When the Gen 2 coupe was announced...

[PDCjonny]

Hey old timers....

Was there the same hysteria as there seems to be now with the Gen 5?
People worried about being able to buy one..

Where there spyshots out showing the Blue and White color?

 

[plumcrazy]

i remember the site back then but dont remember this kind of hysteria/stupidity

also seem to remember a B/W with some black masking on the front end on a track somewhere. (might have had hennessey involved)

 

[Mopar Steve]

Actually I believe it was a little more exciting back then.

Remember, when the Viper was introduced there were no other super cars that came close to this performance for the money. Add to that there was nothing as extreeme in styling as the Viper when introduced. Also the Viper came right out and was winning races. There are other cars with similar performance numbers available today for similar (or less) money.

 

[v10enomous]

I was just watching the SEMA show on Speed and they said something that I of course Knew but never really put into perspective. Just basically that Chrysler never had a 2 seat sports car until 1992. So that in itself makes the Viper releases even more special.

 

[Paul Hawker]

When the Blue/White Coupe was announced the Viper world went Viperholic.

This was the modern reincarnation of the Shelby Coupe.

Went from 400 hp to 450 better suspension, brakes (a little) a big upgrade in interior, but the real kicker was the new Coupe styling.

The general public was blocked from purchasing these cars. The only way to get them was to have a Voucher from Dodge, and those only went to people who previously had purchased new Vipers from Dodge. VCA officials, and regional club presidents seemed to get preferences as a reward for all the work they had done to service the faithful.

There was absolutely no competition for this new Viper from the marketplace for anywhere near the price. People driving this car got absolute rock star status where ever they went. The automotive magazines had this car on all their covers, and detailed every little bit of information down to mufflers.

Hennessey went bonkers, and got a lead over everyone else in promotion of performance enhancements, and people flocked to his shop to get the next Venom enhancements.

Well driven coupes were the first to dip into the high 11's at the drags, and they turned out to be even better road course handlers than the Gen 1's.

Some dealers jacked the prices up to take advantage of the hysterical demand, but the voucher system allowed the buyers to focus their buying power where the dealers provided good service along with reasonable prices.

This car was a serious comittment by Dodge to committ serious money to the Viper Program. They upgraded the ViperTech programs and support to VCA.

We trashed these cars at drag strips, road courses, and solom courses all over the USA. Vipers became some of the most wanted sports cars in the world. Vettes were humbled, Porsches and Ferrari's were no longer competitive. The Lambo's were no match at all. The Vipers dominated road racing on the international scene, and got tons of coverage in the press and TV.

Viper was on a roll, and the world took notice what some dedicated car crazy's at Chrysler were producing that took on the world's best, and came out on top.

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

When the Blue/White Coupe was announced the Viper world went Viperholic.

This was the modern reincarnation of the Shelby Coupe.

Went from 400 hp to 450 better suspension, brakes (a little) a big upgrade in interior, but the real kicker was the new Coupe styling.

The general public was blocked from purchasing these cars. The only way to get them was to have a Voucher from Dodge, and those only went to people who previously had purchased new Vipers from Dodge. VCA officials, and regional club presidents seemed to get preferences as a reward for all the work they had done to service the faithful.

There was absolutely no competition for this new Viper from the marketplace for anywhere near the price. People driving this car got absolute rock star status where ever they went. The automotive magazines had this car on all their covers, and detailed every little bit of information down to mufflers.

Hennessey went bonkers, and got a lead over everyone else in promotion of performance enhancements, and people flocked to his shop to get the next Venom enhancements.

Well driven coupes were the first to dip into the high 11's at the drags, and they turned out to be even better road course handlers than the Gen 1's.

Some dealers jacked the prices up to take advantage of the hysterical demand, but the voucher system allowed the buyers to focus their buying power where the dealers provided good service along with reasonable prices.

This car was a serious comittment by Dodge to committ serious money to the Viper Program. They upgraded the ViperTech programs and support to VCA.

We trashed these cars at drag strips, road courses, and solom courses all over the USA. Vipers became some of the most wanted sports cars in the world. Vettes were humbled, Porsches and Ferrari's were no longer competitive. The Lambo's were no match at all. The Vipers dominated road racing on the international scene, and got tons of coverage in the press and TV.

Viper was on a roll, and the world took notice what some dedicated car crazy's at Chrysler were producing that took on the world's best, and came out on top.

Very cool.

I think Ralph is looking for that same effect.

 

[Cobraken]

I remember we knew what the gen 2 coupe was going to look like a long time before it went on sale. The hoopla was waiting for the gorgeous car to become available. Lots different but lots of excitement.

 

[bluesrt]

the viper and the zr-1 where in a pizzin match, the viper was less priced- i so remember that... the zr-1 came out first, more money but had more options- differance was viper was more raw car- zr-1 was hp and lux- both awsome cars

 

[Silver04]

i remember the site back then but dont remember this kind of hysteria/stupidity

Well said!!