Howdy Folks!
I like the design on the SRT-10 (vert) quite a bit (in fact, I may be shopping one vs. a GTS which was my original intent), so I was a *BIG* fan of the Carbon Coupe, which - from what I could see - was basically a fixed hardtop Vert, with some body changes (hood, trunk deck, lower fascia) and tricked out motor (power _and_ cosmetics).
IMHO, DC should follow GM's strategy with the Z06 (which as some may know, actually uses a Vert chassis as a starting point). Even a hand built car like the Viper could benefit from a little economy of scale (since the price is pretty damn amazing for the exotic/supercar that it is!). I'm sure even for a marquee car like the Viper, there's still the bottom line to content with, meaning a coupe that has way too many dedicated panels/parts likely won't happen (again, just my $0.02).
However, the Carbon Coupe seems like a great way to go, even though the visual difference between it and a Vert with an aftermarket hardtop is not that great. So upgrade the Coupe (like the Z06) with a few cosmetic touches and some performance items:
Fixed Roof - better structural rigidity
Integrated rear deck spoiler
Dedicated Coupe hood
Go ahead and do the CF materials, and drop 50-60 lbs, but paint them for people who don't want that exposed carbon look (I've seen a ton of CF parts painted locally, so it's very doable, even though GM can't get it straight).
Then just do the LS6 thing: take the existing 8.3L, open the heads, a little beefier cam - I believe the Viper gets gas guzzlered anyway, so I would think opening up another 50-75 (100?) would be a pretty standard hot-rodding excercise. Then you also have a Mopar performance package for existing SRT's, and some additoinal "aftermarket" revenue.
Do a titanium exhaust, drop another 30+ lbs
Dedicated wheels/tires - drop 15-20 lbs of unsprung/rotational weight
Do gears right from the factory, maybe 3:55's, and a dedicated coupe rearend/clutch setup to handle the extra power
Add improved shocks with an adjustable setup, bigger sways, etc., a coupe specific suspension.
Add some lighter (but still streetable) seats, maybe find another 20+ lbs of weight reduction. Maybe a harness option (i.e., the ACR)
And maybe a Coupe specific brake setup - or maybe a really slick looking (and functional) brake duct setup, using a custom fascia. Heck some good ducting and some 2-piece rotors would help tremendously on track, reduce rotational weight, add some coupe specific design touches, and not compromise the existing engineering.
So the Coupe shows up, looking 90-95% like the existing SRT-10, *but* has significant weight reductions (maybe 3200lbs?), better suspension and brakes, and more durable track worthiness.
Anyway, you get the idea - I guess it depends if the idea of the coupe is more of a "race" car, a track designed car.
Do people want a coupe because they don't _like_ convertibles? Because they don't want an aftermarket hardtop solution? If potential Coupe owners want the best track/performance setup (which is why I bought a Z, but don't worry I'm planning on a Viper soon :^) just do the few unique and weight saving cosmetic changes, then focus on the performance considerations (ala, the Z06, even the C6/Z51) and I think it would be a winner!
But I think if people just want the coupe to be a huge cosmetic shift from the current SRT-10 design, it's not gonna happen, or it will be a bit of a design mish-mash as DC tries to create a big aesthetic gulf between the vert and coupe.
Take care -
DT