racetech
Enthusiast
Oh my, the power of a Viper!
I've owned my 2000 RT/10 for just under 3 months now and joined a local car club. I just returned from the first judged event with a First In Class award. It was unclear what category the car fit best, so I entered it into Special Interest Cars (it just didn't seem like it belonged in the "Muscle Car" class).
I was up against some really tough competition. There was a Dale Earnhardt limited edition Monte Carlo, an ultra rare 1990 Phantom Classic (if you have no idea, go here)http://www.geocities.com/ju_192000/
My car was pretty clean, but not immaculate as were these other cars. The DE Monte Carlo has just 300 miles on the odomoeter (my Viper has 1500) and is trailered to car shows. The car is incredible...utterly flawless. Most of the other cars in my class were also pristine underneath (some with mirrors to prove it).
My Viper was clean, but far from perfect and had not been waxed. See, the weekend before, I'd joined the Gateway Viper Club in a charitable event. The Children's Mircale Network and Make A Wish Foundation have an annual Viper Ride Day for truly sick little kids. Seven of us took over 200 of them for rides. And did they ever get rides.
The police looked the other way as we turned a parking lot into our private race course. Sliding sideways at 75 mph and doing doughnuts with the tires ablaze was the order of the day. I was right in the middle of all of it (you can't prove that!). We paved the parking lot in rubber.
The event organizer told us that this annual Viper Ride Day is by far the most popular thing they do with these kids all year long. I took her for a ride at the end, and when she got back she said "good lord, did you go that fast with the kids?" I replied "no, no...not at all. We went a lot faster."
When I got home, I had to leave town. Then this morning, the washing machine blew up and took the prep time away from the Viper. I only had time to give it a once over. I had taken the wheels off after the kid rides, but there was a lot left to do.
Nevertheless, at the car show, it dazzled in the sunlight and drew crowds of admirers. And I let them touch it, open the door, get in it. I was a little embarassed that the judges elected to overlook a water spot here & there and dirt on the underside. But, it seems that the appeal of a Viper is overwhelming. It won the day on sheer gawk factor, I believe.
I've "had" to defend our cars when others come in here to tell us how fast this or that car is (what do they expect to hear in a Viper Club anyway?)
Not to stir up trouble again, but we're not alone in our love for the Viper. So many people have the car at the top of their list. Like us, they seem to feel that a Viper is far more than straight line acceleration, world class handling, and jaw-dropping looks. This car hit the sweet spot dead center and it's no slouch in the slalom tests either.
Not to rub it in (again)...but really, as wonderful as other cars are, what other car could have dazzled the judges beyond the ability to see a little dirt the way this car just did? Even far from perfect, it mowed them all down in the eyes of the judges and perhaps more importantly, in the eyes of the public.
RC
I've owned my 2000 RT/10 for just under 3 months now and joined a local car club. I just returned from the first judged event with a First In Class award. It was unclear what category the car fit best, so I entered it into Special Interest Cars (it just didn't seem like it belonged in the "Muscle Car" class).
I was up against some really tough competition. There was a Dale Earnhardt limited edition Monte Carlo, an ultra rare 1990 Phantom Classic (if you have no idea, go here)http://www.geocities.com/ju_192000/
My car was pretty clean, but not immaculate as were these other cars. The DE Monte Carlo has just 300 miles on the odomoeter (my Viper has 1500) and is trailered to car shows. The car is incredible...utterly flawless. Most of the other cars in my class were also pristine underneath (some with mirrors to prove it).
My Viper was clean, but far from perfect and had not been waxed. See, the weekend before, I'd joined the Gateway Viper Club in a charitable event. The Children's Mircale Network and Make A Wish Foundation have an annual Viper Ride Day for truly sick little kids. Seven of us took over 200 of them for rides. And did they ever get rides.
The police looked the other way as we turned a parking lot into our private race course. Sliding sideways at 75 mph and doing doughnuts with the tires ablaze was the order of the day. I was right in the middle of all of it (you can't prove that!). We paved the parking lot in rubber.
The event organizer told us that this annual Viper Ride Day is by far the most popular thing they do with these kids all year long. I took her for a ride at the end, and when she got back she said "good lord, did you go that fast with the kids?" I replied "no, no...not at all. We went a lot faster."
When I got home, I had to leave town. Then this morning, the washing machine blew up and took the prep time away from the Viper. I only had time to give it a once over. I had taken the wheels off after the kid rides, but there was a lot left to do.
Nevertheless, at the car show, it dazzled in the sunlight and drew crowds of admirers. And I let them touch it, open the door, get in it. I was a little embarassed that the judges elected to overlook a water spot here & there and dirt on the underside. But, it seems that the appeal of a Viper is overwhelming. It won the day on sheer gawk factor, I believe.
I've "had" to defend our cars when others come in here to tell us how fast this or that car is (what do they expect to hear in a Viper Club anyway?)
Not to stir up trouble again, but we're not alone in our love for the Viper. So many people have the car at the top of their list. Like us, they seem to feel that a Viper is far more than straight line acceleration, world class handling, and jaw-dropping looks. This car hit the sweet spot dead center and it's no slouch in the slalom tests either.
Not to rub it in (again)...but really, as wonderful as other cars are, what other car could have dazzled the judges beyond the ability to see a little dirt the way this car just did? Even far from perfect, it mowed them all down in the eyes of the judges and perhaps more importantly, in the eyes of the public.
RC
