Monday 18th April 2011

2012 Dodge Viper Goes Winter Testing

Test mule looks just like the old Viper, but it's not...

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We know there's going to be a new Dodge Viper next year, but sadly we can't tell you much about it with any degree of certainty. However, just to keep our juices flowing, Dodge has published this official image of a development mule undergoing winter testing - along with an oddly contrived press release that labours a 2012 'Olympic' metaphor.

The slew of rumours/reports circulating around the new car have included speculation it will share a platform with the Mercedes SLS and have a Ferrari-derived engine.

We're pretty sure both of those suggestions are fanciful, so we're going with the crowd who think the 2012 Viper will feature an engine derived from the last car's V10, perhaps with Fiat group MultiAir tech helping to push output up to 600+ hp. Oh, and Stability Control, as per the release below.

As for the 2012 car's styling, apparently Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles has suggested it's going to look like 'a naked woman on a beach'. Something to do with a double-bubble roof, we hear. Pending the arrival of any official pics of the new car itself, we were tempted to illustrate Mr Gilles' simile instead. Bit only tempted.

The press release:

"April 15, 2011 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The long, cold and snowy winter presented a perfect environment for the ultimate American-built sports car and icon of the Dodge brand's performance car lineup to prepare for its imminent return. Using a 2010 chassis as a test subject, SRT engineers expanded the development scope for the next generation Dodge Viper to include stability control tuning for the first time. The development comes just in time for the next "Super Car Olympics," sure to take place late in 2012 when the all-new performance icon returns."

[British Beef]

Surely Chrysler have realised that an 8ltr + engine is not conducive to a good handling car, surely an important ingredient in a "sports car", never mind averaging +/-10mpg while doing it (especially with Brent crude at $127/bbl!)

Wake up and smell the coffee Chrysler.....

[LuS1fer]

British Beef said:

Surely Chrysler have realised that an 8ltr + engine is not conducive to a good handling car, surely an important ingredient in a "sports car", never mind averaging +/-10mpg while doing it (especially with Brent crude at $127/bbl!)

Wake up and smell the coffee Chrysler.....

Gee, how come it laps the 'Ring so fast then? Isn't the 8 litres actually air and what does that weigh? Given it is an alloy engine, do you have any figures regarding its weight vs , say a 5.0 BMW V10? Or doesn't that handle either based on the layout and displacement.....

I suppose you're comparing the consumption to the Lamborghini Murcielago Eco II Prius or something.

[300bhp/ton]

The world needs cars like the Viper as it proves there's a point to being human and enjoying life rather than just surviving it.

[Rotary Madness]

Must be such a horrible job having to chuck a viper around a snow track

[British Beef]

You can make a transit van lap a race track quickly with enough "praparation". Doesnt make it a good sports car.

Have you ever read a road test review of the Vipert / SRT which praised its composure, balance and general road manors???? I would like to see it if you have.

[edo]

car must be cold, it has a bogey hanging out of its nose!

[Ozzie Osmond]

British Beef said:

Have you ever read a road test review of the Vipert / SRT which praised its composure, balance and general road manors???? I would like to see it if you have.

Have you ever read a road test report abot an Elise which praised its blistering performance?

There's more then one way to build a sportscar.

Elise - nimble and cheap
Viper - very, very fast and half the price of a Lamborghini
F458 - fast, balanced and expensive

All sportscars though.

[LuS1fer]

British Beef said:

You can make a transit van lap a race track quickly with enough "prEparation". Doesnt make it a good sports car.

Have you ever read a road test review of the Viper / SRT which praised its composure, balance and general road manners???? I would like to see it if you have.

Some people would get more pleasure from a Transit van that lapped faster than a Porsche though it would probably take more cost than buying a Viper.

The same can be said of many cars like modern Astons and Lambos. Does that mean they should stop making them and make an "ideal clone"?

http://www.insideline.com/dodge/viper/2009/long-te...

[ZOLLAR]

300bhp/ton said:

The world needs cars like the Viper as it proves there's a point to being human and enjoying life rather than just surviving it.

Agreed.

[10 CYL]

British Beef said:

You can make a transit van lap a race track quickly with enough "praparation". Doesnt make it a good sports car.

Have you ever read a road test review of the Vipert / SRT which praised its composure, balance and general road manors???? I would like to see it if you have.

I have owned 2 and they handle a great deal better than you realise, you can only really comment once you have owned one yourself, and you obviously have not.

[EDLT]

The reviews I've read make them sound a bit like a TVR, they are very fast but it gets a bit hairy once you go over the limit.

Wasn't there a rumour that the new Viper will also be available with a V8?

[British Beef]

If they are such good sports cars why do you see none on British roads?

I can see them working on wide, smooth and straight-ish American roads, but over here a good sports car IMO needs different priorities.

American sports cars have different qualities to what is expected & required in UK (and Europe).

For British roads it is too cumbersome to be a sports car and too unrefined (and cheap interior) to be a GT - hence no limited appeal....here! If I lived in Texas my outlook and argument might be very different.

[vetteheadracer]

I saw the full scale 2012 Viper last year at VOI 11 in Salt Lake City and a beautiful looking car it is too.

FACTS:

1. It will be rear wheel drive and retain the 8.4L V10 engine with side exit exhausts.
2. It has a double bubble roof
3. I want one

FICTION:

1. It will handle like a barge
2. It will drink fuel faster than a Ferrari
3. It will be available in RHD.....(this may actually be untrue as there is a rumour the car will be produced in RHD as well as LHD).

