Paul Hawker
Enthusiast
First of all, it was bitterly cold. blowing snow flurries, and slippery roads. Most of the snakes stayed home. Well attended event where the various club Presidents can get together to learn from each other, and get guidance from the VCA Board.
Some of the items discussed were Zone Rendezvous, and areas in which the Viper ownership experience can be enhanced.
Styling of new cars was discussed, and Dodge indicated the direction they would be going. The comments from people who know, gave me confidence that "Dodge gets it" and that they are heading back in the right direction.
The new Coupe was shown at the Detroit autoshow, and it is different than the one shown at the VOI.
They changed the stripes, the angle of the back glass, rear fenders, increased the height of the duck tail, as well as other items. New Coupe will be 30% stiffer and have 39% more down force than convertable. Racers will like that. Coupe will also be easier to install safety cage.
They noted that everyone wanted the Comp Coupe styling, but they said it would not look as nice if it was presented in legal street trim. They did not like the way it would look if lifted to legal ride hight, and stripped of it's wing, spoilers, dive planes, etc. Car would also be too wide for the street. Did not see pictures, but they evidently looked at all sorts of styling possibilities. New coupe is much better proportioned than VOI car, but still not as stunning as the street coupe show car. My personal opinion is that I want the new coupe. When we saw it sitting on the ground it makes quite an impression. Think it will sell well.
Regarding HP and Torque, they all wanted increased numbers, but I got the feeling they were under some kind of restriction, that they could not mention. Lots of guesses about something new, but they were not commenting. They seemed genuinely enthusiastic about coming out with increased power, and mentioned the new ZO-6 as finally catching up. I got the feeling they have something up their sleeve, that they could not talk about, but in the end the 06 Coupe will be released in the fall with 500/500/500.
Presidents were delighted to be able to tour the Roush facility where the Comp Coupe is built. They were running a CC on the break in dyno. It was running with only headers attached. It sounded fantastic, and got my blood pumping. Presidents also were given a tour of the ASC facility where they injection mold and paint the SRT's body parts. It was evident the quality tolerances for the Viper are much higher than for other parts they produce. We saw several completed parts tossed into the dumpster as unacceptable for very tiny flaws. Everyone wanted to grab those expensive parts, but security was too tight.
Hope this gives everybody a little insight into the meeting. Your Presidents gave up 4 days of their own time to attend this meeting. Please extend a little of your own time to support the club.
Some of the items discussed were Zone Rendezvous, and areas in which the Viper ownership experience can be enhanced.
Styling of new cars was discussed, and Dodge indicated the direction they would be going. The comments from people who know, gave me confidence that "Dodge gets it" and that they are heading back in the right direction.
The new Coupe was shown at the Detroit autoshow, and it is different than the one shown at the VOI.
They changed the stripes, the angle of the back glass, rear fenders, increased the height of the duck tail, as well as other items. New Coupe will be 30% stiffer and have 39% more down force than convertable. Racers will like that. Coupe will also be easier to install safety cage.
They noted that everyone wanted the Comp Coupe styling, but they said it would not look as nice if it was presented in legal street trim. They did not like the way it would look if lifted to legal ride hight, and stripped of it's wing, spoilers, dive planes, etc. Car would also be too wide for the street. Did not see pictures, but they evidently looked at all sorts of styling possibilities. New coupe is much better proportioned than VOI car, but still not as stunning as the street coupe show car. My personal opinion is that I want the new coupe. When we saw it sitting on the ground it makes quite an impression. Think it will sell well.
Regarding HP and Torque, they all wanted increased numbers, but I got the feeling they were under some kind of restriction, that they could not mention. Lots of guesses about something new, but they were not commenting. They seemed genuinely enthusiastic about coming out with increased power, and mentioned the new ZO-6 as finally catching up. I got the feeling they have something up their sleeve, that they could not talk about, but in the end the 06 Coupe will be released in the fall with 500/500/500.
Presidents were delighted to be able to tour the Roush facility where the Comp Coupe is built. They were running a CC on the break in dyno. It was running with only headers attached. It sounded fantastic, and got my blood pumping. Presidents also were given a tour of the ASC facility where they injection mold and paint the SRT's body parts. It was evident the quality tolerances for the Viper are much higher than for other parts they produce. We saw several completed parts tossed into the dumpster as unacceptable for very tiny flaws. Everyone wanted to grab those expensive parts, but security was too tight.
Hope this gives everybody a little insight into the meeting. Your Presidents gave up 4 days of their own time to attend this meeting. Please extend a little of your own time to support the club.
I knew it would be more, but 30 and 39 percent???
