Dodge Viper production to end with limited-edition packages
About 25 years ago, Chrysler created the Dodge Viper, a ferocious beast equipped with a monstrous, 400-horsepower, 8.0-litre V10 engine, developed with the help of Lamborghini. The Viper was a hard-to-drive, crude sports car, but it was blisteringly fast.
The Viper gained refinement over time, and its output climbed too. A V10 engine still lurks under the long hood of the 2017 Dodge Viper, but its displacement was increased to 8.4 litres. Thanks to its 645 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque, the snake could hit a top speed of 332 km/h.
Unfortunately, 2017 will be the last year of production for the Viper, and FCA will celebrate its passing with five limited-edition variants of the car.
The Viper 1:28 Edition ACR pays tribute to the current car’s record 1:28.65 lap time at the Laguna Seca track in Monterey, California. It boasts a black paint job with red stripes, and includes an Extreme Aero Package as well as carbon ceramic brakes. A total of 28 units of this edition will be produced.
The Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR pays tribute to one of the most famous paint schemes offered on the car, a white body dressed with blue racing stripes that appeared on the 1998 Viper GTS-R GT2 Championship Edition. The car also includes an Extreme Aero package, carbon ceramic brakes and a carbon exterior package. About 100 units of this edition will be assembled.
The Viper VoooDoo II Edition ACR mimics the appearance theme offered on the 2010 Viper VooDoo edition, with black paint highlighted by grey striping with red trim. It also includes an Extreme Aero package and carbon ceramic brakes. A total of 31 units of this edition will be built.
The Viper Snakeskin Edition GTC will be dressed in a cloak of slime green paint which first appeared in 2010. An aerodynamic package has also been thrown in as well as an all-black ACR interior, and 25 units of this edition will be produced.
Finally, two U.S. dealers which sold the most Vipers will be able to offer the Viper Dodge Dealer Edition ACR. At Tomball Dodge in Texas and Roanoke Dodge in Illinois, a total of 33 units of this car will be on sale, each featuring a white paint job with blue striping, carbon ceramic brakes, an Extreme Aero package and an ACR cockpit.
Since its introduction in 1992, about 30 000 units of the Dodge Viper were produced.