SRT Viper

In last weeks post, I said that I was going to do a Bertone, but I am going to save that for another time because there are some great cars that came from the studios of Bertone and, they deserve a more formal greeting. Today though I am doing a car that I should have done a year ago. Not only is it an American icon, but for the first time in more then a decade it was redesigned and debuted last April. That is non other than the SRT Viper, formally know as the Dodge Viper. There was talk in 2010 that the Viper would be cut, but instead chief executive Sergio Marchionne announced that there was going to be a new Viper for 2012. There was much rejoicing. It was a good thing the Viper was not cut because then there would be not super car coming from a major US car manufacture and that would not look good for die hard US car fans.

 The new SRT Viper is in a league of its own. Its lighter than the last generation, more powerful than the last four generations and personally it looks better than the other ones also. The SRT Viper comes standard with an all-aluminum 8.4-liter V-10 with 640 horsepower and 600 lb·ft of torque. That power house is mated to a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual transmission. The SRT Viper also has 50% better torsional stiffens over the past generations. Add in electronic stability control, traction control, 4-channel ABS, carbon fiber and aluminum skin with a drag coefficient of .364(Tesla Model S is .24). Put Pirelli P Zero Z-rated tires, 4-piston Brembo brakes with fixed-aluminum calipers and vented rotors on 18 inch front and 19 inch rear wheels that are 16lb lighter than last models wheels and this thing will fly. Add in 20 mm lower seating position, 7-inch full-color customizable instrument cluster, Harman Kardon audio system, and bi-xenon projector headlamps, thats is one sweet snake. But thats not all. When the fairly wealthy, patriotic american puts his foot down on the gas pedal, he, and the gorgeous SRT Viper around him, will launch from 0-60mph in just about 3.4 seconds and will eat up a 1/4 mile in 11.7 seconds at 124mph. If one is so courageous the SRT Viper will reach 207mph.

This is one of the few cars that is made buy a major US car company that I would love to have in my garage. Its fast, looks good, and is also fairly civilized while still being a monster. It maintains a patriotic look and feel while still able to take on the European market. It really takes on the European market with a base price of just about $100,000 and about $120,000 for the one up GTS. Still that is too much to be in my garage, oh well.

'Merica!