The Dodge Viper is in many ways the quintessential American supercar. With a powerful, hand-built V-10 engine, an aggressive body style inspired by the legendary AC Cobra of the 1960's, and a driving-focused interior, the Viper is essentially a street-legal race car. But parent company Chrysler is struggling with record low sales, and it isn't clear whether a $100,000 V-10 supercar is a worthwhile investment anymore.
Autoblog reports, "Faced with the fact that it might not be able to continue making the brutish sports car, the Auburn Hills-based automaker is reportedly considering doing something that's never been done before by a domestic automaker (as for as we know): selling the Viper's future to a third party."
Edmunds Inside Line explains, "In a stunning announcement, Chrysler on Wednesday confirmed it will 'explore strategic options for the Dodge Viper business.'… 'We have been approached by third parties who are interested in exploring future possibilities for Viper,' said Bob Nardelli, Chrysler chairman and CEO, in a statement. 'As the company evaluates strategic options to maximize core operations and leverage its assets, we have agreed to listen to these parties.'" Nardelli "underscored that it has not set a timetable for completion of the Viper review and noted that no 'final decision' has been made with regard to the Viper.
Autoblog is stunned. "Can you imagine Ford selling the Mustang to ROUSH or GM selling the Corvette to Lingenfelter?" they ask.
But Jalopnik wonders who would consider buying the Viper. "Surely the current 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 — a refresh of the 2003 model — is nearing the end of its useful life. Vehicles like the 2009 Nissan GT-R and 2009 Corvette ZR1 now offer considerably greater track performance combined with user friendliness and good road manners. All any potential buyer would receive would be a soon-to-be-outdated car, a brand with an image problem and the need to jump-start development on a replacement."
A partial answer to that question may have emerged on a test track in Germany this week. The Nürburgring, a 12-mile test track outside of Cologne known simply as "the 'ring" to automotive enthusiasts, is considered by many to be the ultimate test of a car's performance. Manufacturers test their cars on the 'ring to give their engineers information about the machines' performance in extreme conditions, but also to win bragging rights. Motor Trend reports that a 2009 Dodge Viper ACR set a new record on Wednesday, lapping the 'ring in 7:22.1. As a point of reference, the $500,000 Koenigsegg CCR ran the 'ring in 7:34, and the Ferrari F430 in 7:39.
Who would buy the Viper? We're not sure. But there must be a place for the fastest car ever on the world's premier test track. Video of the Viper's run is available at Motor Trend. Amazingly, Autoblog comments, "The shifter wobbles around horrendously when the driver kisses the rev limiter a few times, and there even appears to be a flubbed shift near the end, so the ACR may have faster laps left in it."
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