Collectibles have always been a thing with us humans. Whatever we think has a certain value, we tend to keep a hold of, in case it might render a profit or personal satisfaction over time. And before cryptocurrencies were a thing, people would invest their money in cars, for instance. And after a couple of decades of waiting, it's time to cash in.
Over the past week or so, I must have seen at least ten low-mileage Dodge Vipers pop up on various websites, as their current owners have decided to part ways. For some people, this might be good news. Who doesn't want to get their hands on one of their childhood dream cars, especially considering it has seen almost no abuse up until this point? And even though 1st-gen Vipers might not be as capable as the newer ones, they do have a certain appeal to them.
They first went on sale in January of 1992, and back then, there were no driver aids to assist those brave and fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of one. The massive 488.1 cubic inches (8.0-liter) V10 unit was rated for about 400 horsepower and 480 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. With a curb weight of 3,285 lbs (1,490 kg), this thing could hit 60 mph (96 km/h) from a standstill in just 4.6 seconds, and a top speed of 165 mph (266 km/h).
Performance-wise, you could have had the Viper go up against a Ferrari F355, and that would have made for an exciting comparison. But coming back to the topic at hand, this 1995 Viper Black RT/10 is currently located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it has only been driven for 65 miles (104 km) in 26 years. That means an average of fewer than 3 miles (4.8 km) per year! With that in mind, a full-service check might be in order.
You can't help but wonder how the current owner managed to refrain himself from driving this more often. Seeing that the car already had 10 miles (16 km) on it when he bought it in 1996, that means he only enjoyed it for 55 miles (88.5 km) in total! That's around one hour of driving if he didn't skip the break-in process and kept things at a road-legal pace. One can only hope he had another one in his collection that he could actually enjoy and experience on the race track as well.
This tubular space frame beast came with a price tag of $60,500 ($700 destination charge included), as it packs air conditioning, something earlier models did not have. While the interior is rather spartan, you do get a 6-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip rear differential, and side exhaust pipes. So mind your step when you get in the car; you wouldn't want to get burnt in the process. If you do end up buying the car, please consider upgrading to an Inconel exhaust, and then post a video of what it sounds like.
There are seven more days until the auction is over, and the highest bid already stands at $20,000. It will be really interesting to see how far things will go with this vehicle, as it is, without doubt, one of the purest driver's cars out there. While newer models can go for over $200,000, it seems like a 1992 Viper RT/10 sold last year on Bring a Trailer for $110,000. Do you think this one will break that record?
They first went on sale in January of 1992, and back then, there were no driver aids to assist those brave and fortunate enough to get behind the wheel of one. The massive 488.1 cubic inches (8.0-liter) V10 unit was rated for about 400 horsepower and 480 lb-ft (650 Nm) of torque. With a curb weight of 3,285 lbs (1,490 kg), this thing could hit 60 mph (96 km/h) from a standstill in just 4.6 seconds, and a top speed of 165 mph (266 km/h).
Performance-wise, you could have had the Viper go up against a Ferrari F355, and that would have made for an exciting comparison. But coming back to the topic at hand, this 1995 Viper Black RT/10 is currently located in East Lansing, Michigan, and it has only been driven for 65 miles (104 km) in 26 years. That means an average of fewer than 3 miles (4.8 km) per year! With that in mind, a full-service check might be in order.
This tubular space frame beast came with a price tag of $60,500 ($700 destination charge included), as it packs air conditioning, something earlier models did not have. While the interior is rather spartan, you do get a 6-speed manual transmission, a limited-slip rear differential, and side exhaust pipes. So mind your step when you get in the car; you wouldn't want to get burnt in the process. If you do end up buying the car, please consider upgrading to an Inconel exhaust, and then post a video of what it sounds like.
There are seven more days until the auction is over, and the highest bid already stands at $20,000. It will be really interesting to see how far things will go with this vehicle, as it is, without doubt, one of the purest driver's cars out there. While newer models can go for over $200,000, it seems like a 1992 Viper RT/10 sold last year on Bring a Trailer for $110,000. Do you think this one will break that record?