I think DC will step up to the plate!!

[Finally got it !]

Come on guys. no way is Dodge going to let the C6-Z06 beat it's halo car. The proof is already in front of our eyes.
The coupe will be S/C'd. Running conservative boost levels to make 650 crank hp. Knock sensors are already installed on current V-10 engines. Paxton has a proven system out there!!!
DC WILL NOT FAIL US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DEVILDOG]

Wrong. DC is german not American. They do not want an American created car to be better than a mercedes. They do not understand American muscle/sports cars. They hate America like the french. germany and france are failed socialist countries that are not world powers and will do anything to lessen American influence and standing in the world. The Viper is doomed. I'm keeping my American '98 GTS. F_ _ K mercedes and germany. The next supercar to park next to my GTS will be a Ford GT, Ferrari F430, Lambo Murci or next generation NSX. germany and france ****** can go to H_ LL for funding saddam and the terrorist through the UN corrupt oil for food program with the weapons to kill our troops in Iraq. Nothing german or french for me.

 

[Cris]

So DD why is Lamborghini less German than Dodge? Both owned by German companies.

 

[DEVILDOG]

So DD why is Lamborghini less German than Dodge? Both owned by German companies.

U are right....thanks. Scratch the lambo and replace with a Saleen S7.

 

[madman]

get lost... both of you

 

[Hirohawa]

Germany not a Superpower? Someone has to stop smoking crack.

Also you better stop buying American cars, cause we flooded the Middle East with weapons - including Iraq.

Steve

 

[FikseGTS]

It's apparently already been decided..... the new Viper coupe will have the same 500HP motor.... I sure hope not though.....

Come on guys. no way is Dodge going to let the C6-Z06 beat it's halo car. The proof is already in front of our eyes.
The coupe will be S/C'd. Running conservative boost levels to make 650 crank hp. Knock sensors are already installed on current V-10 engines. Paxton has a proven system out there!!!
DC WILL NOT FAIL US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sportsdude]

Lets leave politics aside and talk about sports car.

 

[46hemi]

I think the Viper is in for a rough ride. MB already has cars that are way way ahead of both the Viper and the Vette. I do not think they would have any intention of making the Viper more than what their flagship Benz models are producing.

Conversely it looks like Lutz is stepping into the perfect situation. The new Vette is nice. I do not think he is going to stop at 500hp either!

 

[29OUTLAW]

Wrong. DC is german not American. They do not want an American created car to be better than a mercedes. They do not understand American muscle/sports cars. They hate America like the french.

I used to travel to Germany a lot on business but it’s been a few years since I’ve been there. I realize the political climate has changed since then and the Germans now engage in the popular sport of hating American. However, there was a time when Germans were fascinated with American muscle. Back then, the hottest item for a German was a Harley Davidson. Having a Harley was a huge status symbol. Lots of the bars and restaurants liked to collect American license plates and display them. They were fascinated with all the colorful license plates we have for our cars from all the different states.

 

[FrankBarba]

I'm sorry to say that the Viper is definately doomed. Look at the history of Dodge/Chrysler. Besides the Mini Van the Viper is the longest production vehicle they have going. over 200 days of Vipers on the lots, closing down the factory because the new generation of vipers is not selling. I will be sorry to see the viper gone, but it has been a great experience owning this car. If we want American Made super cars we will have to purchase them from the manufactor that is building them. If it's not Dodge then Ford & GM will get our money. The Viper is not the only car made.

 

[29OUTLAW]

If DC has plans to retire Viper, then why would they would be ramping up the entire SRT program (SRT10 truck, SRT8, SRT6, etc.). I wouldn’t think you would create a bunch of little siblings only to knock off the parent. The Viper is what draws attention to the entire SRT lineup.

 

[Hisserman]

The SRT program has been a distraction from the Viper. What new performance enhancements for the Viper have come out since the SRT program was launched -- different colors of paint!!? It's been evident for some time now that DC has not been paying attention to the Viper. They think the Viper owners are such a loyal bunch they don't have to do anything to appease them.

