1996 CHRYSLER VIPER

America in the nineties was wild. Mike Tyson in the ring, Tupac & Biggie on the stage, and John McLane fighting the bad guys on the silver screen. So it’s not all that surprising that manufacturers felt the need to compete with pop culture.

Chrysler’s answer to this new era was to build an all-new flagship, something that would prove its place at the top of the US automotive industry. But to do so, they first had to acquire Lamborghini.

By adding Lamborghini to their “investment portfolio”, Chrysler gained access to decades of experience building high-performance supercars. So when it came time to build a special engine for their new car, Lamborghini engineers were set to work.

Viper production started in 1991, and save for a handful of production breaks, would run until 2017. Each car is lovingly fitted with a V10 heart. In the US, Vipers were sold under the Dodge brand, but when exporting to Europe, they were marketed as Chryslers.

This particular car is a 1996 model-year car, supplied new in the the UK and registered in March of 1997. The car is as striking today as it was when it was first unveiled. It is a concept car that happened to be put into production; it has no external door handles, no door locks and no windows. Instead, you make do with Caterham-esque side windows and a removable hardtop.

The car is finished in Viper Red, and today sits on a set of second-generation Viper wheels. They have been ball-polished to a chrome-like finish. They mount with 6 bolts, which is no surprise given the Viper’s ability to pull 1 lateral G of force in the corners.

The interior is fairly typical of a US-built car of this era, but unlike the majority of American motors, the Viper does away with almost any amenity. There is no airbag, no cruise control, no heated seats and certainly no automatic gearlever. Instead, you’re met with a three-spoke red-leather trimmed steering wheel and a speedometer that reaches right up to 180mph. The plastic trims are all in excellent shape, thanks to work completed during a recent recommissioning.

Lift the Viper’s comically long bonnet, and you find the heart of the beast. The 8.0-litre V10, which produces 400BHP and 465 lb-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox, which makes for an incredibly efficient tyre recycling machine.

This Viper has been in dry storage. Most recently, it has undergone a full recommissioning by our on-site team. During which a full inspection and service was undertaken. The car passed its MOT with flying colours, needing only a handful of parts, like some anti-roll bar drop links and a new battery. It has covered just 24,192 miles since new, and has had just two owners from new.

Now, though, the Viper is ready for its next caretaker. And take care you should, after all, Vipers can bite.

As with all our vehicles, an entire digital folder is available upon request and contains more images, walk-around videos, and scans of the service history. The car can also be viewed by appointment at our West London showroom.