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And the Italian poison runs deeper…The new Viper
As a self-proclaimed petrol head I have a strong preference for Gran Tursimo’s from Italy, United Kingdom and the United States. Large, comfortable cars, created with passion and crafted with expertise. Powerful, luxurious yet never true athletes. A pretty determent taste with one exception…..the Dodge Viper! Conceived in the brains of Racecar legend Carroll Shelby and (then) Chrysler President Bob Lutz, in the late 1980’s the Viper was meant to become a modern interpretation of the famous AC Cobra. They build the car like only American’s can. They took the V10 engine of a Dodge truck and shipped it to a company that was part of the Chrysler empire in those days…..Lamborghini! The brand of the raging bull was founded itself by a tractor manufacturer and had no problem recasting the block and head into aluminum. Although this made the engine a lot lighter, it did not change it’s volatile potential, because the V10 Chrysler shipped to Italy wasn’t exactly the smallest; 488 cubic inches/ 8,0 liter. And when you put an engine like this in a sports car that has a total weight of 3,284 lb/ 1,490 kg…… 
How it all began; 1st generation Viper It was thanks to this engine that the first generation Viper (1992 – 1995) produced 400 bhp, enough to provide the driver with explosive performance. This is also what set the Viper apart from the crowd. While even your grandmother can take the Corvette or 911 to pick up her prescription from Walgreen’s, this was not the case for the Viper. Because of the enormous engine it could be driven quite well at lower speeds, but one had to always realize that you where not driving a car, but a force of nature! Respect was and is the key to drive a Viper fast and safe. A lack of it, even for a brief moment, can be fatal. No safety features in this car can provide you with even the smallest margin of error, for the simple reason that there aren’t any! Even the steering wheel in the first generation viper came, very un-American, without an airbag. It is just you and a huge engine, and although this was all brought together by breathtaking bodywork, it was still as subtle as a cutting your steak with a chainsaw. Because of this, although some might say despite, the Viper became a huge success. Not as successful as the Corvette, but for that was the Viper also too rough and too expensive. Over the years, Chrysler did develop the Viper into a more contemporary car, but compare this from going from an old fashioned canon to a modern howitzer. The engine size was enlarged to 510 cubic inches / 8,4 liter, and the power output has risen to 600 bhp. Thanks to numerous smaller and larger changes, the 4th generation Viper was the sharpest knife in the box. In the hands of an experienced driver it was hard to beat a Viper, even when you brought powerhouses like the Nissan GTR, Porsche 911 Turbo or the Corvette Z06. 
5th Generation Viper; Ready to roll! Now after a brief, 2-year retirement is the Viper back with the 5th generation. A lot has changed and a lot stayed the same. Changed is first of all Chrysler itself. Lamborghini isn’t part of the Chrysler-empire since it was sold in 1994. In an ironic twist of events and as a result of the crisis in the American car industry is it now Chrysler self that is owned by an Italian company! Fiat now controls the American brand. Of course does Fiat makes cute, little cars like the 500, but it also owns some of the crème de la crème of Italian car manufacturing; Alfa Romeo, Maserati and Ferrari. These brands know how to make some of the best sports cars in the world, and that knowledge can most certainly help to bring the Viper to the next level. Sound is unfortunately horrible, but seeing the new Viper actually driving does makes this video worth while! What is the next level for the Viper? Well, that is the shocker. Although Viper sales where never bad, Chrysler (read Fiat) would like to see a better return on its investment in this new generation and in order to do that they not only need to seduce current Viper owners but also get a new clientele who now drive performance cars from other brands. To do this, the Viper had to become a little bit more friendly…. However, don’t think that they turned the Viper into a nice clown that pat kids on the head and gives them balloons. No, think more like the legendary performance of Keith Ledger as the Joker. Yes, the Viper now has electronic stability control…..but that is government required these days. It has launch control….which is a good thing because it makes you get more mileage out of your expensive set of tire. It has a few, only a few, electronic safety angels build in……which are driver adjustable and can even turned off like they never existed. So the 5th generation is the old and the new Viper in one, you just have to choose which one you want to drive when you take off. 
This engine is about as powerful as your local powerplant. In the past high tech tuning companies like Hennessey have added turbo's to the Viper, giving it 1.000 bhp+! And taking off you will, because the Viper still has the 510 cubic inches / 8,4 liter V10, although it pumps out now 640 bhp! This will result in a 0-60 mph (0-96 kmh) in just above 3 seconds and will end your adrenaline rush at 200+ mph (320+ kmh). Also important is that the new generation is 50% stiffer then the previous generation and that is something that you most certainly will appreciate when you put the car through it’s paces. What you also will appreciate is that the weight split is still 49% front and 51% back. No word on how extensive the help was from Fiat, but it would have been foolish if they didn’t use that expertise to also benefit the Viper. 
The part of the Viper you will see most likely the longest when spotted in the wild A thing they most certainly put some Italian style in is the interior. Although always practical, the interior was not the reason you bought a Viper. With the magnificent interiors of Porsche, but also Aston Martin’s V8 and Masterati’s Gran Turismo, they had to upgrade and they did. Functionality is still the key factor but it has now more flair and refinement. 
Functional yet refined This is especially true when you opt for the Viper GTS, instead of the standard Viper. This one was created to give the car a more luxurious, sporty feeling. Not so much to make it faster, because it isn’t, but more so to seduce customers from other brands who are accustomed to this type of finish. On both Vipers an ACR (American Club Racer) package is optional. It saves you 40 lb/18 kg, and add’s light weight breaks and stiffer suspension. Unlike the 1999 Viper ACR, is an oversized wing this time not included in the package. 
American muscle meets Italian style; Gucci on steroids! That is not so much a pity since the Viper not only has a tremendously good-looking interior but also a breathtaking exterior. You will immediately recognize it as a Viper, simply because cars with hoods this long are not that common anymore. The back is also still cut short, but now feature high tech looking LED break lights, that we can also find in the front by the way. Exhaust pipes still end just passed your door and the whole care has tons of carbon fiber details in its bodywork. Unique is also that this is the first generation Viper where the coupe is introduced before the targa/convertible version. Will it come? Chrysler/Fiat would be foolish if it didn’t! One other major change is the name, since the new Viper is no Dodge but SRT. This stands for Street & Racing Technology and is to Dodge what AMG is to Mercedes, or RUF to Porsche. A pity? Well, what’s in a name? It is still every bit a Viper, although the Italian poison now not only runs in it’s heart, but also just below it’s skin, ready to bite you and inject you with the adrenaline rush of a lifetime! ----------------------- Contributing Writer Moderator Revolution Online
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