Wednesday 20th February 2013

You Know You Want To: Dodge Viper GTS

An eight-litre V10, 450hp, 490lb ft and 1,500kg - and all for £35,000. Still fancy that Cayman?

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Say what you like about American cars; they've always been able to offer pure, uninhibited drama in automotive form. Noise, looks, and character – they have it all in spades. And none more so than the Dodge Viper.

Bulges, ripples, and slats: it's got 'em all

When the Viper was launched, it became an instant object of desire. Kids' bedrooms in the late 90s were festooned with posters featuring its swooping, almost cartoonish body. That huge, swollen bonnet housed an engine which was the stuff of legend – an eight-litre (eight, no less!) V10 – and tapered back to a tiny cockpit and a wide, kicked-up tail. Along the way, the bodywork bulged and rippled, supposedly with the effort of containing all that muscle, even splitting in places to reveal vents and air dams that fed the monstrous powerplant with air. Gosh.

How the Viper drove was almost irrelevant (despite the fact that it actually drove pretty well). The hook was the look, and of course the unending power and torque - 450hp and 490lb ft to be precise, giving a 0-60mph time of around four seconds. And the noise. Gosh, what a noise. If you haven't already, go and look up some videos of Viper exhaust noises. Done it? Good. You'll know just what we mean, then.

Exposed in all its glory...

The Viper wasn't perfect, by any stretch. It was pretty cheaply made, ludicrously expensive to fuel, and of course, the side exit exhaust burned your legs every time you tried to clamber out. But as a flight of fancy; as a pure, hedonistic hit of adrenaline, it was unrivalled. While newer versions – the latest SRT Viper, for example – have continued in the same vein, they have along the way lost some of the raw charm of the original.

So how's about it, then? This one's a great example. As a GTS, it does without the leaky roof and wind noise of the original RT/10 convertible. It's covered just 35,000 miles, and looks from the advert to be in immaculate nick. The silver over black colour combo is a tad dull compared to the loud, proud reds, yellows and blues that were available – but with that styling, it's not really an issue. There's no mention of history, but then the ad is pretty sparse, so you'd hope that it's an oversight rather than a shortfall in that department. It's yours for £34,995 – or, less than the price of a new Cayman. And as incredible a car as that is, if it's drama you're looking for, the Viper's the one.

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DODGE VIPER GTS
Price: £34,995
Why you should: It's a cartoon character's car made flesh
Why you shouldn't: It's thirsty, and not particularly well-made

See the original ad here

[MagicalTrevor]

It's certainly not aged well! The styling now looks messy although I did quite like them when they first came out.

Only 400bhp? I had it in my head that they were more powerful than that

[Krikkit]

MagicalTrevor said:

Only 400bhp? I had it in my head that they were more powerful than that

They're only light, so performance is pretty rapid as standard, but the engine is very unstressed. The ACR had mild breathing and exhaust mods for 460hp.

Blue with white stripes please, definitely in my lottery garage.

[kambites]

Krikkit said:

They're only light

1500kg isn't that light.

[Krikkit]

kambites said:

Krikkit said:

They're only light

1500kg isn't that light.

True, but for an 8 litre lump of iron in the middle it's not too bad. Not small cars by any means, even if the cockpit is a bit... Snug?

[Liquid Tuna]

Yes but will I get 30+ mpg? Is there a diesel option?

[anonymous-user]

Still want that Cayman? er, YES!

In the UK, the Gen1 Viper simply wouldn't see which way a new Cayman went!

(and 4sec to 60, good luck with actually getting that!)

[Blayney]

Krikkit said:

True, but for an 8 litre lump of iron in the middle it's not too bad. Not small cars by any means, even if the cockpit is a bit... Snug?

Is it not aluminium?

I have loved the viper since I was a little boy. Nothing has changed. This tops my dream list. Stop tempting me!

[tjlazer]

I think I'll take my 400bhp, 5lt beauty over this any day. Makes the m5 look frugal and a complete bargain- 5 seats and body panels that aren't going to fall off! Err who would buy this at that price?!

[k-ink]

TT versions make around 1200 ponies last time I looked.

[LotusOmega375D]

There's no way that a 12 year-old Viper is worth 35k. 20-odd if they're lucky.

Those guys should stick to selling home-built kit-cars!

[300bhp/ton]

Always wanted a go in one of these, although from people I know who have driven them, say a Vette of similar vintage is a far better car. And a heck of a lot cheaper too.

[DJRC]

Seriously? I cant believe the negativity.

The Viper rocks. Its rocks even standing still. It looks fantastic and has aged perfectly. The damn thing still looks fresh!

I love them.

[LotusOmega375D]

NB: you'd need to exit through the boot to burn yourself on those exhaust pipes.

[soad]

Krikkit said:

Blue with white stripes please, definitely in my lottery garage.

Yes!

[Fartgalen]

Actually the GenII is 450hp as standard

[Fartgalen]

Liquid Tuna said:

Yes but will I get 30+ mpg? Is there a diesel option?

30 mpg is possible. Keep it to 70 on the motorway and you'll have no problem.
100mph in top is only 2000 revs. Allegedly.

ETA - finally a YKYWT that I do. Or in fact did

Edited by Fartgalen on Wednesday 20th February 15:19

[OdramaSwimLaden]

kambites said:

Krikkit said:

They're only light

1500kg isn't that light.

I assumed it would be much more than that.......

I'm suprised anyway!

[ZesPak]

Viper is a dream car, wheras the Cayman will never be one. I'd like to have a go, but I wouldn't want it for every day.
Much like Lanny Barbie.

I want this one:

[kambites]

OdramaSwimLaden said:

kambites said:

Krikkit said:

They're only light

1500kg isn't that light.

I assumed it would be much more than that.......

I'm suprised anyway!

Yeah it's not bad but 400 bhp and 1.5 tonnes is hardly the loony power to weight ratio that you'd think from the looks.

[300bhp/ton]

kambites said:

OdramaSwimLaden said:

kambites said:

Krikkit said:

They're only light

1500kg isn't that light.

I assumed it would be much more than that.......

I'm suprised anyway!

Yeah it's not bad but 400 bhp and 1.5 tonnes is hardly the loony power to weight ratio that you'd think from the looks.

Umm I think it was back in what 1992 when the Viper was first launched. At the time a more expensive Honda NSX would only have had 276hp or less if equipped with an auto. Yet still weighed 1365-1405kg.