It was a sad day for Dodge fans when the Viper was officially discontinued. We’re still not sure exactly why it was discontinued. Some said it was because the now-required side curtain airbags couldn’t be integrated into the current model and it would be too expensive to implement a redesign. Of course, Dodge has become a fan of running models to death – more than 10 years in the case of the Challenger and Charger – so it’s not all that surprising. Others speculated that it was just a scheme to make money – once it was discontinued they could run-off a bunch of over-priced special-edition models and make some extra cheddar (they did,) sell off some memorabilia (they did,) wait a few years, and then bring the nameplate back. Regardless of the real reason, it’s now 2020 and we still don’t have a new, sixth-gen Dodge Viper. A new rendering, however, shows us what could have been.

Mid-Engined Dodge Viper Rendering

Before Sergio Marchionne took to the sky, he shot down any possibility of the Dodge Viper making a comeback. Maybe it was a cover-up, maybe it wasn’t. Either way, it’s now 2020, and we still don’t have a new Dodge Viper. That leaves us wondering: Just what would a sixth-gen Dodge Viper look like?

Well, Dodge knew what it was doing, the Dodge Viper would have made the transition (or be in the process of transitioning) into a mid-engined, near-supercar that could take on the all-new Chevy C8 Corvette and the new Ford GT. And, that’s exactly what this rendering shows. Of course, it’s based on the fifth-gen Viper, but if you’ve paid any attention to the Viper over the years, it’s never really changed that much – each generation was more like a facelift than anything else.

That’s also why this mid-engine rendering makes so much sense. The Viper would be able to competently compete against the C8 Corvette and Ford GT, and it would look damn cool doing it. And, who knows, if those screaming “scheme” were right, there’s still a chance that we could see the Viper make a comeback in the next few years. How does the phrase “2023 Mid-Engined Doge Viper” sound to you? Sounds good to us. Anyway, check out all the angles in the gallery below or the slider above, and let us know what you think about it!

2015 Dodge Viper specifications