It's been a good run for Dodge's Viper, but after 25 years, the manufacturer is celebrating the final year of production for this wild sports car.
There's nothing new for 2017, but Dodge has carried over its customization program that allows Viper buyers to essentially create a unique car with 16,000 paint options, 24,000 stripe colours, 11 wheel choices and 16 interior trims. Add in seven aero packages, three brake packages and four suspension options, and Dodge says there are 50 million possible permutations.
While this latest generation of Viper is much more refined than the original, it's still nothing like tame. A naturally-aspirated 8.4L V10 engine makes 645 hp and 600 lb-ft of torque, which is put to the road by a six-speed manual transmission -- there is no automatic option -- and rear tires measuring more than a foot wide.
As if it matters to the typical Viper buyer, Natural Resources Canada's fuel consumption estimates are 19.9/12.6 L/100 km (city/highway).
Viper can be difficult to compare to potential competitors, but they include American cars like the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and Ford's Mustang Shelby GT350R. Europeans that offer similar performance include the Jaguar F-Type SVR and Porsche 911 Turbo S.
Viper is offered in three trims, called GTC, GTS and ACR. All three share some cues, like dual side exit exhausts, hood with integrated cold-air intake, front brake cooling ducts, carbon fibre hood, roof and liftgate, Sabelt clamshell seats, height-adjustable driver's seat and adjustable pedals, seven-inch in-cluster information display and a steering wheel with audio, cruise, Bluetooth and ESP controls.
Features specific to GTS models include Laguna leather seats with six-way power adjustment, Alcantara headliner, 18-speaker stereo and two-piece slotted brake rotors with Brembo calipers.
GTC trim offers the most possibilities for customization, with a total of 25 million different build combos, including 8,000 paint colours, 16 interior trims and what Dodge calls a long list of optional equipment.
Finally, the ACR is the most track-ready of the bunch, with a five-mode stability control system, an available aero kit consisting of a front splitter and rear wing spoiler and six-piston front and four-piston rear brake calipers around Brembo carbon ceramic rotors.
2017 Viper pricing starts at $129,995.
This vehicle has not yet been reviewed
