The rise and fall of the Dodge Viper

There was no shortage of high-horsepower, high-dollar supercars in the early 1990s and Dodge ignored them all.

The Chrysler-owned carmaker didn’t create the Viper by benchmarking the attainable Chevrolet Corvette, copying the ergonomic Acura NSX or Americanizing one of Ferrari’s designs.

Instead, the firm’s home-brewed supercar brought together Carroll Shelby’s racing expertise, Tom Gale’s pen strokes, Ram truck genes and Lamborghini’s engineering wizardry. The end result was a raw, all-American high-performance dragster that showed no mercy for those who couldn’t handle it. Join us for a look at how it was born and why it died:

Salvaging an image

Dodge was on the frontlines of the horsepower war during the 1960s and the early 1970s. The Charger was one of the most powerful street-legal muscle cars available new and the Daytona variant put NASCAR-sourced hardware in the hands of enthusiasts willing to pay a premium for it. The brand offered a range of cars that could be credibly qualified as genuinely exciting.

Fast forward to the 1980s and the Dodge line-up looked a lot different. It was largely made up of compact, front-wheel drive models often haphazardly cobbled together using an unlikely blend of Simca and Mitsubishi parts. Performance had taken on a whole new meaning and motorists with a need for speed weren’t convinced by it. Worse yet, this humdrum catalog of models diluted the firm’s image and it became increasingly difficult to separate Dodge from sister brands Chrysler and Plymouth. Executives knew the firm urgently needed a new halo model, one built with speed in mind from the ground up. PICTURE: clockwise from top-left - 1968 Charger, 1986 Charger, 1970 Dart Swinger, 1982 Aries

In the Cobra’s wake (1988)

Bob Lutz (born 1932), Chrysler’s outspoken president of operations at the time, dreamed of a modern-day interpretation of the Shelby Cobra that dominated international race tracks during the 1960s. He envisioned a simple machine with two seats, a mammoth engine and a correspondingly aggressive-looking design. Lutz planned to use as many existing components as possible to keep costs in check.

Lutz knew how to make a good sports car but he asked Carroll Shelby (1923-2012; pictured) to help him convince then-Chrysler boss Lee Iacocca (1924-2019) to give the project the proverbial green light for production. Development work on what would become the Viper secretly began in 1988.

The Viper’s introduction (1989)

Dodge took the public and the press by surprise when it unveiled the Viper RT/10 as a concept car during the 1989 Detroit auto show. Wide, low-slung and top-less, it looked like nothing else on the road, let alone in Dodge’s portfolio of models. It generated such a favorable response from enthusiasts that Iacocca instructed Lutz to assemble a team and turn it into a production model as quickly as possible.

The original Viper (1991)

Dodge stepped out of the auto show circuit to introduce the original Viper, which kept the concept’s RT/10 suffix. Fittingly, it was presented to its target audience at the 1991 edition of the Indianapolis 500 with none other than Carroll Shelby behind the wheel. American deliveries started in early 1992.

Designed by Tom Gale (born 1943), the Viper changed little in its transition from a concept to a production car. The basic design, the overall proportions and the topless body remained untouched. It kept the side-mounted exhausts, it carried on with wobbly plastic windows and it didn’t gain exterior door handles. While Dodge built a V8-powered prototype, it ultimately decided to stick with a V10.

The original Viper, by the numbers (1992)

Chrysler leveraged the expertise of the different companies it owned to create the Viper’s engine. Dodge was developing a cast-iron V10 for its range of Ram-branded trucks. It couldn’t power a sports car without extensive modifications, partly because it was too heavy, so Chrysler asked Lamborghini – which it owned – to recast the 10-cylinder in aluminum and make it worthy of powering a modern-day Cobra.

The naturally-aspirated, 8.0-liter unit sent 400 HP to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual transmission. An automatic gearbox wasn’t available. The 3272 lb Viper reached 60mph from a stop in 4.6sec and it kept going until the speedometer displayed 165mph. It eschewed basic electronic driving aids like ABS brakes and it quickly earned a reputation for being dangerously easy to spin if put in the wrong hands.