If the Viper is supposed to be a halo car for Dodge, when is the last time you saw one in an ad (print or video) anywhere? Look at what Chevy does with the Vette and the SSR Truck, or what Ford does with its GT, etc. Dodge hasn't put the halo up there for the rest of the line to bask in. Maybe they think the new Hemi and the Magnum are enough for Dodge. Or maybe the SRT Neons . . .

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

Don't be so harsh, they did some neat-o interiors too!

 

[DEVILDOG]

Germany not a Superpower? Someone has to stop smoking crack.

Also you better stop buying American cars, cause we flooded the Middle East with weapons - including Iraq.

Steve

You really need to catch up to the current world if you think germany is a superpower. Also, you are very uninformed about the arming of saddam's followers and the terrorist. How many of them are carrying M-16s....none.
Check your facts before you open your yap.

 

[DEVILDOG]

Lets leave politics aside and talk about sports car.

How naive.

 

[SnakeEye]

I'm sorry to say that the Viper is definately doomed. If we want American Made super cars we will have to purchase them from the manufactor that is building them. If it's not Dodge then Ford & GM will get our money. The Viper is not the only car made.

Yeah...the SRT-10's 505cubed V10 really ***** and the 400rwtq it produces at 1500rpm in stock form is just terrible as is its stopping distance of 97'ft from 60mph or the 1.05g's it delivers on the skid pad...and don't even talk about that 71mph slalom it can muster that's lame too. Who needs a crazy-*** performin' rag top car anyway...let alone one you won't see on every block. lol

 

[kaval]

ditto

 

[Fiorano]

I think Dodge softened the Viper to appeal to more people and in turn sell more of them. Instead this will kill it. It's no-compromises approach with the Gen I and II were what made it so special. The street version of the comp coupe would have kept things going for a long time. Too bad that didn't happen.

 

[madman]

Why everyone seems so singleminded? Let's DC sell 'soft' coupe so that they can have the same base for coupe/vert (good for costs and debugging) and then coupe ACR edition with factory installed blower and lower suspension etc. Remember, Zo6 is a performance version of C6, why couldn't have DC standard coupe which would almost smoke out performance vette and then performance edition which would smoke out that vette to a stone age...?

I'd say there are plenty of folks who wouldn't want vette since the design is so lame and there are so plenty of them yet they don't need 700HP (if only to keep life insurance down). They won't mind to pay 30k more for SRTC since they can't get anything that good and that exclusive cheaper anyway.

 

[doctorbob]

Frankly, I just do not "get" it. DC has heard from the Viper faithful concerning what is right and what is wrong with the Viper SRT. Designs do have to change with the times and with technology. The concept coupe was luke-warmly recieved at VIO8. I was in one of the tech sessions and the discussion focused on the "wow" factor and to put passion back into the design of the car and to ensure that Viper would continue to win the HP wars. There are now a number of posts since the announcement of the Z06 that "beg" for DC to step up to the plate. Viper as an Icon will be take alot of steps backwards and in two weeks the Viper Nation will have their answer. It is a little too late to "beg" now... the dice have been cast by DC.

 

[Craig 201 MPH]

I'm driving 5 hours each way to detroit to hopefully see a different car at the Dodge display at the NAIAS. This car is the only reason I am going. If it's the same car I'll go get a bag of rocks and head out to Auburn Hills...

 

[29OUTLAW]

The SRT program has been a distraction from the Viper. What new performance enhancements for the Viper have come out since the SRT program was launched -- different colors of paint!!? It's been evident for some time now that DC has not been paying attention to the Viper. They think the Viper owners are such a loyal bunch they don't have to do anything to appease them.

If the Viper is supposed to be a halo car for Dodge, when is the last time you saw one in an ad (print or video) anywhere? Look at what Chevy does with the Vette and the SSR Truck, or what Ford does with its GT, etc. Dodge hasn't put the halo up there for the rest of the line to bask in. Maybe they think the new Hemi and the Magnum are enough for Dodge. Or maybe the SRT Neons . . .

Wow - it’s obvious that Viper died for you back in 2002 and that all the SRT nonsense is just that.
Well, a lot of things died for us in years past but we learn to deal with it and move on.