The wheel base will be similar to the last Viper / SRT-10 and to start with it will be a Coupe only, expect convertible later and also ACR version.

[300bhp/ton]

British Beef said:

If they are such good sports cars why do you see none on British roads?

I can see them working on wide, smooth and straight-ish American roads, but over here a good sports car IMO needs different priorities.

American sports cars have different qualities to what is expected & required in UK (and Europe).

For British roads it is too cumbersome to be a sports car and too unrefined (and cheap interior) to be a GT - hence no limited appeal....here! If I lived in Texas my outlook and argument might be very different.

Have you actually been in one? A couple of posts up there is a 2 time Viper owner. I rather reckon their word carries a fair bit more weight than yours, unless you can substanstiate your claims with first hand experience.

As for limited numbers??? I believe most if not all Vipers where registered in the UK under the SVA which would have limited imported numbers to 50 a year. In short it means physically there are not that many in county due to this. Combine the fact it was a £60k motor with supercar performance and early R/T's having no roof puts it firmly in the rare supercar territory.

How many F40's or V12 Lambo's do you see on a regular basis? As I'll attest to seeing more Vipers and more often than either.

[British Beef]

Ive driven a 96 MY. It makes a good noise I love the looks and goes quick, just doesn not feel comfortable on our roads.

F40 & V12 Lambo are not a fair or even a close comparison to this, silly comparison!

I see plenty of sports cars costing £100k+, and still none of these.

Performance wise a few TVRs do as well or better for considerably less money.

My understanding is that you can import as many as you like if you pay the duties.

[GW65]

British Beef said:

If they are such good sports cars why do you see none on British roads?

I can see them working on wide, smooth and straight-ish American roads, but over here a good sports car IMO needs different priorities.

American sports cars have different qualities to what is expected & required in UK (and Europe).

For British roads it is too cumbersome to be a sports car and too unrefined (and cheap interior) to be a GT - hence no limited appeal....here! If I lived in Texas my outlook and argument might be very different.

As others have said, there are lots of good sports cars you don't see on British roads (unless you look really hard!).

I'd be interested to hear what you feel are the sports car "qualities...expected & required in UK (and Europe)".

[ViperDave]

British Beef said:

If they are such good sports cars why do you see none on British roads?

I can see them working on wide, smooth and straight-ish American roads, but over here a good sports car IMO needs different priorities.

American sports cars have different qualities to what is expected & required in UK (and Europe).

For British roads it is too cumbersome to be a sports car and too unrefined (and cheap interior) to be a GT - hence no limited appeal....here! If I lived in Texas my outlook and argument might be very different.

I have never seen an F40 or Mclaren F1 on the road, so they must be crap also. I see a viper quite a bit though, in fact there is one in our office car park today, the seem quite common around these parts. there two in my street alone.

Its not actually that big. It fits in a standard garage with ease unlike a lot of BMW's, its ing fast and goes around corners faster than i have the balls to take it around corners.

[300bhp/ton]

British Beef said:

Ive driven a 96 MY. It makes a good noise I love the looks and goes quick, just doesn not feel comfortable on our roads.

F40 & V12 Lambo are not a fair or even a close comparison to this, silly comparison!

I see plenty of sports cars costing £100k+, and still none of these.

Performance wise a few TVRs do as well or better for considerably less money.

My understanding is that you can import as many as you like if you pay the duties.

Couple of points.

1. Maybe it's more the fact you didn't find it comfortable on British roads? I say this as there seem to be plenty of happy Viper owners in the UK.

2. F40 and Lambo was reference to numbers not performance or price. You want an alternative - how many NSX's do you see on UK roads? My answer would be very few. I can recall seeing two in the past 6-8 months. I've probably seen as many or more Vipers in that time.

3. Vipers where never really sold officially in the UK (I believe Chrysler did import a small number) and have no main dealer network, esp the latter models. They are also all LHD which will evidently limit appeal. So of course you'll see more Porsches and Ferraris.

4. Trouble is you can't buy a new TVR. And in fairness I suspect running a Viper is a lot cheaper and less hassle. Oil and filter changes for the most part. A TVR is never quite that simple.

5. I think the regs did change on number of SVA imports per year. But it was certainly the case for earlier ones. Without gaining full European/UK Type approval Chyrsler would not have been able to import more than a max of 50 cars assuming there were no other grey imports. Subaru UK suffered this with the 22b, where offically imported examples had to wait until the next Reg change over due to the number of privately imported 22bs using up the quota under SVA regs.

[10 CYL]

British Beef said:

Ive driven a 96 MY. It makes a good noise I love the looks and goes quick, just doesn not feel comfortable on our roads.

F40 & V12 Lambo are not a fair or even a close comparison to this, silly comparison!

I see plenty of sports cars costing £100k+, and still none of these.

Performance wise a few TVRs do as well or better for considerably less money.

My understanding is that you can import as many as you like if you pay the duties.

If you drove one perhaps it would change your mind, you have nothing to genuinely compare it with as it appears you have't driven anything of any significance.

[British Beef]

10 CYL said:

If you drove one perhaps it would change your mind, you have nothing to genuinely compare it with as it appears you have't driven anything of any significance.

You my friend, are an idiot.

I have driven one of these (as stated in an earlier comment) I have also driven plenty of other exotic and less exotic machinery on and off the track. You can pay for such privaleges without owning the vehicle!