Pricing started at $50,000 in 1992, a figure which represents about $91,500 in 2019 money. 1396 Vipers were sold in its first full year on sale, 1993.

The second-generation Viper (1996)

The second-generation Dodge Viper released in time for the 1996 model year received several changes. The V10’s output grew to 415 HP and it exhaled through rear-mounted exhaust tips. Aluminum suspension components reduced unsprung weight and buyers could pay extra for a removable hardtop. They were previously stuck with a flimsy soft top or no top at all.

1996 also brought a 450 HP coupe model called GTS (pictured) that was sold as a less hardcore, more daily-drivable alternative to the RT/10 roadster. It stood out with a Zagato-esque double-bubble roof panel penned to give helmet-wearing passengers more head room. Dodge continued making changes to the Viper during the second-generation car’s production run; it notably bumped the RT/10’s output to 450 HP in 1998 and released an optional performance pack named ACR in 1999.

Pricing checked in at $58,600 for the roadster and $66,000 for the coupe during the 1996 model year, figures that represent about $96,000 and $108,000, respectively, in 2019. Production ended in 2002.

The Dodge Ram VTS (1996)

In hindsight, dropping the Viper’s V10 engine in a Ram pickup truck wasn’t as random as it sounds. Dodge had an epic engine it wanted to get more mileage out of and there wasn’t much else to stuff it into. Introduced in 1996, the Ram VTS concept received a Viper-inspired body kit, alloy wheels, a blue paint job with contrasting white stripes and, significantly, a 485 HP V10 engine. Whether it was ever a candidate for production is lost to history; what’s certain is that it remained a one-off concept.

Le Mans success (1998)

Dodge set out to prove that the Viper, like the Cobra that inspired it, had what it took to win a race. Not just any race, either; a purpose-built model named GTS-R lined up on the starting grid at the 1998 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The number 53 car took first in class and 11th overall, beating a field full of GT2-spec Porsche 911s. Viper number 51 finished second in its class.

Dodge envisioned the Viper as its halo model, not as an endurance racing champion, so the Le Mans win came as a pleasant surprise. Encouraged by its 1998 victory, the firm sent the Viper back to Le Mans in 1999 to again lock horns with the 911. Dodge took the first six spots in the GTS category. It won its class again in 2000, the same year it finished first overall in the 24 Hours of Daytona.

The GTS-R concept (2000)

Dodge channeled its Le Mans victories into a concept named GTS-R that made its debut in 2000. It was lower, wider and longer than the regular-production Viper thanks to a body kit inspired by the one worn by the Le Mans winners and it received a sizable wing out back.

The front end wore a new-look design characterized by a slightly taller grille and bigger headlights. Those who hoped for a street-legal, Le Mans-spec Viper were sorely disappointed; the GTS-R merely previewed the third-generation car.

The third-generation Viper (2002)

The third-generation Viper known internally as ZB I and externally as SRT-10 made its debut in 2002 with a fresh design accurately previewed by the GTS-R concept. The nip-and-tuck hid an updated engine whose displacement grew from 8.0 to 8.3 liters and whose output reached 500 HP. While a team of engineers dialed more power into the V10, another group busily shaved several hundred pounds from the Viper to make it more agile.

The V10 continued to shift through a six-speed manual transmission and the mechanical modifications lowered its 0-60mph time to 3.8sec. Here again, the Viper was originally available exclusively as a convertible (with a full folding soft top, finally) priced at $80,000, or around $111,500 in 2019. It was turned into a coupe with 510 HP on tap three years into the production run. Viper ZB I saw the car's biggest annual sales success - 2103 examples were sold in 2003.

The Dodge Ram SRT-10 (2004)

Dodge began re-exploring other uses for the Viper’s mighty V10 engine in the early 2000s, when horsepower and design – not fuel economy and touchscreens – still sold cars. Viewed in that light, it’s no wonder that the 10-cylinder ended up in the Ram pickup’s engine bay. The SRT-10 made its debut during the 2002 Detroit auto show and entered production two years later.

