Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles recently revealed something interesting about the 2013 Dodge Viper: it was inspired by a naked woman. A naked woman on the beach, to be exact. Gilles revealed this little tidbit last week, while also reconfirming that the new Viper will be all-Dodge and will not carry a Ferrari engine.

Other than that, we’re left to imagine how a naked woman will translate into Chrylser’s halo car–something we don’t mind doing at all. Though Dodge reportedly revealed the design to dealers back in September, the company has yet to provide a public look. And no spy shots have yet surfaced.

Continue Reading

Ralph Gilles has done his fair share of talking about the next-generation Dodge Viper, beginning long before the last one had even retired. This week, he told Detroit News that the Viper will be a 2013 model and it will debut in the summer of 2012.

Unfortunately, old rumors of Dodge and Ferrari working hand-in-hand are officially put to rest, as Gilles says that the Viper is “is not based on anything else.”

Gilles also says: “There won’t be a part of the car that’s untouched.” So it looks like the 8.4-liter V10 engine will be replaced–or at least modified. Gilles also said that Dodge employed the help of Fiat in tuning the car to provide a more refined drive over the last generation model. [via Detroit News]

A Chrysler 300 fitted with an 10-cylinder Dodge Viper engine made a bit of an Internet stir yesterday. Video of the suped-up 300 was first posted on Dodge’s YouTube channel, leading bloggers and readers to believe that the car was an official Dodge build headed for SEMA, maybe even limited production. Car and Driver took the lead in investigating the mysterious car and found out, rather disappointingly, that it is actually a private build put together by Derek Ekins and brought out for the 2011 Viper Owners Invitational (VOI) in Salt Lake City. Dodge just didn’t get its write-up posted as fast as the video.

The car is a 2006 Chrysler Touring fitted with a 525-hp 8.3-liter V10 courtesy of the 2003-2006 Viper. It’s fittingly called the Chrysler 300 SRT10.

Take a look at what a Viper engine can do in the 300 after the break. [via Car and Driver]

Continue Reading

The sooner we get a new Viper, the sooner we forget about this assault on the eyes.

So often car dealers get a bad rap–you know, the image you have of the greasy-haired, fast-talking sleazeball that just wants to sell you the most expensive car on the lot and move on to his next target customer. But once in a rare while, dealers need some serious props. Like when their parent company has a spanking-new, highly anticipated car and they’re the first ones to get a look.

That’s how it went down at Chrysler’s dealer meeting in Orlando this week. Sergio Marchionne got through all the mundane business and then pulled out the ace in his sleeve to revive the dreary audience: the 2012 Dodge Viper.

Continue Reading

Someone should be jailed for this. One of the greatest icons of American automotive engineering has reached the end of the line, and the last current-generation Viper that we’ll ever see looks like diarrhea. This is like the most failingest fail ever to have failed. What a misfire. The official idea here was to coat the last Viper in earth tones. You know, because the Viper is such an earthy vehicle what with its giant, emissions-hocking 8.4-liter V10.

The vehicle was custom made for Wayne and D’Ann Rauh, who now own a total of 40 Dodge Vipers. They should be banned from ever customizing–or even buying–a Viper again. [via AutoBlog]

I loved the Dodge Viper as much as the next guy, and was none too pleased to here of its impending discontinuation this summer, but enough is enough. While the end of an icon like the Viper surely demands a few special editions, Dodge has really milked the camel dry.

The latest special editions are being offered to the Dodge dealers that sold the most Vipers. Only 50 will be made, and the dealers will have a say as to what they look like. The three Viper SRT10 models pictured are the first three designed by dealers in Nebraska, Texas and Illinois (from left to right). I’m not generally a big fan of purple in cars, but that black and “Plum Crazy” Viper looks pretty damn nice.

Continue Reading

One piece of Chrysler news emerging from Fiat’s business meeting yesterday is that the Dodge Viper name will live on. In fact, Fiat intends to position the new Dodge as an American performance brand with the Viper leading a pack that also includes the Charger and Challenger.

Dodge is currently winding down the current-generation Viper with a batch of 50 “Final Edition” models. A Viper successor is slated for 2012 and it’s still speculated that the next Viper might just get some Ferrari influence. [via Inside Line]

While we’ve shed a couple of tears at the impending demise of the great Dodge Viper, these SRT10 Final Editions have caused us to momentarily peak out from our tissues and curl our lips upwards in full smile formation. Dodge will offer just 50 of these commemerative models–20 coupes, 18 roadsters and 12 ACRs.

The Final Editions will get a handsome cover of Graphite Clear Coat and a distinctive, red-outlined black racing stripe. We love the combination of red, black and grey here. The coupe and roadster get six-spoke anthracite wheels while the ACR is outfitted with black, five-spoke Sidewinder wheels.

Continue Reading

Chrysler continues its back and forth with the Dodge Viper. We’ve known for some time that the premier Dodge was winding down toward extinction later this year. Back in November, Dodge chief Ralph Gilles made our mouths water by implying that Dodge would team up with Ferrari on a next-generation Viper, but later stepped off the statement stating that the two companies were quite separate.

Continue Reading