The Dodge Viper just got $15K cheaper

Since the Dodge Viper’s splashy reintroduction at the 2012 New York auto show, the two-seat sports coupe has moved fast everywhere except where it matters most: off dealer lots. In fact, Viper sales have been so low for so long that some Chrysler Group dealers mockingly refer to the car as the “Vedsel,” a reference to Ford’s ill-fated Edsel.

But now Dodge has a plan to boost Viper sales. The brand will cut $15,000 from the sticker price of the more than 600 unsold Vipers on dealer lots. It also will offer $15,000 coupons to recent Viper buyers to trade in their 2013 or 2014 Viper on another one or to buy an additional Viper, and it will open Viper sales to all Dodge dealers. In addition, Dodge will market Viper with the rest of the brand’s lineup, treating the 640-hp, V-10-powered car as a halo vehicle.

Dodge will start taking orders for 2015 Vipers this month, although it will temporarily suspend production of the top-end GTS and TA trims. Instead, the brand will introduce a GT trim level just above the base that will have the most popular equipment sought by Viper customers, Dodge brand head Tim Kuniskis told Automotive News.

“I think the current car is so much better than any other Viper we’ve ever built, but we’ve got to fix the one last piece: We’ve got to fix the retail equation. We’ve got to fix what’s going on in the dealership, in the showroom,” Kuniskis said. “It’s the dealer network, it’s the inventory, it’s the pricing, it’s how we sell the car. We have to fix all of that.”

SRT Viper production halted amid slow sales

Chrysler has made the decision to suspend production of the SRT Viper for a least two months, citing slow sales. The move is expected to result in layoffs of 91 hourly workers at Chrysler’s Conner …

Moribund sales

When the re-engineered Viper arrived in the second quarter of 2013, the base price was more than $100,000. Some dealers tacked on market adjustments that boosted prices even higher.

Since April 2013, the Viper has averaged just 60 U.S. sales per month, according to the Automotive News Data Center. In August, dealers nationwide sold just 38 Vipers, down 38 percent from a year earlier.

On Sept. 1, dealers and Chrysler had more than 600 unsold Vipers in stock — a 434-day supply — and about one-third of those vehicles were unsold 2013 models.

Chrysler’s Conner Avenue plant in Detroit, where the Viper is built, has worked just 10 days since April 14 and has been idled since July 3.

Given the slow sales, some dealers and outside observers have questioned whether the car that debuted in 1991 should be retired.

Chrysler executives have defended the low sales, saying that the Viper is an exclusive, exotic car that is better compared with Ferrari and Lamborghini vehicles than with the much higher-selling Chevrolet Corvette.

Kuniskis said the Viper must be saved because of what it means to Dodge and its enthusiasts.

“It’s a hugely important car to the brand. It sends a big message about who we are, especially now with the way Dodge is positioned as a performance brand,” he said.

Kuniskis said it’s important to get the Conner Avenue plant working again because, despite hundreds of days of unsold inventory, he has orders for new Vipers that can’t be filled because the plant is down.

“We want to bring the plant back up. We want to get our people working again,” he said. “We want to get the suppliers back up and running and get this thing humming along again. But I’ve got some inventory out there still, so this should take care of some of that inventory.”

Fixing Viper

The plan to fix the Viper hatched after a July gathering of about 500 Viper owners from the U.S. and Canada at Chrysler’s headquarters in suburban Detroit. Kuniskis said he spent hours meeting Viper owners and seeking their input.

He said the Viper’s price hike — its base sticker price jumped from $86,425 in 2008 to $101,880, including shipping but excluding the gas guzzler tax — made it seem unattainable, especially to Dodge buyers.

“It’s not that I’m lowering the price $15,000; it’s a psychological thing to put you back into the realm of being an accessible car at a price point that I think is right for the car,” Kuniskis said.

The new $86,880 base sticker, including shipping but excluding the gas guzzler tax, is almost identical to the 1992 model’s sticker price, adjusted for inflation. It is “the same price it was seven years ago, when we were selling two and a half times as many,” he said.

For the 1,025 customers who bought a 2013 or 2014 Viper, the $15,000 coupons — good for them or an immediate family member through Jan. 2, 2018 — are a way to “true up” the values of their Vipers.

“I can eliminate the depreciation you have today in your car if you come in and trade it in, or get you pretty damn close,” Kuniskis said.

He said he will also change the way Vipers are allocated, limiting stocks to a 30-day supply, to prevent all but the most experienced Viper dealers from stockpiling the car.

While all Dodge dealers will be able to sell the Viper beginning this month, the more than 400 dealers who paid $25,000 each in 2012 for the privilege won’t get their money back.

Dodge dealers will still have to pay for the tools and training to work on the Viper, Kuniskis said.

2015 Dodge Viper SRT gains power, new GT trim, fresh colors

The 2015 Dodge Viper SRT — Dodge is back in the Viper game these days, remember — will soon arrive with a new GT trim, a new Time Attack version, new colors and a 5-hp bump from last year’s 640-hp V10. The company laid out its plans for the 2015 Viper in a press release on Tuesday.

The GT model adds a driver-selectable suspension with Bilstein shocks, a five-mode electronic stability-control system and an upscale interior usually reserved for GTS trims. The GT will fall, pricewise, in between the base car and the GTS. Prices will be announced later; the current car will set you back about $100,000.