Engineers didn’t cut corners; the SRT-10 received an 8.3-liter, 500 HP V10 engine and a six-speed manual transmission both plucked straight from the Viper’s parts bin. It also benefited from a comprehensive array of chassis upgrades to keep the prodigious amount of power in check. Regular cab (pictured) and quad cab models were offered.

Dodge made about 9500 units of the Ram SRT-10 between the 2004 and 2006 model years. Pricing started at approximately $50,000, which represents about $65,500 in 2019.

The Dodge Tomahawk (2003)

The second Viper-powered vehicle was, somewhat surprisingly, a 500 HP motorcycle named Tomahawk. It made its global debut as a concept during the 2003 Detroit auto show. Introduced as a simple design study, the Tomahawk had two front wheels, two rear wheels, a fully independent suspension and a claimed, unverified top speed of 420mph. It was never seriously considered for series production.

However, in 2005, Dodge sold 10 non-functional reproductions of the Tomahawk through retailer Neiman Marcus. They were priced at $555,000 (about $729,000 in 2019) each.

The fourth-generation Viper (2008)

Badged SRT-10 like its predecessor, the fourth-generation Viper wore a familiar-looking design that hid significant updates. Dodge increased the V10’s displacement again, this time to 8.4 liters, and it bumped its output to an effortless 600 HP. Coupe and convertible variants were offered and enthusiasts looking for a track toy could order an ACR-badged model that weighed less while offering more downforce. It cost about $86,000 (around $102,500 in 2019) during the 2008 model year.

Dodge also made a limited number of ACR X-badged cars with 640 HP on tap, though they weren’t street legal. Horsepower alone couldn’t keep the company afloat, however.

The Viper’s first retirement (2010)

While undeniably cool, the Viper remained a low-volume model that was shockingly expensive to develop and manufacture. It looked like a big blot of red ink on Dodge’s balance sheet when parent company Chrysler filed for bankruptcy in 2009. The Great Recession and just before it, very high gas prices, did nothing for its appeal. Sales slide to just 482 cars in 2009.

Dodge boss Ralph Gilles announced Viper production would end by the summer of 2010 and detailed three limited-edition models offered to send the car off. He hinted the nameplate might make a comeback sooner or later.

The fifth-generation Viper (2012)

Gilles kept his word: The Viper returned for a fifth generation during the 2013 model year, though it was no longer a Dodge. It joined Chrysler’s then-new Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division. It wore a tasteful evolution of its predecessor’s design, and it remained instantly recognizable as a Viper, but it was only offered as a coupe. Power came from a 640 HP evolution of the fourth-generation’s V10.

The Viper became a little bit more sophisticated. It gained a touchscreen-based infotainment system, it lost 150 lb to tip the scale at 3297 lb (25 lb more than the 1992 original) and reluctantly received electronic stability control to comply with American safety regulations. Dodge consequently charged $97,395 for the regular Viper and $120,395 for the GTS, which notably added a two-mode adjustable suspension. Those figures correspond to about $109,000 and $135,000, respectively, in 2019 money. Sales in 2013 were 591 cars.

Back to you, Dodge (2014)

Chrysler folded the Viper back into the Dodge brand when it eliminated its SRT division ahead of the 2015 model year. Horsepower grew to 645 and the cavalry continued to reach the rear wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. Engineers and executives went to significant lengths to keep the Viper as basic and analog as possible. This obsession drove more than a few nails into the coupe’s coffin.

Killing the Viper (2017)

In 2015, Dodge ended months of rumors and speculation by confirming plans to end Viper production in 2017. It also announced it would shutter the Conner Avenue factory in Detroit where about 80 employees made the Viper by hand and turn part of it into a display area for cars from its heritage collection.

The news hardly came as a surprise; annual sales of the fifth-generation model never crossed the 1,000-unit threshold and dropped to 676 cars in 2015. Unverified reports claimed the Viper’s death came sooner than planned because it lacked the side-curtain airbags made mandatory in 2018 and Dodge wasn’t willing to spend money on upgrading a car approaching the end of its life cycle.

