The Dodge Viper production ended six years ago, but the carmaker still has several examples of the sports car in its inventory. Only two of them were sold in 2023.
You know the Viper. It's the sports car that Sergio Marchionne himself insisted on keeping on the market despite the financial problems that hit the brand in during the global crisis in 2008. The model made a comeback in 2013 with a third generation in the shape of an SRT variant.
But with the niche shrinking, the Viper was heading toward the end. Fiat Crysler blamed the slow sales, but the model was reportedly unable to comply with the then-new regulations of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 226 (FMVSS 226), which made the side-curtain airbags mandatory.
It was July 2017 when Fiat Chrysler announced the discontinuation of the model as well as the decision to permanently close the Conner Assembly Plant at the end of August. The Dodge Viper was running out of time. Thus, the last of them rolled off the production line on August 31 at the facility in Detroit, Michigan.
During the 26 years of production, Dodge had built approximately 32,000 units. Some of them are still at the dealers, which are trying to sell them as new. Back in 2017, the model came with an MSRP of $87,895. But a well equipped example with only the delivery miles on board can even hit $300,000.
Photo: Dodge
That must probably be the reason why Dodge only sold two (yes, you read that right) Vipers in the entire 2023. And still, the numbers doubled the ones from 2022, when only a single unit was sold. But 2021 saw four customers for the two-seater.
The Dodge Viper is powered by the 511.5-cubic inch (8.4-liter) V10 engine, which is capable of generating 640 horsepower (649 metric horsepower) and 600 pound-feet (812 Newton meters) of torque. The power plant is mated to a Tremec six-speed manual transmission, which sends everything it manages to the rear wheels.
All those are enough to make the sports car run from 0 to 62 mph (0 to 97 kph) in 3.5 seconds. The needle of the speedometer goes all the way to 206 mph (332 mph).
The car is equipped with electronic stability control, a four-channel anti-lock brake system, 19-inch alloy wheels with Pirelli P Zero Z tires, four-piston Brembo brakes with fixed-aluminium callipers.
It remains to be seen if all these do matter for the die-hard fans of the model in 2024. And if there are any left at all, considering that Dodge sells a car made in 2017 as expensive or more expensive than a new one. The most expensive and potent of the Chargers, the SRT Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak, starts at $94,365. The carmaker also halted production of the muscle car. But that was in December 2023.
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