 

[Hirohawa]

Ever hear of the Iran Iraq war? We supplied both sides with arms. Remember Ollie North? Alot of the MF terrorists we are fighting in Iraq are Iranian, as well as Jordanian, Saudi etc. All countries we have had ties with in the past and present.

The Shah of Iran was buying US ordanance, including F-14s, with all his oil money, before Khomeni and his thugs overthrew him.

Osama Bin Laden never carries an M-16 but we still trained him, during the Russian occupation in Afghanastan. Also what makes you think we don't resell AK 47s? It would be cheaper to purchase these weapons from one of the 30 some odd countries that make them and resell it than to use our more expensive American made weaponry.

So what is Germany a third world country now? What did I miss, since being there 9 months ago?
Whenever we are in a recession it does not mean we are not a superpower anymore.

Germany not a Superpower? Someone has to stop smoking crack.

Also you better stop buying American cars, cause we flooded the Middle East with weapons - including Iraq.

Steve

You really need to catch up to the current world if you think germany is a superpower. Also, you are very uninformed about the arming of saddam's followers and the terrorist. How many of them are carrying M-16s....none.
Check your facts before you open your yap.

 

[Russ Oasis]

I believe that DC will not go quietly as far as letting Corvette or other brands top the Viper. The one thing that I just don't understand is how they seem to think that making the Viper more mass appeal will sell more cars. Making the car LESS mass appeal will sell cars. In marketing, targeting NARROWLY is more effective than targeting broadly. The original Viper RT-10 was about as narrow as it gets and look at the success. The SRT-10 took mass appeal styling cues to try to appeal to maore people (in the same way that Corvette does.) The result was that FEWER people wanted them. Make a car really NARROW in its appeal and MORE people will want it. These are basic marketing priciples. Read
"The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing" by Ries and Trout.

 

[Hisserman]

I can't wait for the four seat Viper and then the four door Viper -- it looks like they're going to "broaden" its appeal like Ford did with the T-Bird. By the way, does a picnic basket come with that hatchback . . .?!!

 

[Hirohawa]

Or the Viper SUV

 

[ChrisGTS]

Come on guys. no way is Dodge going to let the C6-Z06 beat it's halo car.

I REALLY hope you're right, and I am still holding out hope for when the car is unveiled later this month.

 

[dirk989]

Russ-"SRT-10 took mass appeal styling cues to try to appeal to maore people (in the same way that Corvette does.) The result was that FEWER people wanted them."

Actually the srt-10 has sold more cars than just about any other year or model of Viper. Dodge made a lot more of them and produced them much more quickly. The surplus cars haven't all sold, but it really is incorrect to say that 'fewer' people want them. It may be tough to accept, but if you look at the sales numbers then the Gen III is desired by MORE people than GenI or II.

The appeal of the SRT-10 must be pretty great. Again, we have a number of GenI/II and non-Viper owners drawn to this board to share their knowledge on the subject. Over and over and over and over...

I love the new Vette. I've had many Vettes. The new Z06 looks to be pretty nice. We'll have to wait for actual numbers and pricing. GM has been known to be very....optimistic.

Many cars have several different versions. ie. Coupe, vert, high perf. models. The new Vette is the top of the heap Vette. The new Gen Viper hasn't produced its top of the heap car. The convertible is amazing. The coupe also looks to be pretty incredible. I'm sure the high performance model that follows the coupe will be a sufficient testosterone replacement for those in need.

In the meantime, I hope that the need to measure yourselves with a Vette yardstick doesn't keep you awake at night.

Dirk

 

[dirk989]

SnakeEye said, "Yeah...the SRT-10's 505cubed V10 really ***** and the 400rwtq it produces at 1500rpm in stock form is just terrible as is its stopping distance of 97'ft from 60mph or the 1.05g's it delivers on the skid pad...and don't even talk about that 71mph slalom it can muster that's lame too. Who needs a crazy-*** performin' rag top car anyway...let alone one you won't see on every block. lol"

SnakeEye you are the man. Name a production convertible that measures up?? I can't think of one either.

Dirk