The Dodge Vipers on the stand at the LA auto show will be the last of the current series as the car reaches the end of its production run. Five hundred final examples will be produced, Dodge offering them with over 7,600 possible appearance combinations to ensure that no two are the same leaving the production line.
What's all the fuss about?
A wider bonnet stripe, two new colours - one a particularly retina testing hue dubbed 'Toxic Orange Pearl Coat' - and a host of other personalisation elements allows the last 500 customers of this iconic sports car to have exactly the car they want. Many special edition models including the ACR 1:33 Edition and Vooodoo-edition Viper ACR will be mixed into the 2010 model line-up, giving collectors in a few decades something to get excited about and spend silly money on at the annual collector car auctions.
Any new technology?
Not really, indeed the Viper SRT10 has always been a bit low-tech. It's difficult to ignore its 8.4-litre V10 engine, though. Yup, that's 8.4-litres, which is good for 600bhp and allows it to reach 60mph in less than four seconds and then break through 200mph with relative ease. All 2010 models feature a revised fifth gear ratio to improve acceleration, the Viper's 0-200mph time improving by 14 seconds as a result. It's unlikely you'll ever use that, but we guess it's good to know. It'll be offered in the usual coupé and roadster guises, with the hardcore American Club Racer (ACR) version also offered. The latter gets a slightly revised aero package, a shorter throw gear lever and that faster accelerating fifth gear - expect it to go back to the Nurburgring to improve on its already seriously rapid lap time.
When can I buy one?
Dodge's dealers in the US will be only too happy to take a deposit off you now, as we've no doubt will the people on the Dodge stand in LA. Prices have yet to be announced, but you can be sure, as always, it'll be a lot cheaper than European exotics, though some of the special ACR cars will no-doubt break through the $100,000 mark.
1 comment