Those safety devices sure came in handy in this video after an overzealous driver taking laps in a Dodge Viper attempted a risky – and ultimately, unsuccessful - cornering maneuvering on the high side of fourth gear. Ultimately, he ends up losing control of the Viper where it ended up making out with a surprisingly hard tirewall.
If it weren’t for those airbags, who knows how different this crash would end up, but thankfully, they were there to not only save the driver and passenger from serious injury but the passenger still had his wits about him to tell the driver to “turn the ignition off”.
Yeah, that’s probably the smartest thing the driver could’ve done.
Yesterday Dodge revealed details about the very special edition Viper SRT10 ACR-X, and today they are letting us all catch a glimpse of the track tuned serpent in action. The Viper ACR-X is powered by an SRT developed 8.4 Liter V10 that makes a total of 640 HP thanks to a set of factory tuned headers and a less restrictive exhaust system. On the inside the ACR-X gets a jungle gym, a single racing bucket, Momo Corse steering wheel and a self sealing fuel cell in case things get a little hairy. If only we could get in our test fleet.
If you can remember, back at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Dodge promised a few special edition variations of their Dodge Viper for the 2010 model year. Well here’s one of them, the SRT10 ACR-X, a track tuned Viper designed specifically for enthusiasts who want to hit the track and can stand to part with $110,000.
Based on the already popular wild winged American Club Racer, the Viper ACR-X is powered by the same SRT developed 8.4 Liter V10 as the standard super car, except that a set of factory tuned headers and a less restrictive exhaust system give the ACR-X a 40 HP kick in the pants meaning that there is a total of 640 HP on tap, combine that with a weight savings of 160 pounds despite the addition of a roll cage and you’ve got an even more challenging track ready machine. Other items that make the car race track safe aside from the jungle gym are a lone racing bucket, Momo Corse steering wheel and self sealing fuel cell in case things get a little hairy. You can expect to see the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR-X when it make an on track debut in the summer of 2010.
In the same time with the revealing of the 2010 Viper SRT10, Dodge also revealed the special edition Viper SRT10 ACR 1:33 that pays tribute to the new production car lap record set on Nov. 24 at Laguna Seca raceway.
This special edition will feature an unique two-tone Black Clear Coat/Red Clear Coat exterior color scheme - the opposite form of the original Viper ACR. Interior highlights include piano black console bezels with red gauge highlights complemented with red accent stitching in the seats.
Only 33 cars will be produced as 1:33 Edition Viper ACR models.
This has truly been a year of ups and downs for Dodge Viper fans. Starting off with the proposed liquidation of the brand and more recently setting the single lap record at Laguna Seca, but the ultimate blow for any Viper enthusiast is that 2010 will be the last year that Chrysler will produce the V10 powered American super car. However even if the Viper is coming to an end, Dodge decided to go out in style; and in doing so they have promised that 2010 will be the best year in Viper history.
Even if there will only be 500 units produced in 2010, Dodge has announced that there will be more special and limited edition models than ever in next year’s lineup. There will also be two new colors added to the Viper’s color chart including a sparkling Toxic Orange Pearl and a glossy Bright Silver Metallic paint options. The 2010 snake will also be available with a wider dual racing stripe pattern and more than 7,600 possible variations concerning appearance alone.
The 2010 Viper SRT10 will be powered by an enormous 8.4 Liter V10 power plant that produces 600 HP and 560 lb-ft of torque that rocket the engine with wheels from 0 to 60 MPH in less than 4 seconds, run the quarter mile in the mid 11 second range before hitting a top speed of 202 MPH. However showing that the Viper is an all around performance machine it can complete the coveted 0-100-0 MPH run in 11 seconds flat.
It wasn’t too long ago that we were reporting about the all new American super car, the Devon Motorworks GTX set the single lap record for a production car at the historic Laguna Seca circuit in Salinas, California with a time of 1:35.075. Justin Bell, the owner of Devon, might have offended a few people at Chrysler when he gave them a low ball offer to purchase the Viper brand, because earlier today the American automaker tackled the infamous Corkscrew and managed to shave over a second off of the GTX’s lap time with an all new 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR and Chrysler engineer Chris Winkler behind the wheel. The hard core track tuned Viper unofficially clocked in at 1:33:915, not only good enough to reset the record, but bring a bit more value to Chrysler’s halo car.
