Production of the Dodge Viper has officially ended, so there really is little reason to hope for the American sports car to somehow find its way back into the land of the living. If there ever were people who have been properly commemorating the departure of the beloved Viper, nobody’s doing a better job at it than the good people of the Viper Owners Association. For those who don’t remember, members of the organization successfully embarked on a crowdfunding movement to send the Dodge Viper ACR to the Nurburgring to see if it could take down the lap record for a production car, a record currently held by the Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

It had an initial run back in July and, while it didn’t succeed in toppling the Huracan Performante’s 6:52.01 lap time, it did manage to post a still-impressive time of 7:03.45. Not content with its pace, the group went back to the ‘Ring with drivers Dominik and Mario Farnbacher in tow, determined to succeed where it failed the first time. Unfortunately, their best efforts “only” resulted in a fastest lap of 7:03.23, which was still more than 10 seconds off of the pace of the Huracan Performante. Disappointing as it was - the team blamed the hot weather as a factor in the car’s performance, as per Road & Track - there’s still reason to be optimistic as the team plans to make a third trip back to the ‘Ring to see if it can at least break the seven-minute barrier, or better yet, do what is becoming a seemingly insurmountable task and take down the Huracan Performante’s record.

Continue after the jump to read the full story.

It’s been a good run, but it’s unlikely that the Huracan Performante’s record will fall

I admire what the Viper Owners Association is doing. I admire everything about it, from doing something that Dodge and FCA should’ve done, and for keeping at it even if it looks like the odds against the Viper ACR are becoming longer and longer the more, it performs these laps at the Nurburgring.

This is nothing against the Dodge Viper ACR. This is just a case of the Lamborghini Huracan Performante being on a completely different level than the American sports car. As good as the Viper ACR is, it’s unlikely that it’s going to run as fast as the Lambo, even in the most ideal of conditions. I’d like to be proven wrong though I don’t think I will be given the lap times that the Viper ACR has posted.

Still, give credit where it’s due. It tells you how much these people love the Dodge Viper and everything it represented. It may not have been the fastest and most powerful sports car in history, but it has left an indelible mark in a lot of people’s hearts. That kind of connection is rarely seen in the auto industry and, even if the Viper ACR falls short in its next run, it can take comfort knowing that there are people who spent their time and money to try to give it the send-off it deserves.

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References

Dodge Viper

Read our full review on the Dodge Viper.

Dodge Viper ACR

Read our full review on the Dodge Viper ACR.