So the new Viper just wasn't good enough for you?

[Viper007]

SRT and Mopar Showcase Viper Possibilities at NAIAS
Tuesday January 9, 12:01 am ET

Custom Viper displays tweaks from Mopar Performance Parts – and 675 horsepower!

Farmington Hills, Mich., January 9 /EXCLUSIVE from viperclub.org/ -- Much speculation has been made since the first details were released on the 2008 Dodge Viper scheduled to appear this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. Of course today is the day you were supposed to be reading about it, however some magazine editions hit the newsstands – and websites – a little earlier. Viper buyers, already giddy over the addition of a whopping 90 horsepower (yes, 600 total ponies under that revised hood) still had one nagging worry in the back of their minds: What about this long-rumored “Blue Devil” from the “other” American super car camp?

They needn’t have worried. In a surprise addition to this weeks show, DaimlerChrysler’s Mopar and SRT (Street & Racing Technology) Division have added a third Viper in concept form, joining the Venom Red SRT10 Roadster and Viper Red SRT10 Coupe with white racing stripes. Reminiscent of the SRT10 Carbon shown at SEMA in 2003, this latest Coupe variation showcases the many possibilities of this potent platform.

“We at SRT, along with our counterparts at Mopar Performance, wanted to build something for NAIAS that would show what can be done with the new '08 Viper,” said Steve Sharples, Viper Brand Manager at SRT. “This includes many of the new Mopar Performance parts which will be available for the car when it starts shipping to showrooms later this year.”

The Mopar Performance Parts featured are:

- Tubular Exhaust Header Package
- High-flowing, Cat-Back Exhaust System
- Low-restriction, functional Cold Air Intake System
- Fully adjustable Coilover Suspension Kit
- "Sidewinder" Lightweight Wheels (with anodized finish)

And don’t forget the “Racing” in SRT, as they added these race-inspired parts as well:

- Titanium Valves and Connecting Rods
- Cast Litex Pistons and Lightened Crankshaft
- High Flow Intake Manifold with Polished Upper
- Carbon Fiber Coil Covers and Crinkle Black Valve Covers
- Adapted Dodge Viper Competition Coupe Rear Wing and Front Splitter
- Michelin Racing Slicks, 18" in front and 19" in back
- 6 point racing restraints
- Viper "Driver's Stripe" paint scheme

The results? Well besides one of the most stunning Vipers ever to greet the public, it also satisfies the Viper faithful. With a few Mopar Performance parts and some additional internal engine tweaks the car makes an incredible 675 horsepower, with the torque climbing even more – from the impressive stock 2008 number of 560 ft lbs to a mind-boggling 650 ft lbs. You would be hard-pressed to find another exotic from any continent making those kind of numbers.

Will these modifications ever make it to a production car? SRT will not comment on future product. But if what is shown here can be done by visiting your local Mopar parts counter, we already like what we see.

[Viper007]

Oh and here is the DCX Video of the 2008 Viper
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUoipgU2gy0

[Turbo_man]

Cars with one off center stripe really annoy me.....other than that it looks good though.

[coolieman1220]

Holy Crap!

[ScionDriver]

Ugh, hottness, I love it, the Viper is one of my favorite American sports cars of the modern era and this one just out does the rest.

[jediali]

it is undoubtedly better than standard but it goes against my theory that the engine should be objectively designed from the start! I dont expect them to come up with a brand new engine but as much as ti valves etc etc benefit the engine the pushrod 2vpc and budget design quircks setup limits it. It is still a powerful engine and produces good mep (ie torque) at low revs, but it is harsh at its limits. I wonder if they have improved the handling much..lack of traction control would necesitate a predictable nature however the stock viper was just not. I wouldnt compare chalenging to drive with snappy oversteer! It apparently has loads of grip (from those huge tyres) and then once it goes it goes. Its apparently the same with the S2000. What this car has in spades though is character and soul, if only it was cheaper in the UK (for £80k there is a lot better for the money, its no faster than a Z4 M on anything other than a straight line for example)

[clutch-monkey]

i'm not a devout viper fan, but goddamn
i'll take three

[Gtek-i]

I woulduv wanted a better interior but that thing is just PURE MUSCLE BABY!!!!!!!!!

[Cyco]

I'm interested that crinkle black valve covers are an exclusive racing product.....

Those anodised wheels look very painted to me...

Other than that I'm actually close to liking it

[NSXType-R]

Your tire melting machine is delivered sir...

[kingofthering]

I would love to have one.

In a way, this is a bit like the Cobra coupe, fast and outrageous(the cobra) and an possible Euro-beater in GT or Le Mans. Maybe take down a vette or two at Le Mans.

[werty]

is it just me or do those tires look sick!

[Coventrysucks]

a possible Euro-beater in GT or Le Mans.

The current Viper coupe has already been successful in the FIA GT3 series.

Because its a very low quality interior, very cheap, and yes, Ive sat in an Elise. and obveously every car must have the nicest interior possible, no matter what the purpose of the car.

The Lotus is worth roughly 1/3 of the Viper, the whole premise of the car is that it is a light, cheap sports car - hence the lack of equipment and engines from small hatchbacks.

You wouldn't expect the highest quality from something that is not supposed to be of particularly high quality anyway.

