The Viper is the American sports car Chrysler built through its Dodge division, conceived in 1988 as a modern interpretation of the AC Cobra and developed with Lamborghini’s help on its V10 engine. Five generations were built from 1991 until 2017, and early cars had no exterior door handles, no air conditioning and no driver aids at all.
Chrysler Viper at a glance
| Conceived | late 1988 at Chrysler’s Advanced Design Studios |
|---|---|
| Concept shown | 1989 North American International Auto Show |
| Production | 1992–2017, five generations |
| First model | RT/10 Roadster, January 1992 |
| First engine | V10, 400 hp, 465 lb·ft |
| Weight | 1,490 kg (3,280 lb) for the SR I |
| 0–100 km/h | 4.2 seconds (SR I) |
| Top speed | about 266 km/h (165 mph) |
| Structure | tubular steel frame with fibreglass panels |
| Total built | about 32,000 over 26 years |
The Viper was sold by Chrysler’s Dodge division rather than under the Chrysler badge; this page uses the English Wikipedia article on the Dodge Viper, and the photographs show the car with Dodge badges.
History of the Chrysler Viper
A modern Cobra
The Viper was conceived in late 1988 at Chrysler’s Advanced Design Studios. The following February Chrysler president Bob Lutz suggested to Tom Gale that the company should build a modern Cobra, and a clay model followed a few months later. The car appeared as a concept, built in sheet metal by Metalcrafters, at the 1989 North American International Auto Show, and public reaction was strong enough that chief engineer Roy Sjoberg was told to develop it for production. Chairman Lee Iacocca then delayed the US$70 million needed, saying it was a lot to spend without assurance of a financial return. Sjoberg chose 85 engineers as “Team Viper”, work began in March 1989 and the then-Chrysler subsidiary Lamborghini was asked to cast a prototype aluminium block. A V8 powered the first test mule, called White Mule, but the production V10 was ready in February 1990 and Iacocca approved the project in May 1990.
The first cars
The Viper debuted in 1991 with two pre-production cars as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500, after Dodge was forced to substitute it for the Japanese-built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January 1992 as the RT/10 Roadster at US$52,000. It was engineered as a performance car above all: there were no exterior door handles or key cylinders and no air conditioning, which became an option only for 1994 and 1995; the roof was canvas and the windows vinyl with zippers, much like a Jeep Wrangler. It did have manually adjustable leather-trimmed bucket seats with lumbar support, an AM/FM cassette stereo and carpeting, and later cars could be ordered with a lightweight fibreglass hardtop shipped with each car. There were no airbags, to save weight. The V10 weighed 323 kg and produced 400 hp at 4,600 rpm and 465 lb·ft at 3,600 rpm; the body was a tubular steel frame with resin transfer moulded fibreglass panels, the car weighed 1,490 kg and had no traction control or anti-lock brakes. It reached 100 km/h in 4.2 seconds, 161 km/h in 9.2 seconds, covered the quarter mile in 12.6 seconds at 183 km/h and topped out at about 266 km/h, and its large tyres allowed close to one lateral g in corners — though it was tricky to drive fast.
Later generations
Further generations added electronic assistance and safety equipment, making the car more accessible while increasing performance and moving it upmarket into the supercar class, with a brief hiatus in 2007 and between 2011 and 2012. In 2014 the Viper was tenth on Cars.com’s American-Made Index, with 75 per cent or more of its parts made in the United States. It was discontinued in 2017 after about 32,000 cars were built over 26 years.
Design and features
- V10 engine: designed with Lamborghini’s help, 400 hp and 465 lb·ft in the first generation.
- No driver aids: no traction control, no anti-lock brakes and no airbags at first.
- Minimal equipment: no exterior door handles, a canvas roof and zip-up vinyl windows.
- Light construction: tubular steel frame with fibreglass panels and a 1,490 kg kerb weight.
- Race pace car: the Viper paced the 1991 Indianapolis 500 before it went on sale.
Chrysler Viper versions
- SR I RT/10 Roadster (1992–1995): the original open car with the 400 hp V10.
- GTS: the closed coupé version.
- SRT-10 and later generations: more power and, eventually, electronic aids.
- 2013–2017 Viper: the final generation, sold under the SRT brand for 2013 and 2014.
The Viper’s success overshadowed the TC by Maserati, and its engine ideas fed the Firepower concept built on the same car. More cars are in the Chrysler collection.
Video: 2013 SRT Viper – hear the V10 engine
Video by Road and Track on YouTube.
Sources
- Dodge Viper, English Wikipedia: development, first generation, equipment, production
- Dodge Viper, Wikimedia Commons: photographs