The final Viper variants (2017)

Dodge released five limited-edition variants of the Viper for the 2017 model year to celebrate the nameplate’s 25th birthday and its last year on the market. They were called 1:28 Edition ACR, GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR, VooDoo II Edition ACR, Snakeskin Edition GTC and Dealer Edition ACR (pictured), respectively. Each received a unique bundle of visual accents and additional standard equipment.

None benefited from mechanical upgrades. The only engine offered on the send-off cars was the familiar 8.4-liter V10 tuned to deliver 645 HP. It shifted through a six-speed manual transmission.

The last Viper (2017)

The very last Viper (pictured above the 1989 concept) built was finished in red with a black Alcantara interior. It was auctioned off as part of a two-car package that also included the final Challenger Hellcat Demon. An anonymous collector paid $1 million for both cars and Dodge donated the proceeds to the charity United Way.

Viper production figures

Most historians agree Dodge made approximately 30,000 examples of the Viper between 1991 and 2017. Model-specific figures vary depending on the source but they hover around 7800 first-generation cars, 9200 second-generation cars, 8000 third-generation cars, 2700 fourth-generation cars and 2500 fifth-generation cars.

Dodge never strayed far from the formula that made the original Viper a hit. Every variant came with a naturally-aspirated V10 engine, a six-speed manual transmission and rear-wheel drive. Rumors of a Hellcat V8-powered Viper, an optional automatic and weather-beating all-wheel drive were false.

What’s next? (2020 and beyond)

Reports detailing a new Viper developed with an eye on the 2020s emerged as soon as production ended. Some claimed we’d see it during the 2019 edition of the Detroit show, 30 years after the original concept made its debut, but the event came and went without a new Viper. While horsepower aficionados would love to drive a sixth-generation Viper, it’s important not to forget that the FCA boss Sergio Marchionne bluntly said a replacement wasn’t in the pipeline shortly before his death in 2018.

Time will tell whether Dodge manages to make a business case for a new Viper and if it returns with a massive V10, though we wouldn’t bet too much on it. In the meantime, the 797hp Challenger Hellcat Redeye (pictured) stands proud as Dodge’s performance flagship.

Buying a Viper

Want to join the Viper party? Great, but buy carefully. Used Vipers of the same age can vary hugely in condition, and given the car’s unforgiving nature, some will have been crashed. The V10 engine is durable, but it requires regular maintenance with high quality oil; if the history suggests otherwise, that’s a red flag. Head gaskets can be an issue, and while the gaskets are fairly cheap in themselves, they can require 10 hours of labor to replace. Other parts are reasonably widely available, but can be pricey, especially for older cars.

Vipers are fond of eating their tires, and the Michelin Pilot Sport PS2s that are recommended for the 1999-2010 Vipers will cost you $400 a corner. Vipers are also huge fans of gas; 12 MPG across the average can be expected. That factor - together with the car’s relative impracticality - can be an advantage; mileages on used examples tend to be relatively low.

Guide pricing

At the time of writing, the cheapest Viper on sale in America costs $24,700, for a 1994 RT/10 Roadster with 84,000 miles. Second-generation cars start around $33,000, for a 2000 RT/10 with about 33,000 miles. Third-generation cars are not much more expensive - $34,000 will get you a 2005 convertible with 50,000 miles. There is a fair hike to fourth-generation cars; they start around $60,000, while fifth-generation machines start at $68,000. While condition is important, there is no need to pay a big premium for low miles – this is the norm in Viper country.

Special editions can cost a lot more. Tiny-miles GTCs from 2017 can sell for $180,000, while there is a 2016 ACR with just 306 miles currently on for $205,000. If you fancy a Viper engine in a pickup package, mileages are predictably higher but you can get a Ram SRT-10 2005 134,000-miler for just $14,500, while 40,000-mile examples are from around $22,000.