Dodge Viper might get Ferrari-derived V10 engine

Even if Chrysler is in a bit of a bind at the moment they are not giving up on their high performance purebred sports car, the Dodge Viper. The American automaker has announced that the Viper name will live on. Even better news is that Dodge has big plans for the super car, the company wants to transform it into their halo car, a vehicle that transmits the brand’s best attributes in a high performance application, one that is so desirable it undoubtedly has a tremendous marketing potential in car enthusiast/amateur racing circles, like what Mazda has done with the Miata ever since the RX-7 went off the market.

Rumors are saying that the next generation Viper will use a V10 version of the next-generation corporate V-8. This is a 90-degree engine would be modular from top to bottom as well as cylinder to cylinder. The centerpiece of the engine will be a flat-plane crankshaft from the Ferrari style V8; whereas a conventional cross-plane crankshaft is used for other FIAT variations, like the Maserati V8. The best part of the story is that the engine will have a good old set of American pushrods making the valves go up and down.