If this isn't the ultimate sports car, then surely it's the ultimate muscle car. With outrageous styling and brutal power, the Viper is a behemoth among sports cars.
The Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette may be more refined and easier to drive. They may possess nearly unmatched pedigree in the sports car world. But they each convey a different image than the Viper. If the Porsche is Wagner and the Vette is Bob Seeger, then the Viper is Mettalica.
The Viper could care less about pedigree. It is about big torque and not much else. Yet, despite its sledgehammer approach to life, a dedicated enthusiast could still manage the commute to work.
The Viper line has two models, the original Viper RT/10 Roadster ($69,225) and the newer Viper GTS Coupe. The RT/10's inspiration was the Shelby 427 Cobra, while the Coupe is clearly modeled after the Shelby Daytona Coupe.
Base price for the GTS Coupe is $72,225. The test car included the racetrack ready American Club Racing competition package, a $10,000 option that adds 10 horsepower, stiffens the suspension and deletes features such as air conditioning, stereo and fog lights. The $910 comfort group re-adds the A/C and the stereo.
The Viper is a steely eyed squint, a duster pulled back to reveal a Colt .45 holstered in a gunfighter rig. It isn't a challenge. It is a preemptive strike to would-be challengers.
Viper's styling is perfect for a road-going racecar. It is like driving Speed Racer's Mach Five. Left-lane hogs actually retreat to the right when it appears in their mirrors. The Viper is so wide and squat that it could look a little squished, if not for the slimming racing stripes.
Two new colors are available for 2001: Race Yellow and Bridgewater Blue. On yellow versions of the Viper GTS, you can get the racing stripes in black instead of white.
Those stripes, of course, are homage to the Shelby Cobra Daytona Coupe; the Viper GTS is the spiritual successor to that car. If you grew up thinking the Shelby coupe was the coolest-looking machine on the planet, then the Viper GTS should light your fire.
Stoke that fire further by looking under the hood. Tubular headers and cast-aluminum intake runners appear race-worthy. The bare engine block is a work of art. Its massively deep-skirted design, with six-bolt main bearings, appears clearly intended for racing despite its prosaic origins. The Viper's aluminum 8.0-liter V-10 is based on the cast-iron Dodge Ram truck engine. The six-lug wheel hubs may create the impression that the Viper has a one-ton payload capacity, but massive amounts of torque and Indy car-sized contact patches call for serious reinforcement.
