Photo: Ralph Gilles on Instagram
It saddens us to report the V10-powered Dodge Viper is no longer in production. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles head of design Ralph Gilles was at the Conner Assembly Plant in Detroit to see the final Gen 5 supercars roll off the line.
The penultimate model is a customer car finished in yellow and beautified with black stripes. As for the last Viper, it’s a red brawler that will spend its life not on the road, but in the automaker’s heritage collection. And this, I’m afraid, is where the story of America’s ultimate supercar comes to an end.
Or does it?
With Conner Assembly scheduled to close down for good, the pessimist crowd finds it hard to imagine there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. But Fiat Chrysler chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne begs to differ. Only recently, the head honcho let it slip that Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform could be the starting block for the all-new Viper. Then again, FCA refuses to comment on the matter officially, leaving us with nothing but hope.
Now it would be best to take a trip down memory lane, to remember that the first-ever Viper saw the light of day in 1992. Known as Phase SR I, the first generation makes use of an odd-firing 8.0-liter V10. The massively powerful and torquey engine went on to serve the heavy-duty Ram pickup truck line, with the 8.3-liter variant following a little bit later in the Dodge Ram SRT-10.
The latest and the greatest Viper of them all, née Phase VX I, made its world premiere at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Arguably the most forward-thinking design of the 25-year-old series, the Gen 5 Viper relies on an 8.4-liter V10 with up to 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. And just like all of its predecessors, it comes exclusively with a six-speed manual tranny.
Or does it?
With Conner Assembly scheduled to close down for good, the pessimist crowd finds it hard to imagine there’s a light at the end of the tunnel. But Fiat Chrysler chief executive officer Sergio Marchionne begs to differ. Only recently, the head honcho let it slip that Alfa Romeo’s Giorgio platform could be the starting block for the all-new Viper. Then again, FCA refuses to comment on the matter officially, leaving us with nothing but hope.
Now it would be best to take a trip down memory lane, to remember that the first-ever Viper saw the light of day in 1992. Known as Phase SR I, the first generation makes use of an odd-firing 8.0-liter V10. The massively powerful and torquey engine went on to serve the heavy-duty Ram pickup truck line, with the 8.3-liter variant following a little bit later in the Dodge Ram SRT-10.
The latest and the greatest Viper of them all, née Phase VX I, made its world premiere at the 2012 New York Auto Show. Arguably the most forward-thinking design of the 25-year-old series, the Gen 5 Viper relies on an 8.4-liter V10 with up to 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. And just like all of its predecessors, it comes exclusively with a six-speed manual tranny.
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