The Viper Time Attack returns in version 2.0. Dodge says the TA is built specifically for enthusiasts who want to take their car to the track. Changes have been made to the aerodynamics, which lead to 400 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. Other changes include race-tuned suspension calibration, racing sway bars, a lighter X-brace, two-piece Brembo brakes and Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires on “Sidewinder” wheels. The TA is offered in three colors: competition blue, yorange (we’re guessing a yellowish orange) and venom black.

The top GTS model comes with all the interior bells and whistles like Alcantara trim, napa leather and carbon fiber. The new Ceramic Blue Edition, limited to 40 examples, gets a satin black exhaust bezel, ceramic blue fuel filler door, orange brake calipers, carbon-fiber brake ducts and rear appliqué.

Output goes up 5 hp for a total of 645 hp; torque stays at 600 lb-ft in the 8.4-liter V10. A Tremec six-speed manual routes power to the rear wheels. Top speed is pegged at 206 mph, while mileage on the highway is 20 mpg.

Stryker purple, a new color, will now be available on the GT and GTS models. Exterior stripes can be had in black, silver, white, red and pearl.

2013 SRT Viper GTS review notes

ROAD TEST EDITOR JONATHAN WONG: I’m all for raw, no-frills cars. Things like the Subaru BRZ/Scion FR-S, Mazda MX-5, and Lotus Exige and Evora are cars that don’t pack much in terms of whiz-bang …

Viper meet-up at the 2014 Woodward Dream Cruise

The Woodward Dream Cruise is a general celebration of car culture, but it’s also a convenient place for single-marque and single-make clubs to gather with their wheels. Keep your eyes peeled and chances are you’ll see what you’re looking for.

If you were looking for Vipers last night, you didn’t have to look all that hard. Thursday marked the annual meeting of Vipers and their owners on Woodward, two days before the official kickoff of the 20th annual Woodward Dream Cruise. Every model and generation of Viper was present — including Hennesey Venoms and future-classic RT/10’s.

Be sure to check out the gallery above of the Viper meet-up, and keep an eye out for more galleries to come throughout the day and over the weekend.

Medusa Viper maker Prefix buys Arrow Racing Engines

Prefix Performance, the outfit that revealed its take on the fifth-generation Dodge Viper convertible two weeks ago, said on Monday that it acquired Arrow Racing Engines to aid in the development of more performance vehicles.

Arrow was founded more than 30 years ago to support Chrysler Motorsports, Performance Parts and Production. The team was involved with the Viper’s V10 engine development, as well as supporting design, research and testing.

Prefix also purchased the assets of Arrow Performance Parts in Canton, Mich., and will combine them with its Prefix Tool business, which can do specialized machining of engine blocks and heads.

The company is now a fully functioning manufacturing base that can create special custom vehicles, design and build luxury interiors, make prototypes and do precision machining, paint and finishing.

“The engine development and performance expertise was all that was absent.” says Prefix CEO Kim Zeile. “This addition provides us with every element necessary to develop new specialty performance vehicles, while at the same time expanding opportunities with our existing customers.”

Go to prefix.com for more information on the company and its assets.

707-hp 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat revealed

Dodge pulled the sheets off the newest king of the four-doors at metropolitan Detroit’s Vinsetta Garage Wednesday morning, just feet from Woodward Avenue. The 2015 Charger SRT Hellcat sedan will prowl the streets with the same 707-hp output as the Challenger SRT Hellcat that was revealed a few weeks ago.

“This is a car that most brands would never have brought to market,” said Dodge’s Tim Kuniskis. “Sometimes you need to build a car that defines itself. It redefines practicality,” he joked.

The 2015 Charger Hellcat will go on sale in the first quarter of next year, Dodge didn’t reveal the price.

This sedan instantly becomes the most powerful in the world, eclipsing the BMW M5’s 560 hp, the Mercedes E63’s 550 hp and the Audi RS6’s 560 hp. The Hellcat gets 650 lb-ft of twist to go with all those ponies.

The sedan will use the same performance-oriented eight-speed transmission as the Challenger as well as the same beefed-up suspension. That bodes well for the Charger, which already handled better than the two-door Challenger. Dodge says there are no plans for an all-wheel drive model.

The new Charger SRT Hellcat will dance its way to an 11-second quarter mile time, with a top speed of 204 mph. That’s faster than the Challenger’s 199 mph. The 0-60 sprint goes by in just 3.7 seconds. It weighs in about 100 pounds more than the Challenger at 4,560 pounds.

Hood scoops, heat extractors and new logos differentiate the Hellcat from the standard Charger sedans.  Low profile “Slingshot” wheels measure 20 inches in front and back, with 15.4-inch brake discs and six piston Brembo clampers.

Inside, the new Charger comes with go-fast tech bits like the track apps, g-meter and customizable performance settings on the central screen. Like the Challenger Hellcat, the Charger comes with two keys, one to unlock all 707 hp, another to slow it down a bit.

We’ll have more on the 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat as it develops, for now, check out our review of its stablemate, the Challenger SRT Hellcat.

