2013 SRT Viper

2013 SRT Viper

Most of what we thought about the development of the new Viper has come true. And this generation snake is an even more venomous evolution. The show car displayed here is essentially the same car that Fiat CEO, Sergio Marchionne, secretly showed to dealers back in 2010 just after the Viper plant was closed. Back then we'd devoted an issue to the Viper having reached the end of the line and not surprisingly speculated on its return. At the time Dodge's CEO Ralph Gilles, who also happens to be responsible for all product design at the Chrysler Group, talked freely of his hopes that the car would return. And if he had his druthers' it would be an evolution of the second generation and arguably more shapely Viper. He's now the CEO of SRT and directly responsible for Viper. As it turns out while he was talking to us he already had a clay model of the next car in the design studio, that same car they showed to dealers. And here it is at the 2012 New York Auto Show less than two years later.

Heart of a Snake

It has retained its all aluminum 8.4-liter V-10, but with a stiffer block casting, lighter valvetrain, forged pistons and sodium filled exhaust valves. Its output is now a Corvette-ZR1-beating 640 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque. It's also 25 lb. lighter thanks mostly to an aluminum flywheel and composite intake. That composite intake flows better and rejects heat easier. For added refinement the engine mounts are now hydraulic units and the exhaust is better insulated from the passenger compartment. The engine's unique pushrod cam-in-cam design for variable-valve timing has been retained, as has the 6200 redline with a 6400-rpm limiter.

A Serpent's Spine

Although the plant that built the Viper was emptied, the newest Viper will retain much of the past car's structural design. That means the use of a steel space frame will continue. However this iteration is 40 lb. lighter, helping to bring the entire car down to roughly a 3300-lb. curb weight. That's about 100 lb. lighter than before. And, more important, the chassis is 50 percent stiffer while retaining a 49/51 weight split front to rear.

SPECIFICATIONS: 2013 SRT Viper
Curb weight		est 3300 lb
Weight dist w/ driver		49/51
Height		49.1 in.
Width		76.4 in.
Length		175.7 in.
Wheelbase		98.8 in.
Track f/r		62.9 in./61.0 in.
Seats		2
Trunk space		14.7 cu. ft.
Body/frame		composite/steel
Suspension f/r		upper & lower A-arms, coil spring, (elec. adj. on GTS) tube shocks, anti-roll bar
Wheels		Forged aluminum; 18 x 10.5 f, 19 x 13 r
Tires		Pirelli P Zero; 295/30ZR-18 f, 355/30ZR-19 r
Brakes		14.0-in. vented rotors w/4-piston Brembo calipers
Engine		8.4-liter ohv V-10
Transmission		6-speed manual
Horsepower		640 bhp @ 6150 rpm
Torque		600 lb-ft @ 4950 rpm
Top speed		est 206 mph