Doug DeMuro Buys THE Viper, a Manly Blue Car Without Traction Control

This version of the Viper defined the 90s era of American automobiles. It was all about "F you Porsche with your little engine" and "real men don't need traction control, and they don't talk about their feelings." It's hard to compare this to a modern Corvette or Challenger Hellcat because it was so wild and unhinged.

You can't even imagine what the atmosphere in Motor City was like back in the day of the early Vipers. The trucks were big, gas was cheap and so a V10 engine from a pickup kind of made sense. Even then, Detroit was talking about electric cars, but it was a "what if" and people didn't care about phones either.

For a 15-foot car with a pickup engine, the Viper was also extremely light. In fact, it was only a bit heavier than the current Toyota Camry.

So after going on and on about what it's like to live with a $45,000 Aston Martin, Doug DeMuro has bought an old Dodge Viper. Why? Because the people on the internet told him to, wanting to know what it's like to have an old American supercar without any electronic aids. So far, he's not dead. But if he stops posting soon, we'll know exactly what happened.

The first video of the new-old 1997 GTS example in blue with white stripes is all about going down the motorway. It makes the 500-mile trip home in one piece, which is probably more than you can say about a Ferrari from that era. Sure, it's spartan in the way it's equipped, but it also surprisingly easy to live with. The exhaust isn't too loud, and the seats are super-comfortable. If you've come here for the donuts and smoke, you're going to leave hungry, as Doug isn't into that kind of thing.