The third-generation Dodge Viper was unveiled in 2012, three years after Chrysler decided to discontinue the nameplate due to serious financial problems. The new sports car arrived with a slightly more aggressive exterior design, a revised cockpit, and a more powerful 8.4-liter V-10 engine connected to an updated transmission. Unlike its predecessor, the third-gen Viper was sold as a two-door coupe only. After five years during which it spawned many special-edition models, set lap records, and won races, the Viper will be phased out completely in 2017 due to slow sales and Chrysler's shift to producing more profitable vehicles.

2017 also marks the Viper's 25th year on the market, and Dodge is celebrating with no fewer than five special-edition models. One of them is the GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR, which also celebrates an important moment from the Viper's past. Specifically, this model pays tribute to the 1998 GTS-R GTS Championship Edition, which was built to celebrate the Viper's victory in the 1997 FIA GT2 championship.

"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,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Cars at FCA North America. “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.”

Continue reading to learn more about the Dodge Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR.

2016 Dodge Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2016 Dodge Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR
  • Engine/Motor: V10
  • Horsepower: 645
  • Torque: 600
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array

What makes the Dodge Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR special

Much like the 1:28 Edition ACR and most of the other recent limited-edition Vipers, the GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR is about a custom exterior livery and special badges. The coupe comes in a Pearl White exterior with Blue Pearl GTS stripes, a livery similar to the race-spec Vipers that dominated the race track in the late 1990s. Complimenting the bespoke paint job is a unique red Stryker badge decal, "GTS-R" sill decals, and U.S. flag B-pillar decals, all borrowed from the race car that won the FIA GT2 championship about two decades ago. It also features the Extreme Aero Package, a $6,000 option, as standard. The bundle adds an aerodynamically optimized front splitter, hood, rear diffuser, wing spoiler and upper dive planes. Another option fitted as standard is the Exterior Carbon Package, which includes front and rear brake duct bezels, and rear applique made from carbon-fiber. This options costs $5,100 on the regular ACR. Each vehicle is delivered with a custom car cover that matches the exterior paint and showcases the customer name above the driver’s side door.

Inside, the GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR is equipped with all the cool features found in the ACR, including numerous carbon-fiber elements, race seats and steering wheel wrapped in Alcantara, 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. Additionally, the special-edition package adds red accent stitching, Header Red seat belts, and a serialized instrument panel "GTS-R" badge.

Under the long hood lurks the same 8.4-liter V-10 engine offered in all Viper models. The naturally aspirated unit delivers 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque through a Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox to the rear wheels. While the standard Viper needs 3.3 seconds to hit 60 mph, the ACR's body kit enanbles the coupe to reach the same benchmark in around three ticks. 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, with six-piston and four-piston Brembo calipers, respectively. The double-adjustable coil-over Bilstein race shocks, the unique suspension tuning, and the retuned ABS and five-mode ESC systems keep the sports car on its best behaviour on the race track.

Production of the GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR will be limited to only 100 units for the 2017 model year. Expect pricing to start from at least $130,000. For reference, the standard Viper ACR retails from $120,895.

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.