insane 600 horsepower with 560 ft. lbs of torque. It could go from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds with a
top speed of 202 mph. And once again, no
electronic aids.
After 2010, the Viper went out of production. Was that to be the end of what was an
incredible supercar? Nope. The Viper has returned in 2012.
The Viper that we own is a 1994, first generation
Viper. And it is just incredible. There is so much power in the first
generation Viper that it is hard to imagine how driving one of the newer Vipers
feel. Will there ever be another car
like the first generations of Vipers?
No, never again. The main reason
is that they were very simple. No
drivers aids, just hit the gas & go.
You have to really drive one of these cars. I’m sure that the new Viper is just as
incredible but it has the electronic aids due to changes in the laws.
I think that in describing the Viper from 1991-2010, Tanner
Foust said it best on Top Gear. “It
feels like it’s trying to kill you.” But
if you love just pure speed, then the Viper is the car for you.
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