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat first drive

It was comical, really. A bunch of journalists, lined up on the drag strip at Portland International Raceway, waiting to take their turn in the 707-hp 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, one after the …

Watch Jay Leno drive the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat

Jay Leno took the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat for a ride in the latest edition of the YouTube series “Jay Leno’s Garage.” The Mopar musclecar delivers 707 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque from its supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi engine.

We drove the SRT Hellcat a few weeks ago, and found it as bonkers as the numbers suggest. Leno talks to Dodge president Tim Kuniskis about the car in his shop, and then takes it for a test drive. It’s a bit more entertaining than the Fiat Abarth that Kuniskis brought last time.

Check out the video, and then skip over to our drive story below.

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat first drive

It was comical, really. A bunch of journalists, lined up on the drag strip at Portland International Raceway, waiting to take their turn in the 707-hp 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, one after the …

First Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat to sell at Barrett-Jackson’s Las Vegas auction

To the surprise of exactly no one, the numero uno production Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat built will head straight to the auction block at Barrett-Jackson — a precedent set by the first C7 Chevrolet Corvette, the first Camaro Z/28 and the first 2015 Ford Mustang in the vehicular equivalent of camping out for three days for a “Star Wars” movie and then running through the movie theater yelling “first!”

Already, Barrett-Jackson is calling the Hellcat “iconic.” Hellcat VIN0001 has an eight-speed TorqueFlite automatic with black Laguna leather seats. It features a special shade of red, carried over from the Dodge Viper — the first of which, come to think of it, also went to Barrett-Jackson. And like the first Viper, the House That Craig Built is selling the Hellcat to benefit charity: This time, 100 percent of the price will go to Opportunity Village, which helps people in the Las Vegas area who have intellectual disabilities. Founded in 1954, the charity operates three centers and a thrift shop around the Vegas area. Since its founding, it “has helped Southern Nevada’s most vulnerable citizens integrate into society while earning a paycheck, a feeling of achievement and a renewed sense of independence,” according to its website, which also bills it as “Las Vegas’ favorite charity,” next to Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar & Grill.

2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat burnout

News and pricing on the 707-hp 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat broke yesterday ahead of the company’s July 22 embargo. That means we can talk about everything but the driving experience, which …

The muscle car of muscle cars will also come with a video documentary of the Hellcat’s development, vehicle footage and photographs in an “electronic vehicle build book.” So, an iPad app, we’d assume? If so, the lucky bidder will receive a Hellcat logo’d iPad sleeve to match. A signed Hellcat lithograph and various certificates demonstrating the car’s vaunted provenance and the owner’s virility may also be included.

A bit of perspective: That first 2015 Mustang went for $350,000. The first Camaro Z/28 went for nearly twice that. The first C7 Corvette went for an eye-twitching $1.05 million — we’d wager the Hellcat sells for a price in between the two Chevrolets. After all … 707 hp.

The world will find out on Sept. 25-27, when the Barrett-Jackson auction invades the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino at the south end of the Las Vegas Strip. Upon winning, we expect the new owner to lay down an unbroken stretch of rubber all the way to the Peppermill. 

Alfa Romeo TZ3 Zagato pops up for sale in California

The word “hybrid” was once used to describe European sports cars powered by American engines. Even though the meaning of the term, at least in the automotive sphere, has changed since the 1950s, the practice of putting burly American engines into delicately sculpted coupes and convertibles has not vanished completely. And no, we’re not talking about Chryslers rebadged as Lancias.

While coachbuilding as a whole has waned since its (most recent) heyday of the 1960s, when dozens of shops in Italy competed for one-off orders from well-heeled customers who wanted something a little special, some of the larger design houses have managed to hang on. Carrozzeria Zagato has continued to build unique cars from time to time, even though a large chunk of its business now concerns non-automotive industrial design. And just a few years ago, they produced something that in decades past would have been called a hybrid. And this modern hybrid is now for sale in California.

For Alfa Romeo’s 100th birthday in 2010, Zagato built a total of nine TZ3 Stradale cars using the chassis, powertrain and a whole host of interior bits from the Dodge Viper ACR. That means that this coupe received an 8.4-liter V10 engine making an eye-watering (for 2011 anyway) 640 hp and 585 lb-ft of torque. Despite the wheelbase and the engine mounting remaining the same as in the Viper, the TZ3 Stradale nevertheless succeeded in looking like an Alfa Romeo, and a heavy dose of traditional Zagato styling cues made for a unique and arguably handsome look.

The interior has remained largely Viper, though leather has been used to cover up the more spartan surfaces. Photo by Ferrari of Newport Beach

Fans of the Viper will probably immediately recognize a lot of the interior that has remained unchanged, at least underneath the chestnut and black leather with which the Viper’s plastic surfaces have been covered. This particular car is advertised as being the seventh of nine cars built, and this metallic-brown example shows just 317 miles on the odometer. Ferrari of Newport Beach is offering this car for sale with a very specific asking price of $699,900, which may or may not be the right price for a limited-production Zagato.

The VIN does decode as a 2010 Dodge, so that is likely how TZ3s are titled and registered in the United States, perhaps avoiding the Show and Display process that keeps most cars out.  Speaking of which, there are at least two others in the country: a dark-red example registered in New York and a gray example registered in Montana. Needless to say, you might want to check with your state of registration before you shell out six figures for this car (or any recent coachbuilt Alfa Romeo).

