The collectability is all very subjective and opinions vary intensely even among Viper owners. There probably is no reason to doubt that the current vehicle, of any number, that is the most collectable ,is the 98 GTSR. Some of the others, I seriously question ,are showing their value at present.
The 92 and early 93s may be valuable later , but currently they are not viewed very favorably and are reminiscent of the early 53/54 Vettes that didn't take off ( money wise ) for 50 years. This could be very much the case for the Viper, as currently the demand is very, very light for either year. The 96 and 97 GTSs are surprising everyone , as a very low mileage example will bring insane money ( primarily the 96 as the first model year ). The 97 Blue/white RT-10 is in the same league and many feel will bring even higher money long term with it's tiny build number.
The other area that is not happening today is ACRs, and they do not command any more than a GTS in the current atmosphere, due to perceptions of problems with the shocks ( both versions ), belts, and actually rather high build numbers when compared to the overall Viper sales for the 4 years they were made.Long term , I believe this car will command good money, but it is much farther in the future.
Overlooked completely , so far, are some of the cars that have huge potential and these are the Raffle Cars. From a Blue/Silver 2002 ACR ( first combination of this color ), to the ghost flame red SRT10, and the wicked orange 2005 with the Prefix interior and snakeskin stripes, these are just some of the raffle cars that will likely command off scale prices later.
The cars that likely will pop up in years to come will be the ones that Viper fanatics find out are in numbers way under what even the 97 Blue/white RT-10s were built in ( example: Slate gray Coupes --- total of 28 built in all variations ). The item that will likely help all owners , based on plain old common sense , is the relatively tiny numbers all Vipers are built in. With the ones turned into race cars, others wrecked, many shipped overseas, the real numbers available in the US will be even smaller.
The 600 hp car will likely take a nice place in possible collectability ( all of this is long term in my estimation ) because we will see many cars that will be done in absurdly low numbers. With all the choices DC is now giving buyers , rationale says there could be a breed of very unique Snakes that have no identical twins. I do believe we will see a new wave of owners keeping build sheets, window stickers, and other documents, and it will be more important to have these items when trading. Vipers have always been exclusive, but in the near future one will likely see demand stay higher if buyers want a very specific vehicle. This will be good for all and as so many love to personalize te car today , the future looks bright for some especially venomous Snakes to inhabit this Planet.
Lastly , to put the polish on how we all can miss what could be a desirable object in the future, think of the very few ( around 11 ) VOI9 cars with wings and splitters , not counting the few also with the engine mods. Tiny numbers and a unique , special car, so where will it land a decade from now? I think we will all be pleased as the years unfold.........we have a very special car when we count the true numbers!
Respectfully Submitted,
Bill Pemberton