The third-generation Dodge Viper came to be in 2012, when Chrysler revived the V-10-sports car after a three-year hiatus. Updated to a more aggressive exterior design and a friendlier interior, the sports car also gained a more powerful 8.4-liter V-10 engine and a revised transmission. Unlike its predecessor, which also spawned a roadster, the third-gen Viper was sold as a two-door coupe only. After some five years on the market in this configuration, the Viper will be phased out in 2017 due to slow sales and FCA's (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) new focus on SUVs, crossovers, and other high-selling vehicles.

In a rather ironic match, the Viper's last year on the market is also the one that marks its 25th anniversary. To celebrate the event, Dodge is launching five limited-edition models, one of which is the 1:28 Edition ACR. To be built in only 28 units for the 2017 model year, this model pays tribute to the lap record of 1:28.65 minutes that Randy Pobst set in a Dodge Viper ACR at Laguna Seca Raceway in October 2015. As the name suggests, the limited-edition sports car is based on the range-topping, track-prepped ACR model.

The exclusive Viper is also a spiritual success to the 2010 Viper ACR 1:33 Edition, which celebrated Dodge's previous record of 1:33.915 at the same track. This was achieved in November 2009 and followed by a 33-unit limited run Viper.

"The Dodge Viper has had a great run, and 25 years after it was first introduced, it leaves the supercar world reaching for the records it continues to set. With more track records than any production car in the world, the Dodge Viper ACR will live on as the fastest street-legal Viper track car ever, the car that has set the benchmark for all that follows in its tracks," said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars at FCA North America.

Continue reading to learn more about the Dodge Viper 1:28 Edition ACR.

What makes the Dodge Viper 1:28 Edition ACR special

The first thing that sets the 1:28 Edition apart from the standard Viper ACR is the black and red exterior. While the regular ACR comes with a gloss-black center stripe and an offset Adrenaline stripe, the 1:28 Edition has both stripes in red for a striking contrast with the gloss-black body. The coupe also has a "1:28 Edition" sill decal and comes with the Extreme Aero Package, which adds a carbon-fiber splitter and canards among other goodies. Each model is shipped with a custom car cover that matches the exterior paint and showcases the customer name above the driver's side door.

Inside, the special-edition models sports red accent stitching and a serialized dashboard with a "1:28 Edition" badge. Everything else remained standard, meaning customers will enjoy loads of carbon-fiber, race seats and steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara, and a Header Red stripe for the 12-o'clock position of the steering wheel. A Stryker badge and a heritage ACR badge with carbon-fiber inlay are also offered.

Under the hood, the 1:28 Edition hides the familiar, naturally aspirated, 8.4-liter V-10 engine, The unit pumps out 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque through a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox. The coupe needs around three seconds to hit 60 mph in this configuration, while top speed is estimated at 193 mph.

Stopping power comes from Brembo carbon-ceramic Matrix brakes with 15.4-inch, two-piece rotors at the front and 14.2-inch, two-piece discs at the rear. The front brakes use six-piston Brembo calipers, while the rear brakes employ four-piston calipers. Other notable chassis features that are standard with the Viper ACR include aluminum-bodied, double-adjustable coil-over Bilstein race shocks, a suspension package that provides more than three inches of ride height adjustment, and unique suspension tuning. The ABS and five-mode ESC system was also specifically retuned for the ACR’s extra grip and extreme aerodynamic package.

There's no word on pricing yet, but expect the 1:28 Edition to fetch in excess of $120,000, not including destination and the gas guzzler tax.

Dodge Viper ACR

The ACR, short for American Club Racing, was initially introduced in 1999, three years into the second-generation Viper. Available as a coupe only, the ACR received an array of aerodynamic and mechanical updates for improved performance at the track. Discontinued for the third-gen Viper, the track-ready machine returned in 2008 with even more updates. In 2011, it lapped the Nurburgring track in seven minutes and 12.13 seconds. The nameplate returned once again for the 2016 model year, following a concept that Dodge introduced at the 2014 SEMA show.

Read our full review on the Dodge Viper ACR here.