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By
DAVID PIKE
First shown at the 1989 Detroit Motor Show as a
concept car the Dodge Viper was a real crowd pleaser. The fact that
Carroll Shelby, the legendary creator of the Cobra had acted as a
consultant to Chrysler in the car's design greatly assisted in boosting
its image.
Chrysler was so pleased with the public reaction that they immediately
set about forming a design team to rush the car into production. Thirty
months later the Viper started to appear in Chrysler showrooms across
the USA.
By the use of a plastic body the designers were able to introduce a
series of curves throughout the body which gave it a suggestion of
ducted power. There was no roof initially, other than a tent like piece
of vinyl but side curtains were fitted. In case owners got caught out in
the rain, the interior was trimmed in waterproof materials. Later a
`double bubble' hardtop was developed.
With its 8.0-litre V10 engine the Dodge Viper was a monster performer.
It certainly needed its three-spoke 33cm wide rear wheels to cope with
its 300kW output. Surprisingly though the engine was truck derived even
though Lamborghini had been engaged to help in the modification.
Some of the changes made to the original engine comprised switching the
cast iron block to all aluminium as well as giving it a bright red head!
But basically, it remained rather low-tech with only two valves per
cylinder, hydraulic lifters and long push rods. It also retained the
truck like torque curve peaking at 610Nm. Acceleration was one of its
strong points as it could dash from 0 to 96km/h in only 4.5 seconds by
using the six speed transmission which it was fitted with. The Viper was
capable of a top speed of 290km/h.
The Dodge Viper's curvaceous design, massive wheels and side-exit
exhausts were all throwbacks to the muscle car era of the late 60s, but
this time the price was within the reach of many more motorists,
especially those who were looking for a fair weather fun car.
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