The car received a completely new body, though the profile of the Viper is still visible from some angles. Photo by Ferrari of Newport Beach

The Viper underpinnings might offer a discount when it comes to service, though we have trouble seeing these cars accumulating thousands of miles a year. But the exclusivity might well give the owner bragging rights over those who have just an Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione. The Viper interior and underpinnings may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they’ve likely allowed the build costs to stay reasonable for such an exercise.

Is the price right?

2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat first drive

It was comical, really. A bunch of journalists, lined up on the drag strip at Portland International Raceway, waiting to take their turn in the 707-hp 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, one after the other, producing almost no forward momentum, just rubber and smoke.

“You have to roll on, roll on the power,” said one of the instructors, as another journalist spun the tires through third gear. The most powerful mass-produced American car ever is predictably stingy with the traction.

Chrysler’s new/old sporty brand, Dodge, now builds a car more powerful than the vaunted Dodge Viper, more powerful than the Mustang GT500 and even more powerful than the upcoming Corvette Z06. On the list of the highest-horsepower cars available in the U.S., the Hellcat sneaks in just below the Lamborghini Aventador and above the Z06.

The Hellcat tops the refreshed Challenger range, which now includes four power options, beginning with the 3.6-liter V6, 305-hp, 30-mpg SXT. The 5.7-liter V8, 375-hp Hemi R/T comes next, followed by the 6.4-liter V8, 485-hp SRT 392. Finally, there’s the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 707-hp Hellcat, which also brings 650 lb-ft of twist.

Our first shot behind the wheel was on the twisty, mountainous back roads near Portland, Ore., along the winding Columbia River.

The Hellcat doesn’t explode with noise like some other uber-muscle cars, but tap the throttle and it’ll scare the neighbors, the cops and any nearby animals. Idling out of the parking lot, it took every bit of our willpower not to repeatedly smash the gas in the middle of the crunchy Pacific Northwest city. Thankfully, it was only a few minutes before we got out into the wilderness and could really get a feel for launching the 4,449-pound (with the TorqueFlite eight-speed) fat cat.

Let’s get this out of the way: We’re enthusiasts, we like manual transmissions. But this eight-speed is set up perfectly to handle this motor. Not only do shifts bang off in about 250 milliseconds, but the car has the ability to drop two, four or six gears at a time, depending on what you do with the loud pedal.

After switching to track mode, which firms up the suspension, quickens the shifting and steering, and opens up the exhaust, we stomped on the pedal and were greeted with a jungle-clearing roar from the engine, along with the woosh of spinning tires through first, second and third gears as we clicked through the paddles.

Power delivery is obviously effortless, but we were even more impressed with the suspension in track mode, which is stiff, but not at all punishing, on surface streets. An enthusiast could keep it in that setting all day long. There’s also a customizable mode, which can be set to stiff suspension, easy steering and soft shifts, or any combination thereof.

Dodge redesigned the interior of the Challenger. Photo by Dodge

In the driver’s seat, the Challenger’s interior feels way bigger than its pony-car counterparts. There’s more shoulder room, more backseat room and more room in the trunk. One could conceivably live with this car every day, at least through three seasons.

Dodge restyled the interior with more old-school touches and a more driver-focused cockpit. The entire instrument panel, including the center stack, wraps around the driver. All the metal bits are machine-turned, which is a cool little highlight that adds some character. The company also gave more bolster to the seats, which help hold you in place in the corners.

We found some corners on which to test out what looked and felt like a capable car during the street drive when we arrived at the 1.9-mile, 12-turn Portland International Raceway.

Historically, Challengers haven’t been known for their turning prowess. When the modern version came out, the company touted its “old-school feel,” which was just a euphemism for “leans big in corners.” It improved in 2011 with a new suspension setup, but it was still a long way from being a track car.

On the Hellcat, though, Dodge sorted all that out with even stiffer shock tuning, thicker antiroll bars and stiffer springs. In spots where the Challenger SRT 392 dove under braking, the Hellcat stayed nearly flat. It was the same story around the sweepers and during direction changes. The Hellcat felt like full-to-the-brim mine cart on rails, a flying brick.

From the seat of the pants, the Hellcat feels lighter than the SRT 392 and even the V6 Challenger, though it’s assuredly not.

Although we wouldn’t say it was scary to drive, even when we were set, locked in a corner, we could feel the car wanting to step out. “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast,” our instructor told us. We weren’t actually brave enough to push the car on the limit, envisioning what a quick stab of the pedal might do.

Back to the eight-speed transmission for a moment: It was damn impressive at the track. Dodge engineers told us to put it in track mode and try it in automatic. We scoffed, but then asked for forgiveness after it sensed our shifting style before we got to the first bend.

It seemed to stay in gear nearly all the way to redline and downshifted two or three times during heavy braking. We never felt it hunting, and by corner exit, it was always in the right gear. We know it’s sacrilege, but try the automatic.

Top speed of the Hellcat is limited to 199 mph, but we’ve been told that it can do 207. The quarter-mile flies by in 11.2 seconds on street tires, 10.8 seconds on drag radials. We didn’t see journalists getting anywhere close to that.

The Hellcat comes to dealerships late this year with a sticker price of $60,990 including destination. That undercuts the current Ford Mustang GT500 by about $5,000 but it’s a premium of about $3,000 over the Camaro ZL1. As for power to weight, the GT500 has 5.8 pounds for each horse to pull around, the ZL1 has 7.1 and the Hellcat has 6.3.

