The YouTube channel Four Eyes is mostly known for the host’s 2007 Ford Mustang GT project car. However, he now has a new project – a 2000 Dodge Viper GTS. The goal is 700 wheel-horsepower without any form of forced induction, but while it’s stock, he decided to see how the 20-year-old snake measures up against some of the Muscle cars currently on sale. Can the old Viper still perform?

From the factory the Viper’s 8.0-liter, pushrod V-10 is rated at 450 horsepower at 5,200 RPM and 490 pound-feet (664 Nm) at 3,700 RPM. But those numbers are at the flywheel and not the wheels, which is why the Viper goes to the dyno, where it manages to put down 410 horsepower at just over 5,500 RPM and 436 pound-feet (591 Nm) at around 3,700 RPM, at the rear wheels.

For a long time, there have been talks about the Viper’s official power output being conservatively rated and after accounting for a 15-percent powertrain loss, it turns out that the 8.0-liter V-10 actually makes 488 horsepower and over 500 pound-feet (678 Nm). Even more impressive is the torque curve, which gives you over 390 pound-feet (529 Nm) at just 2,500 RPM. According to Four Eyes, “this translates to an instant power off the line that can be felt all the way to the rev-limiter".

To see whether the Viper “still has it”, it goes up against three different cars. First up is an Audi S4. The German sedan is heavier and less powerful, so on paper, it should be an easy win. However, it has all-wheel drive and a “snappy” first gear, which could give it an advantage off the line. However, whether it’s from a dig or from a roll, that advantage did not count for much. After second gear, the Viper was gone.

However, it doesn’t matter, as the Viper slowly pulls away from the Challenger in both the drag race and the rolling race. Even when the Challenger gets the jump, it’s quickly over once the Viper shifts into second. We can conclude that, despite being much older, the Viper has not only aged well but has managed to thrash vehicles that are much more modern and sophisticated (maybe apart from the Mustang GT). Sadly, they don’t make the like this anymore, which is why Vipers are appreciating the way they do.