We had heard the rumors, heard the hearsay, and now, Allpar.com is reporting that the Dodge Viper, the biggest surprise to come out of Chrysler in the late 1980s, is going to finally slither off at the end of 2017. To be very fair, it’s amazing that the Dodge Viper has lasted as long as it has…with a reputation for suffering no fools and sticking to the formula of being as crude as a sledgehammer and just as effective when used with the proper force, the Viper earned it’s place in automotive lore. Sure, the first roadsters were Mopar-themed takes on the Shelby Cobra, but if there was ever the perfect car to use as a target for a build, you could hardly do worse and it didn’t hurt that Shelby and Chrysler were working together at the time. It didn’t hurt that Mopar had Lamborghini in their portfolio, either, which is where the 8.0L V-10 came from. Over the years the car received tweaks and updates…coupe bodies to go along with the roadsters, wicked track-package variations, and race cars that battled it out with some of the greatest on the world’s tracks. The Viper wasn’t for everyone…it was for the person who liked the idea of an all-American sports car, but thought that any Corvette made after 1972 was custom-tailored for a midlife crisis case…or a pussy. Anyone could drive a Corvette, but a Viper demanded skills, and if you didn’t have them, you became instant YouTube fodder as you pile-drove the car into a tire wall.
As production winds down at the Conner Avenue plant, a series of special editions will be released to celebrate the Viper. They are:
The Viper 1:28 ACR, which celebrates it’s track record at Laguna Seca. It will be black with red ACR stripes.
The Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR, recognizing the successful racing cars. These will be white with a blue stripe.
The Viper Snakeskin Edition GTC, painted Snakeskin green with a snakeskin-patterend SRT stripe.
The Voodoo2 ACR, which will be black with a graphic metallic ACR driver’s stripe with a red tracer outline.
And the Viper Dodge Dealer Edition ACR, made for specific dealerships.
And certainly more will be made, but if you really have been on the fence about acquiring a four-wheeled snake, you better move your hide. August 2017 is the projected date of death for America’s evil twin sports car. Otherwise, you’ll be looking for used Vipers. Imagine the kind of once-over you’ll have to give that particular used car…
If fiat was smart.. they try bolting in an under 2.0 turbo engine.. for the Europe market, and a 3.0-3.5 turbo v6 for here, and see what happens,
it\’s death is because of that monster v10 fuel hog..
they already have the tooling set up.. it either work or fail.. nothing really to loose…
I’m sad to see what Fiat has done with the Jeep brand, not they’re killing the Viper…
*now
Good riddance.
FCA, Drop in a Hemi (all 3 flavors) and drop the price (to corvette range) and watch them fly off the lot. If your feeling really froggy drop in a Eco-Diesel boosted to within an inch of it’s life, I’ll be the test driver.
Fiat- the death of all things automotive.
The Viper was a masterpiece.
Screw Fiat
Also I’m pretty sure the V10 is based on the LA architecture, not the Lambo design…If they had stones they would build a hemi based v10 to complement a new generation of hemi powered Vipers.