On Sale: Fourth quarter 2014

Base Price: $60,990

Drivetrain: 6.2-liter supercharged V8; eight-speed automatic

Output: 707 hp, 650 lb-ft of torque

Curb Weight: 4,449 (with automatic)

Meet the new Viper convertible (it’s not from Dodge)

That’s the thing about Americans — when we don’t like something, we change it. When we want something that doesn’t exist, we simply build it. So is the case with the Medusa, the Prefix Corp.’s take on a drop-top fifth-generation Dodge Viper. We haven’t seen an open-air model since the “Final Edition” run in 2010, and by the reaction of the crowd in Auburn Hills, Mich., the Viperati are ready for another one.

“It’s gorgeous,” said George Batejan, a Viper owner. “We have three Vipers already and may be in the market for a fourth.”

“Awesome, beautiful,” said ’96 GTS owner Jeffery Millek. “How could it not be a great design?”

Prefix says this prototype was built to gauge reaction, without Dodge’s knowledge. Prefix owner Kim Zeile has 10 brand-new Vipers sitting in the shop right now, ready for the transformation. It would take about eight weeks, by conservative estimates, Zeile said.

“I don’t like to overpromise,” said Zeile. “The first one took us about seven.”

Prefix and Viper already have a relationship. The automotive prototyping company paints and finishes Dodge’s supercars, then sends them to the factory to get assembled.

CEO Zeile said he resigned from General Motors 35 years ago due to the politics of working at a large corporation. He’s a mechanical engineer by trade and has built the company into a fully functioning manufacturing outlet, capable of performance upgrades, interiors, prototyping, machining and, of course, its bread and butter: paint. The Prefix Corp. is now the umbrella for Prefix Coating, Prefix Tool and Prefix Performance, with two more companies currently in the works.

Zeile and the company have a special place in their heart for the Viper.

“We love the car and love what it stands for,” said Zeile. “It’s an American supercar.”

Zeile owns a Ford GT and a Corvette ZR1, in addition to a fifth-gen Viper, No. 002, to complete the American trifecta.

Past Prefix projects include a one-off Corvette Z06 convertible. The company is also mulling a Ford Raptor-fighting performance Ram truck.

The Medusa hasn’t been on the road yet — the only way to duck aggressive spy photographers, according to Zeile. When asked about the Medusa being road-certified, he told us that with such a small volume, it won’t be a problem.

Prefix paints the X-brace black in the Medusa.

There aren’t many changes to the Viper’s structure, which is already well purposed to become a convertible. The carbon-fiber tubs are a little different, but Prefix is using the same manufacturer that Dodge uses for the base cars. Prefix also did some work on the trim, interior and a few other spots. It also has the capacity to do performance upgrades, if necessary.

When asked how fast the company could be ready to produce, Zeile said if someone wanted to write a check today, Prefix would be working on it Monday morning. The Medusa will carry a premium of about $35,000 over a new Viper, which is the only way Prefix will make the transformation.

The first 10 cars will be marketed through Tomball Dodge in Tomball, Texas. After that, it’s up to the fans.

Chrysler restarts Dodge Viper SRT production after two month hiatus

Chrysler has restarted Dodge Viper SRT production after a two-month hiatus caused by an accumulation of unsold examples. Production was halted earlier this year on April 14 at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, with at least 91 hourly workers being laid off as dealerships attempted to bring inventory down from a collective 756 available nationwide as of March 1, 2014.

The 756 cars that sat unsold at the beginning of March represented a 412 day supply — enough Vipers for 14 months — and the pace of sales during the months of January and February averaged fewer than two cars per day.

The slow sales pace has been blamed on an long winter by some, but it’s worth noting that the new Chevrolet Corvette recorded 2,261 sales in January 2014 and 2,438 sales the following month. The Dodge Viper, of course, is a much more niche vehicle despite the frequent comparisons between the two, so the pace of production and the availability of inventory could not have allowed the Viper to outpace the Corvette in sales for those two months, to be fair.

The restart of production will be a welcome sign for the Viper, whose production had already been sliced by a third in October 2013 for the same reasons as during this latest hiatus. Before October 2013, Chrysler had been building an average of nine Vipers per day, but production was expected to come down to an average of six examples per day after those cuts.

SRT Viper combines Time Attack package with Anodized Carbon look

SRT has just debuted a very special Viper at the New York auto show, combining the Time Attack Group with the exclusive Anodized Carbon Special Edition package. Just 50 examples of the of the SRT Viper Anodized Carbon Special Edition package will be made, with just 10 models carrying the Time Attack Group package.

Like a number of special editions from Chrysler, this model emerged due to customer demand, with Chrysler taking the functional chassis and aerodynamic parts from the Viper Time Attack Special Edition and making them available in the GTS price class. The special edition Viper features a carbon fiber rear deck lid spoiler and two-piece front corner splitter to produce a total of 339 pounds of downforce at 150 mph. The car also includes two-mode Bilstein dampers tuned for optimal track performance and solid sway bars, along with street and race model suspension settings, which offer firmer damping than those on the Viper GTS. This version of the Viper also wears matte black lightweight forged-aluminum Sidewinder wheels shod in Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires.

