Viper going to certified dealers only in effort to meet upscale demand

It doesn't matter what it is; when you're spending a serious amount of money you expect a serious amount of service. And if your local BMW or Ford dealer is willing to offer you a free cafe, newsletter, and owner events in order to make the purchase decision as pleasant as possible, one can only imagine the red carpet that folks like Bugatti or McLaren roll out. 

But what about those six-figure supercars that are produced by "normal" brands? Well, if you bought a Ford GT or Lexus LFA, you were treated to a very special (and distinct) process that could only be handled by a certified dealership. However, if you bought yourself a Dodge Viper, you might have noticed that you got roughly the same treatment as the family across the showroom buying the Grand Caravan. 

However, if SRT head honcho Ralph Gilles is to be believed (and usually he is), that's not going to be the case with the new, next-generation Viper. Going on record with Autoline After Hours, Gilles stipulated that dealers looking to sell Vipers will need to go through a rigorous certification process that, although not "impossible," will require some extra effort and commitment on the dealer's part to maintain Viper-trained technicians, as well as a Viper-specific showroom area with a dedicated show car.