The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was designed and produced by the Dodge division of Chrysler. This car is powered by a V10 engine, which was originally a truck engine but was redesigned for use in the original Viper, and has remained relatively consistent in its concept despite having multiple generations produced. The Dodge Viper has inspired numerous fan clubs and publications as well as making various appearances on television, video games, and movies.
The Dodge Viper was designed to be a fast and powerful sports car and was loosely based on historic American muscle cars. These cars seat two people and are rated for thirteen miles per gallon in the city and twenty-two highway miles per gallon. The current Dodge Viper has a sixteen gallon fuel tank. This car was originally... View more conceived at Chrysler's Advanced Design Studios in late 1988, although a concept car did not appear until the 1989 North American International Auto Show. The Connor Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit currently produces hand-built Dodge Vipers.
The first model was released to the public in 1992. This original design was among the elite sports cars of the time, and it was capable of reaching a speed of one hundred and eighty miles per hour. A second generation Dodge Viper was released in 1996 and was known for higher performance, lighter weight, and the inclusion of many of the luxuries not seen in the first generation. The third generation, released in 2003, had a much different body design and was available as a coupe and a convertible. The fourth generation design was released in 2008 and included many improvements to the car's performance. A future generation has been announced and will be released in 2012.
The current Dodge Viper includes a few key features. One such feature is the six-speed manual transmission. The current Viper is continuing the car's V10 engine tradition with the 8.4 Liter V10 SFI. While these cars are known not to include some of the more advanced safety features, they do include advanced multi-stage front airbags. This car is meant to be comfortable and features suede microfiber seats with leather trim. This car is typically chosen by sports car enthusiasts because of features like its sports suspension and ability to reach triple digit speeds in a matter of seconds.
The performance and design of the Dodge Viper has won this car some rewards and recognition. The Dodge Viper ACR won the first Performance Car of Texas" award in 2010. The Dodge Viper SRT10 won "Best Curves" in the American Auto Show. The Dodge Viper is well-known as Chrysler's most powerful car. View less