The exterior is finished in metallic matte black with satin surface finishes, with exhaust bezels, fuel-filler door, carbon brake ducts, and rear applique finished in satin black vapor color.

The blacked-out look extends to the interior as well. Photo by SRT

About the New York auto show

On the inside, the Viper features Alcantara leather with orange stitching, along with gunmetal bezels, orange vent accents, and carbon-fiber touches throughout the interior. The headliner, knee blockers, and door bolsters are finished in Alcantara leather, while the sport seats feature napa and Alcantara leather.

“We’ve received an overwhelming response to the unique metallic matte exterior color since first showing the Anodized Carbon Special Edition Viper late last year,” said Ralph Gilles, president and CEO – SRT Brand and Motorsports. “So we’re adding even more exclusivity with 10 distinctive SRT Vipers that combine our special exterior color with the new Time Attack Group of performance parts to offer our customers mind-boggling limits on their favorite road courses.”

The SRT Viper TA is street legal of course, though Chrysler expects that most buyers will take their machines out to the track. That’s what the Viper Time Attack is really built for, with a great number of parts specially fabricated for performance on the track.

The 2014 New York auto show runs April 16-27 and is expected to attract a range of production and concept cars including the 2015 Mustang convertible, BMW M4 convertible and next Hyundai Sonata. Check out Autoweek’s complete coverage at autoweek.com/new-york-auto-show.

SRT Viper production halted amid slow sales

Chrysler has made the decision to suspend production of the SRT Viper for a least two months, citing slow sales. The move is expected to result in layoffs of 91 hourly workers at Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit.

Back in October of 2013, Chrysler cut Viper production by a third, citing slow sales and growing inventories.

We always knew the SRT Viper was a bit of a niche automobile, though the nationwide sales figures for the first two months of 2014 gave a glimpse at just how slowly the Viper was trickling out of dealer showrooms. Just 91 examples of the sports car were sold during January and February of this year, and as of March 1, dealers reported an unsold stock of 756 cars — a 412-day supply. The pace of sales during the first two months of this year works out to fewer than two cars finding new homes every day, on average. A record winter may be to blame for this, as a parade of snowstorms likely depressed Viper sales across the country. With subzero temperatures persisting throughout the upper half of the country well into the month of March, the slow pace of sales could be a natural result.

Chrysler was keen to point that the Viper was never intended as a mass-market automobile, and that a grand total of 29,000 examples have been produced during its 20-year history — a little more than 1,000 cars per year on average. Still, the current supply of unsold vehicles stretches 14 months, which is a bit too much even for the exclusive Viper.

Some are pointing fingers across town blaming modest SRT Viper sales on the Chevrolet Corvette. The Vette recorded 2,261 sales in January and 2,438 in February, for a total of 4,699 units over that same time period.

Production of the Viper is set to shut down April 14, and will resume on the week of June 23 of this year.

Poll: What should be done with the Dodge Vipers ordered crushed?

Last week Chrysler sent letters to a number of colleges ordering them to crush the remaining Dodge Vipers that they have in their custody, in accordance with the agreement entered into by the carmaker and a number of vocational schools when Chrysler donated the cars. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Internet got wind of this and blew a head gasket. How could early preproduction Vipers be ordered to the crusher when they’re… early preproduction Vipers?

One example in particular, now sitting on death row at South Puget Sound Community College, seemed like a prime candidate for a Presidential pardon. It’s a 1992 hardtop example with the VIN stated to be number 4. Students at the college as well as students of muscle cars will recall that Dodge didn’t market a hardtop double-bubble Viper until 1996, when the car was given a mild facelift, making this particular example even more special. And this particular car had always been something of a celebrity at the school, with students and visitors enjoying getting their picture taken with it. Granted, the car has been disassembled and put back together a few times (all in the name of science!), but it remains an interesting piece of Chrysler history, especially with its reported $250,000 estimate if it were offered at auction.

As we reported last week, a petition had been started to try to persuade Chrysler to give this example a reprieve. And as we’ve pointed out, despite the hair pulling generated by this impending action, the destruction of non-road-legal prototypes has always been a normal practice in the industry. Not only do car companies regularly destroy preproduction prototypes because they’ve have served their purpose, but also to keep them off the road and protect the company from liability. This is due to the fact that these prototypes are often hand-built to test various systems before or after a car is certified, and only take to the roads on manufacturer plates, operating in a legal bubble that is very different from vehicles one buys in a dealership. Once preproduction vehicles have served their purpose, they’re either destroyed for the reasons outlined above, or donated to automotive engineering programs at colleges and universities, where they’re prohibited by contract from being used on the road. The reasoning being that an road accident involving a private party driving a non-road-legal preproduction car could expose the automaker to significant liability in court.

Crushing pre-production cars is a normal practice in the industry, but do early Vipers like this one deserve a longer life? Photo by Adam Jackson

Almost immediately before the Internet collectively spat coffee on its screen after learning of the impending fate of some 93 Vipers, Chrysler issued a statement insisting that no historic Vipers would be reduced to cubes one yard across. In a blog post titled “A proper end to a Viper’s school days,” the company said the following, in part:

“We definitely understand and appreciate the historical significance of the Viper. And, we are sure to maintain any of the legendary models and designs for historic purposes. It’s our heritage so of course we take great pride in preserving it.

