Photo: original image by autoevolution
A member of a secret society. That’s what you become when you drive an SRT Viper. Some people will see what you do on certain occasions, but it is almost impossible for outsiders to understand the nature of your activities.
For instance, the gearshifts alone are enough to fill one with elation. The six-speed Tremec manual ‘box feels nicer to use than on the Shelby GT500 and that leather sifter makes for perfect grip.
Of course, in order to shift gears, you have to feed the thing with plenty of gas and this is where the situation becomes amusingly entertaining. The Viper’s 8.4-liter naturally aspirated V10 has been tweaked to deliver an extra 40 hp, while the torque boosts sits at the same value. Thus, your right foot now controls 650 hp and 600 lb-ft (813 Nm) of torque.
Speaking of figures, the SRT Viper comes with a power-to-weight ratio superior to many other supercars - the Lamborghini Aventador is an example as good as any.
Nonetheless, the figures don’t even tell half the story. That’s because the Viper’s racecar-on-public-roads feel is the key here. From the moment you get in, it all looks like there’s going to be some guy waving a checkered flag next to your car.
Once you go above 2,000 rpm, the engine shows its full force and from there on the side-mounted exhaust will treat you with its pleasantly rough voice. Of course, the soundtrack depends on what Viper flavour you go for.
SRT offers the standard Viper, along with a GTS version that beings some extra comfort features. These range from dual-mode Bilstein dampers to some 40 lbs (18 kg) of extra soundproofing.
Alas, the aural experience in the Viper GTS is a little on the weird side. You see, the added NVH material means you’ll only hear the exhaust on your right. Some butterfly valves would’ve really helped here. Don’t get us wrong, we’re far from wishing for a silent Viper, but the V10’s audio potential is simply not exploited well enough in the current form.
Exhaust tones asside, the Viper still feel much heavier than it is. Until you start hammering it, that is. Once you dial things up to eight out of ten, the supercar’s precision shines through and you can enjoy plenty of grip.
And we haven’t even gotten to the biggest change yet - believe it or not, the Viper doesn’t want to bite your head off anymore. But we’ll get into the details in our 2014 SRT Viper test drive.
Of course, in order to shift gears, you have to feed the thing with plenty of gas and this is where the situation becomes amusingly entertaining. The Viper’s 8.4-liter naturally aspirated V10 has been tweaked to deliver an extra 40 hp, while the torque boosts sits at the same value. Thus, your right foot now controls 650 hp and 600 lb-ft (813 Nm) of torque.
Speaking of figures, the SRT Viper comes with a power-to-weight ratio superior to many other supercars - the Lamborghini Aventador is an example as good as any.
Nonetheless, the figures don’t even tell half the story. That’s because the Viper’s racecar-on-public-roads feel is the key here. From the moment you get in, it all looks like there’s going to be some guy waving a checkered flag next to your car.
Once you go above 2,000 rpm, the engine shows its full force and from there on the side-mounted exhaust will treat you with its pleasantly rough voice. Of course, the soundtrack depends on what Viper flavour you go for.
SRT offers the standard Viper, along with a GTS version that beings some extra comfort features. These range from dual-mode Bilstein dampers to some 40 lbs (18 kg) of extra soundproofing.
Alas, the aural experience in the Viper GTS is a little on the weird side. You see, the added NVH material means you’ll only hear the exhaust on your right. Some butterfly valves would’ve really helped here. Don’t get us wrong, we’re far from wishing for a silent Viper, but the V10’s audio potential is simply not exploited well enough in the current form.
Exhaust tones asside, the Viper still feel much heavier than it is. Until you start hammering it, that is. Once you dial things up to eight out of ten, the supercar’s precision shines through and you can enjoy plenty of grip.
And we haven’t even gotten to the biggest change yet - believe it or not, the Viper doesn’t want to bite your head off anymore. But we’ll get into the details in our 2014 SRT Viper test drive.
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