Dodge has updated the iconic Viper SRT10 for the 2008 model year, using the Detroit auto show to reveal the new car.
It boasts more performance, better braking, ride and handling, a race-inspired interior and bold exterior styling, said Dodge.
For 2008, SRT gets a new, 8.4-liter aluminium V10 engine with 600bhp and 560lb-ft of torque, offering zero to 60mph performance in less than four seconds.
The new Viper arrives in showrooms in North America this summer with a new level of customisation options, including five new exterior colours, four new interior colour combinations and a new wheel design.
The engine improvements centre round bigger displacement, more efficient breathing and higher engine speed. The block was revised for a 1mm larger bore, strengthened bulkheads and improved water jackets for better cooling, with pressed-in iron cylinder liners and cross-bolted main bearing caps for strength and durability.
It breathes through new cylinder heads equipped with CNC-shaped combustion chambers, larger valves and Variable Valve Timing (VVT) which adjusts when the exhaust valves are open and closed according to engine speed and load.
The two-piece intake manifold combines a cast-aluminium lower with smooth runners for better air flow, bolted to a die-cast aluminium upper plenum. A revised air-cleaner box with a low-restriction filter sends air through a dual electronic throttle control into the intake module.
The air-fuel mixture in the cylinders is ignited by platinum-tip spark plugs fired by new individual plug coils mounted on the cylinder-head covers.
Within the cylinders, pistons are equipped with larger-diameter floating pins with bronze bushings for high-load capability. Forged powder-metal connecting rods are secured with aircraft-quality fasteners for increased fatigue strength. Engine lubrication is managed by a larger oil pump and a swinging oil pickup adapted from Viper competition engines, to improve oil pressure in high-rpm and hard-cornering conditions.
Spent gases exit through tubular air-gap headers, which not only improve exhaust flow, but also ensure quick catalyst light-off for improved emission control. The headers' stamped stainless-steel outer shell acts as a thermal heat shield for the individual stainless-steel runners that contribute to better flow separation and exhaust tuning.
The clutch is new -- smaller diameter with twin-discs -- and reduces rotating inertia by 18 per cent, resulting in reduced clutch-pedal effort and improved engagement feel. The transmission is the latest evolution of the Tremec T56 six-speed manual, known as the TR6060. It features 10 per cent wider gears for higher torque capacity. Shift throw is shorter and there's a new provision for adding an external transmission cooler.
The car's new Brembo-based braking system offers 60-to-0 mph in less than 100 feet, said Dodge. The revised suspension consists of independent, four-wheel suspension featuring aluminium rods damped by lightweight coil-over dampers. Power is transmitted to the tarmac via a Visco-Lok speed-sensing limited-slip differential.
The car lso gets thre styles of 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheels clad in Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tyres.
The SRT10 remains available in two body styles: Roadster and Coupé. Both feature a new bonnet with a larger, more efficient scoop for air induction and larger louvres for better cooling for the heftier V10 underneath.
All of the classic Viper SRT10 design cues have been maintained including the signature crosshair grille, deep-cut side scallops, swept-back bumpers and lowered bonnet lines.
Inside
Both cars retain the push-button starter and performance-oriented instrument panel with centre-mounted tachometer and 220-mph speedo.
The 2008 model will be hand-built at Chrysler's Conner Avenue assembly plant in Detroit.
We don't yet know when it'll come to the UK...
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