However, none of the vehicles at the schools fit into this category.”

And we do understand Chrysler’s position. The only reason donated cars scheduled to be crushed caused such publicity is because they’re early Vipers. Minivans and sedans with equally low VIN numbers get picked apart at engineering schools all the time and are crushed afterward, but their fate doesn’t get thousands of people upset.

Despite the fact that the matter is almost certainly settled, barring a last-minute call via an old rotary phone to the owner of an auto salvage yard who will have his finger on the button that operates the crusher, we thought we’d present a number of alternatives. These are purely hypothetical alternatives for similar situations, alternatives with varying degrees of legal and economic practicality.

1. Donate the cars to car museums in the U.S. and overseas willing to take them;

2. Sell the most unusual examples on a bill of sale, without titles, to collectors;

3. Remove any non-conforming parts from the cars are sell the remains to dismantlers;

4. Donate the remaining roadworthy cars to a foreign country

What would you like to see done with the donated Dodge Vipers that Chrysler has ordered to be crushed?

Vote here, and we’ll publish the results on Twitter @AutoweekUSA and Facebook a week from today. You can also view the results of the poll instantly after you vote.

SRT Satin Vapor adds swagger to Charger, Challenger, 300

Chrysler is looking to add more swagger to its Street and Racing Technology lineup, according to SRT CEO Ralph Giles. The new brand-exclusive finishes will be available on the new 300 SRT, Challenger SRT and the Charger SRT.

Let’s just say that the folks over at SRT are getting wild with satin paint as of late, and we like it. Even the latest SRT Viper is wrapped in a satin finish.

The 300 SRT will get all sorts of satin adornments including badges, a spoiler, and mirrors. Additional colors of silver, granite and white will also be available.

As for the interior, the seats will be wrapped in napa leather with suede inserts, while other black and carbon inserts are featured in places such as door panels and the instrument cluster. The extra package will add a cool $2,300 to the grand total of the 300 SRT.

The Challenger SRT gets the same treatment with satin badges and mirrors, with the addition of a satin black fuel door. This SRT will be available in red, white, orange and graphite. The interior comes with napa leather seats with suede inserts and the same interior add-ons as the 300 SRT. For the upgraded Challenger, the Satin Vapor package will tack on and additional $1,700.

Finally, the Charger SRT will get a satin black roof, hood, mirrors and spoiler. Super Bee graphics will adorn the rear-quarter panel. Additional exterior colors will be white, silver, red and graphite. The Satin upgrades to the Charger will run $2,300.

All three of the Satin Vapor edition SRTs will be equipped with the 6.4-liter HEMI V8 that pushes out an impressive 470 hp, 470 lb-ft of torque, and red Brembo brake calipers.

In addition to the engine, the trio will receive a set of SRT 20-inch-by-9-inch forged aluminum double-five-spoke wheels.

These Satin models will be available during the second quarter of the year.

Russo and Steele offers one-of-a-kind 2013 SRT Viper for charity

Russo and Steele will feature a 2013 SRT Viper GTS at its January auction in Scottsdale, Ariz., with proceeds going to the Sons of Italy foundation (SIF). The auction house says the car was built specifically for the foundation. It will join some 700 sports and muscle cars at the auction, which spans Jan. 15 to 17.

The Viper gives a subtle nod to Italian heritage with a tri-coat “Avorio Perla” (pearl white) exterior accented by discreet Italian national colors behind the Viper’s

“GTS” badge near the front wheels. The Italian colors also adorn the GTS badge above the glovebox and the one-inch seat accent stripes. Other features include the one-off multi-spoke black chrome wheels and “Laguna” tan leather-upholstered interior.

The car is also equipped with Uconnect Media Center with an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, Bluetooth, 3D-graphics navigation and rear backup camera. It will roll across the block with just five miles on the odometer.

SIF, the foundation that will benefit from the auction, is the philanthropic arm of Order Sons of Italy in America (OSIA), the oldest and largest organization representing Italian-Americans. Founded in 1959, the SIF and OSIA have given nearly $126 million toward philanthropic efforts including college scholarships, medical research and services for people suffering from diseases and disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, autism and cancer, in addition to domestic and international disaster relief, cultural preservation, and other projects.

Interior modifications are subtle, but you’ll notice the colors of the Italian flag tucked in here and there.

SRT introduces Anodized Carbon Viper GTS

About the LA Auto Show

SRT introduced a limited run of Anodized Carbon Special Edition packages for the 640-hp Viper GTS at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Wednesday. The metallic, matte-gray exterior is being used by Chrysler for the first time on this car.

“We’ve been waiting for the right time to use this new color at the Chrysler Group, and, as the flagship for the SRT brand, the Viper is the perfect vehicle to showcase this combination of finishes and details to create such a unique look,” said Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of SRT. “The Viper’s unique, hand-built and hand-painted process allows us to create these ultra-exclusive special series builds. At SRT, the art of the American exotic supercar is every bit as important as its performance, and this car is for the enthusiasts who feel that way, too.”

Other unique accents include the black vapor chrome five-spoke wheels, gloss-black GTS badge, satin-black exhaust bezel, Anodized Carbon fuel-filler door, orange brake calipers, and carbon-fiber brake ducts.