Amidst all of that "low quality" aluminium and alcantara, Lotus - a small company with limited budget - can still provide an interior that has at least some aesthetic appeal, and that has rare options such as "different colours", as opposed to Dodge - part of one of the world's biggest car companies, and with access to a much greater range of R&D, suppliers and designers - that offers genuine leather-effect vinyl, with some genuine plastic-effect plastic trim in either black, black or black with dials and switches scatter-gunned at the IP.

You deride the idea that a sports car must have the nicest interior possible, and I agree - it doesn't have to be stunning, but at the same stroke there is no need for the interior to be utterly hopeless.

All things being equal in terms of weight, functionality and cost, who wouldn't rather have nicer materials and layout, considering that 90% of your time with the car will be spent inside?

Why impress everyone else with the car's "bad-ass" exterior design whilst you suffer with a "sweaty-ass" caused by your lovely black leatherette-effect seats?

Why should you have to "put up" with anything on any $85,000+ car, let alone something like this?

There is no reason why the Viper could not have had a nice interior if they had even put an ounce of effort into it, especially considering its price and aspirations as a supercar rival.

There are no end of cars available that cost significantly less than the Viper and yet they have very high quality interiors by way of materials and aesthetics - so it is clearly not impossible - it is just laziness.

This apparent slip-shod approach by its creators is one of the main reasons that I have no interest in the Viper at all, aside from a respect for the full-on GT versions - the only versions that live up to their potential.

It does nothing new or interesting, and the only reason for its existence seems to be that Dodge needs a "sports car" in the range, and had the Viper template from before, so it was easier to re-hash that than come up with a better idea.

The cars that impress me are the ones that don't appear to have been completed in someone's coffee break, but the ones where it is apparent that someone cared, and both thought and worked very hard at making something the best it could be.

[Slicks]

The current Viper coupe has already been successful in the FIA GT3 series.



The Lotus is worth roughly 1/3 of the Viper, the whole premise of the car is that it is a light, cheap sports car - hence the lack of equipment and engines from small hatchbacks.

You wouldn't expect the highest quality from something that is not supposed to be of particularly high quality anyway.

Amidst all of that "low quality" aluminium and alcantara, Lotus - a small company with limited budget - can still provide an interior that has at least some aesthetic appeal, and that has rare options such as "different colours", as opposed to Dodge - part of one of the world's biggest car companies, and with access to a much greater range of R&D, suppliers and designers - that offers genuine leather-effect vinyl, with some genuine plastic-effect plastic trim in either black, black or black with dials and switches scatter-gunned at the IP.

You deride the idea that a sports car must have the nicest interior possible, and I agree - it doesn't have to be stunning, but at the same stroke there is no need for the interior to be utterly hopeless.

All things being equal in terms of weight, functionality and cost, who wouldn't rather have nicer materials and layout, considering that 90% of your time with the car will be spent inside?

Why impress everyone else with the car's "bad-ass" exterior design whilst you suffer with a "sweaty-ass" caused by your lovely black leatherette-effect seats?

Why should you have to "put up" with anything on any $85,000+ car, let alone something like this?

There is no reason why the Viper could not have had a nice interior if they had even put an ounce of effort into it, especially considering its price and aspirations as a supercar rival.

There are no end of cars available that cost significantly less than the Viper and yet they have very high quality interiors by way of materials and aesthetics - so it is clearly not impossible - it is just laziness.

This apparent slip-shod approach by its creators is one of the main reasons that I have no interest in the Viper at all, aside from a respect for the full-on GT versions - the only versions that live up to their potential.

It does nothing new or interesting, and the only reason for its existence seems to be that Dodge needs a "sports car" in the range, and had the Viper template from before, so it was easier to re-hash that than come up with a better idea.

The cars that impress me are the ones that don't appear to have been completed in someone's coffee break, but the ones where it is apparent that someone cared, and both thought and worked very hard at making something the best it could be.

wow.. I was being sarcastic when I said a car should have the best interior possible.
Ive been using the exige for example because like the Viper, its not made to have a nice, luxurious interior. Its a track monster made for driving experience.

[Coventrysucks]

wow.. I was being sarcastic when I said a car should have the best interior possible.

I know that. That's why I wrote this:

"You deride the idea that a sports car must have the nicest interior possible..."

Ive been using the exige for example because like the Viper, its not made to have a nice, luxurious interior. Its a track monster made for driving experience.

Yes, and that is my point.

A nice interior isn't a priority for Lotus, but they have them anyway.

Lightweight, simple and cheap but still a nice place to be - it reflects the nature of the car - minimalist, few frills - and is in character with the rest of the car - the forms, colours, lots of visible aluminium, etc.

Dodge was starting a car from scratch, they could have put in any kind of interior they liked, but they didn't. Instead, they just scraped together the cheapest tat they could find and flung it at the car.

Why?

I doubt prospective Viper owners would go to a corner and cry if the car cost even one or two thousand $ more, but as a result the inside didn't look like someone had left their record collection in the oven.

In the long run, the lack of attention to detail will put people off, poor durability of components and materials will be bad for residuals, and the stereotype that American cars are made out of old crisp packets and spittle will be reinforced.

The interior is a big part of the driving experience - that is where you do the driving from, to ignore that is a mistake.