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1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper

In 1991, Dodge brought the Viper into the world, a dangerously fast and extremely cool V10 supercar. The Copperhead was Chrysler's attempt at taking advantage of its success by offering a version for the masses.
1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper 6 photos
Photo: Dodge
1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper1997 Dodge Copperhead Was Supposed to Be the Poor Man's Viper
The problem with the Viper was two-fold. The V10 engine was huge and couldn't be installed in other cars easily. Also, it was quite expensive. It initially retailed from $50,700 (not adjusted for inflation), but by 1997, it had gone up to $66,000. That's the year the Copperhead came out as a concept.

Just like the Venom concept we recently showed you, the Copperhead was supposed to slot neatly under the Viper and offer an alternative to all those who couldn't afford one. The study was supposed to be ready by 2000 and be available from $30,000. For the record, a 2000 Porsche Boxster carried an MSRP of $41,430, so this was still cheap.

Now, the place where they really goofed up is in the engine department, as an Intrepid 2.7-liter V6 engine with only 220 horsepower was placed under the hood. The 5-speed gated manual was supposed to accompany you on a leisurely 0 to 60 mph stroll in 6.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 135 miles per hour. Not very impressive.

The Copperhead was based on the Viper chassis but measured 3 inches narrower and was 8 inches shorter. However, they pushed the wheels right to the edges of the body, resulting in a massive wheelbase.

Compared to the Viper, this was obviously an ugly concept. It looks like it has armpits for front fenders and an eyesight problem. The paint is nice, though, shifting between multiple shades of metallic orange and red. But even if it looked good, we doubt Carroll Shelby or Lee Iacocca would have approved of a V6 sports car, so it was never going to replace the Viper's success.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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