Interior accoutrements consist of an Alcantara-wrapped headliner, door bolsters and knee blockers, orange accent stitching on the napa leather door trim and center console, and carbon-fiber accents on the center stack, door panels and steering wheel. A GTS badge sits on the dash.

The package is a visual update, which means the 8.4-liter, 640-hp, 600-lb-ft of torque V10 is still active underhood. A six-speed manual sends power to the rear wheels.

A limited-production run of 50 Anodized Carbon Vipers will be built, starting in January 2014, at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit.

The Los Angeles Auto Show has long served as a spotlight for “green” cars, and a popular place to unveil new hybrid and electric vehicles. We’ll have photos, video and complete coverage of all the manufacturer reveals and top news from this year’s LA Auto Show right here, so check back often.

Name the new Viper color, win a trip to Daytona

Chrysler and SRT are giving fans a chance to name a new color for the Viper sports car. Beginning today, enthusiasts can go to driveSRT.com/colorcontest to check out the rules and enter.

The grand-prize winner gets a trip to Daytona Beach, Fla., for the 2014 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and the opportunity to spend time with the Viper Design team over the weekend.

“The SRT Viper Color Contest gives our Viper enthusiasts an opportunity to be original, creative and contribute to the exterior design of our flagship American supercar,” said Ralph Gilles, president and chief executive officer of the Street and Racing Technology (SRT) Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. “Already available in a wide array of exterior color combinations, which provides our owners a way to personalize their cars, this contest is a great way for our dedicated fans to connect with the SRT brand and become an authentic part of Viper history.”

The color is a pale blue, which we would peg as Grabber, if this were a Ford. But for the new name, we’re thinking something sexy, maybe Roxy blue or Pacific blue. Listen, we’re not professional namers; it’s the best we could do on a Thursday morning. Think of something better, then enter to win.

Photo by SRT

Chrysler cuts Viper output amid slow sales, growing inventory

Chrysler Group has cut output of the SRT Viper by a third and will reassign scores of workers to other plants because of slow sales, growing inventories, and the onset of colder weather.

Workers at Chrysler’s Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit, where the car is assembled, were told of the production moves today. None will be laid off; instead they will be reassigned to other Chrysler plants in the Detroit area, a Chrysler spokeswoman said. The exact number of employees who will be reassigned is not yet known.

Chrysler had been building an average of nine Vipers per day. Under a revised production schedule, it will build six per day.

Ralph Gilles, head of the SRT brand, said that the Viper’s delivery to Chrysler’s 443 SRT-certified dealers was delayed earlier this year by difficulties in achieving internal quality standards set for the exotic sports coupe.

“We got off to a late start. We had hoped to begin shipping vehicles late last year, but we shipped the first 67 units in April,” Gilles said. Chrysler lifted its self-imposed quality holds over the summer and shipped over 200 held Vipers to its SRT dealers in July and August.

“We typically do very well with the Viper in early spring,” Gilles said.

The reengineered 2013 Viper was first shown in April 2012 at the 2012 New York auto show, but it wasn’t available to dealers and customers until early this year.

The two-seat sports coupe is equipped with the automaker’s most powerful engine, a naturally aspirated V-10 that produces 640 hp and 600 pounds-feet of torque.

Pricing for the 2014 model starts at $104,480, including destination, and each car comes with a “track day” of professional driving instruction included.

Gilles had originally said Viper production would be limited to 2,000 vehicles per year, but he said today that number proved optimistic.

“We’re really looking at the reality of this type of car in this economy, as well as us controlling the market and making sure that we don’t overbuild,” Gilles said. The company built 805 Vipers during the 2013 model year, and has switched over to producing 2014 models now.

Gilles said that interest in the Viper remains strong, and that Chrysler received 2,000 dealer and customer orders for Vipers during 2013, including those for 2014 models.

Dealers were asked to pay a $25,000 fee and undergo special training in order to sell the Viper to retail customers.

In eight months on the market — Viper’s first sale was recorded in February — Chrysler dealers have only sold 426 Vipers in the United States, and dealers have another 565 unsold units in stock — a 289-day supply.Outside of the United States, the Viper is sold only in a handful of countries in the Middle East.

Even though the 2013 Viper now is now equipped with electronic stability control, which is required under federal safety law, the powerful rear-wheel-drive sports car is a slow seller in the winter months and its tires are not made for cold-weather driving.

Gilles said that most remaining unsold inventory is located in dealerships in warmer climates.

To boost consumer demand, Gilles said SRT would begin visiting Viper dealers in the Southeast in November to allow consumers to test-drive factory-owned Vipers. Some dealers have been reluctant to entrust the powerful and expensive sports cars — which can retail at up to $160,000 — to consumers with unknown driving skills. The program will spread north next spring with the return of warmer weather.

“We really have to focus on putting butts in seats,” Gilles said. “A lot of people are unnecessarily intimidated by the car.”

Vipers are hand-built at the Conner Avenue factory.

The plant was idled in July 2010 when the previous version of the sports car, which was then marketed under the Dodge brand, went out of production. It was reopened in December 2011 ahead of the production launch of the 2013 SRT Viper in December 2012.

Before today’s changes were made, the plant had 171 employees, including 145 hourly and 26 salaried workers.

The article Chrysler cuts Viper output amid slow sales, growing inventory first appeared at Automotive News.