The Dodge Viper ranks among the fiercest, most raw, visceral
machines sold in showrooms anywhere. Only a few cars come as
close as the Viper to a street-legal race car: Ferrari F430
Scuderia, Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera, Porsche 911 GT3RS,
Chevy Corvette ZO6, Honda S2000CR. For most automotive tasks the
Viper is overkill, like using a six-pound sledgehammer to swat a
fly. Ridiculously fast and able to slosh your eyeballs about in
their orbit rounding a bend or under heavy braking, it didn't
really need any more power. But with archrival Corvette Z06 at
505 hp, that's just what Dodge did for 2008. They made the
engine just 0.1 liter bigger but added 95 horses to make a nice
round 600. The fly would still be dead, but now you have a
bigger hammer.
Trim
The 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 is offered in two models, the
convertible Roadster and GTS coupe. Viper comes standard with
leather/suede sport seats, air conditioning, power adjustable
pedals, tilt steering column, full instrumentation, CD player,
power steering, power disc brakes, power windows, power locks,
power mirrors, console, composite bodywork, bi-Xenon headlamps,
fog lamps, limited-slip differential, and emergency flat-tire
repair kit.
Safety features include frontal airbags and antilock brakes.
Handling and Powertrain
Rotate the key to ignition, depress the clutch, push the red
Start button, and the Viper shatters Sunday morning silence with
a cacophony of odd-firing sounds from its V10 engine and
bellowing pipes.
Rotate the key to ignition, depress the clutch, push the red
Start button, and the Viper shatters Sunday morning silence with
a cacophony of odd-firing sounds from its V10 engine and
bellowing pipes.
This is the only production 600-hp car sold in the United States
that does not have all-wheel drive, electronic stability
control, or both, and as such is not recommended for inflated
egos or the inexperienced. The Viper is a brutally honest car
and if you direct it to do something stupid, it will do
something stupid.
When it reaches the heart of its power in second gear, you've
passed the legal speed limit in most states, with four gears
remaining. If you took the average interstate on-ramp as fast as
possible you'd hit the highway doing somewhere north of 120 mph.
Find an open track long enough, and the Viper coupe is said to
top 200 mph.
Ride comfort is par for the course on a car that changes
direction like this and can pin your own weight against the door
or seatbelt. Brakes are immense and easy to modulate; a light
touch of the pedal brings mild slowing, with retarding
increasing directly with more pedal pressure.
Interior
The term cockpit applies as well to a Viper as any other
car. A simple push on the button release atop the door pops
it open, and it's not a big opening requiring a smidge of
slide and contort slightly to get in. However, once inside
you will find surprising head and legroom given the car's
external dimensions (less than four feet high) and the fact
that you are essentially wedged between the engine/gearbox
and exhaust pipes.
Although the seats sport long cushions for thigh support and
big bolsters to keep you contained, you wouldn't slide far
without them given the wall-size center console and door
adjacent. Seat controls are manual and limited to forward
and backward; there's no lumbar or cushion height
adjustment, but the tilt wheel and power adjustable pedals
help everyone fit. Leather trims the steering wheel and
shift knob, while seats have suede-like center sections with
color options; the seat sides and interior are all black.
Dead ahead of the driver is the tachometer, with fuel to the
left and speed to the right; the Viper won't run to the top
number (220 mph) but it will go well 'round. Some mental
recalibration may be in order as most cars are not traveling
110 mph with the needle straight up.
Sloping down to the right of the wheel are oil pressure
(closest to line of sight, where it should be), oil
temperature, water temperature, and voltage.
Air conditioning is standard and quickly cools the tiny
volume of air space inside, and in warm weather the engine
and pipes surrounding you can quickly turn the cockpit into
a mild oven. Visibility is relatively good for a low-slung
beast. The mirrors aren't filled by the fat rear fenders and
although the glass backlight might distort them, sizable
objects are easily detected behind.
There's no spare tire, instead there's a small air
compressor and fix-kit; that makes sense because there'd be
nowhere to put a massive, flat tire.
Exterior
From any angle, a quick glance shows the Viper means
business, with a body shaped as much for function as style.
It is made of composite materials over a steel frame, with
aluminum sills and strengthened cowl.
The Viper's sharp front edges and gaping maw are Braille for
"get out of my way." Cooling air is funneled in through the
trademark four-slot grille and exhausted through six
extractor vents in the hood; when idling or moving very
slowly the hot air wafting out those vents makes the forward
view distorted much like the rear window glass. The
roadster's folding soft top is manually-operated and stows
neatly behind the seats but you must get out of the car to
complete the five-second operation. Xenon headlamps are
standard, finally endowing the Viper with suitable vision
for night drives; the snake's head center brake light
continues.
The fuel tank is a bit smaller at 16 gallons (compared with
the previous 18.5), but the engine is more efficient so
range isn't severely impacted. Besides, 2.5 gallons of gas
is just an extra 15 pounds you don't need in a race car.
The Dodge Viper is the bad boy for under $100,000. Bang for your buck literally
can't be matched, as you will likely spend more to better any battle of numbers
bench racers are apt to argue about. It's in your face, your ears, your nose and
all over the competition. If you're smart enough to show the respect it demands,
it might be the race car you're looking for.