If you have enough patience to take a quick look over the documents released by Chrysler regarding their 2010-2014 Business Plan Meeting you will notice something that will make you very happy. Besides promises like "70% of vehicle line renewed by 2010 and 100% by 2012", there is another good news: the company has under consideration a Dodge Viper successor for 2012.
As you might now, the sports car will go out of production in July 2010, after four generations, and to be honest not quite such a big success. With a history started back in 2012, the Viper will end its life with a final run of 500 units, sold as a special edition.
But Viper’s fan can still hope! And it seems that not only there might be a replacement in 2012, but the car might also be influenced by Fiat owners.
The skies opened up and the sun shone down upon us here at Top Speed recently when we received a call from our test car supplier letting us know that they had something special in store for this weekend. What showed up later on that afternoon was a Viper Red 2009 SRT-10, never before had any shade of red been so adequately named. This is was not our first time getting behind the wheel of the 8.4 Liter ten cylinder convertible, but there is just something about this shade of red that pops along and when combined with our car’s optional lightweight forged rims, showing off those bright red brake calipers, that makes this venomous vehicle something special.
Anyone familiar with the interior of a Dodge Viper will tell you just how minimalist the cockpit of these cars can be, with a few select white face gauges in front of the driver and a few auxiliary dials stacked just off to the side, even the an AM/FM/CD player radio is nothing to write home about. However creature comforts are not what this car is about, even though the interior does looks nicer than we remember, perhaps due to an improvement in materials. One thing that was very familiar was the smell of the V10, the radiating heat it emitted and the feel of that six speed manual shifter vibrating in your right hand, that is because Team Viper set out to make the most visceral performance machine ever built in the U.S.; and they have succeeded. Unfortunately Dodge needed their car back so our pleasant surprise was untimely cut short, but any time spent behind the wheel is well worth it.
With the increase in displacement to a full 8.4 Liters, the maximum output of the V10 has gone up to an even 600 HP and 560 lb-ft of torque. The 2009 SRT-10 can accelerate from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds, run the standing quarter mile in 10.9 seconds @128 MPH and reach a top speed of 202 MPH; all while averaging and estimated 12 MPG in the city and a rather impressive 22 MPG when cruising at highway speeds. The only option that our 2009 Viper Red Dodge came with were a set of optional forged rims which brought the modern American muscle car’s rice tag up to $93,000; not too bad for the closest thing you can get to a 1968 Corvette.
When you’re driving on a busy thoroughfare, the last thing you’d want to happen is to get involved in a car crash. Unfortunately, when you have hundreds upon hundreds of vehicles jostling through traffic at any given time, one wrong move could spell disaster for you and for your precious ride.
In this particular incident, which was captured by a man driving a Subaru, by the way, a Dodge Viper was manoeuvring in and around traffic on a relatively light day out on the highway. Whether or not he was rushing to go somewhere or he was just showing off the power under his hood, the driver of the Viper got a little too aggressive on the road and as he was about to make yet another overtaking move, he mistakenly swerved onto a lane where the cars were stopped.
In his defense, he did try to brake as hard as he could, as evidenced by the smoke coming out of his tires. Unfortunately, it was all for naught as he ended up crashing onto the back of an innocent white van. Just goes to show that no matter how fast or powerful your car may be, it still has to abide by the conditions of the road ahead of it, and much to the driver’s dismay, his Viper ended up paying a pretty steep price for his over aggressive driving.
We won’t fault you if you can’t. This charred remnant was once a 2005 Dodge Viper and if there was ever any car accident that you don’t want to be in the middle of, this should take the cake. The driver of the car was cruising along the streets of Laurel, Mississippi when he lost control of his Viper while passing another car. As a result, his rear end gets dislodged, loses control of his vehicle and goes off to the side of the road.
If that wasn’t enough, he crashes his Viper into a tree, after which, it catches fire. The photo of the once-proud American muscle car is a gruesome sight, unrecognized beyond despair.
Now you’re probably wondering what became of the poor man behind the wheel of this car. Well, judging from the severity of his crash and burn – literally speaking, of course – he suffered two broken ankles and a broken right arm. Considering the extent of the crash, three broken bones in his body would probably be considered a blessing in disguise because quite frankly, it could have been much worse.
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