Daffy Duck Viper
Enthusiast
[Note: I'll be posting quite a few pictures soon!]
I was at the South Coast Slither 2003 gathering (10:00 AM to 11:30 AM) with my brother and his wife.
At 11:25 AM, when it ended, all the Viper owners got in their Vipers, started the engines, some of them revving the beasts to a thunderous roar, while proceeding to exit the parking lot of Duke's Restaurant in a long beautiful colorful line. Gosh but you could feel the energy vibrate through you, and taste the excitement on the air. I waved, and said things like "have fun" (to those that had their windows down), but what I really wanted to do was jump up and down and shout with joy. Yes, the Vipers inspired that much glee in me. It was dreamy. *sigh*
It was such a glorious event. Every kind of Viper was there. We got to see them all up close and personal. It was awesome! All three colors of the SRT/10 Vipers were there - silver, black, and red. There were even two 1998 GTS-R Vipers. There were also two 2002 GTS FE Vipers (red with white stripes), several GTS ACR Vipers, and a couple of 1996 RT/10 Vipers, one white with blue stripes, the other black with silver stripes. We took a lot of pictures! *grin* (I will post them soon. They are huge, so I need to reduce the size some. They'll take all day to load if I don't.)
Of note, besides the obvious - Vipers galore! - I finally got to see the 20" Startech wheels in person. They are extremely impressive. The best looking wheels there. They were chromed, which is not how they come stock, and that made all the difference. Pictures don't do these wheels justice.
I got to meet Hissses (and his wife?). I took a picture of me standing next to his blue/white-striped 1997 Viper GTS (hope you don't mind, Hissses.) I met Viblur (and his son?), as well. I also met Dave - whose VCA screen name I don't know. All three of these guys were quite nice and very friendly. (Glad I got to meet you guys!) I only hung around them a bit, talking for a short time, because I did not want to be a pest (for want of a better word). I'm sure Viper owners get tired of people "hanging all over" them and their Viper. So, I played it polite, just feeling ecstatic to be there, and happy to meet a few Viper owners. It is unfortunate that I did not get to meet more. I did not get to meet BANKTHIS (Barry), Brad Manhattan Beach (Brad), Warren S (Warren), Greg 99ACR Red and Silver (Greg), Vic, 4B Viper, David Jenkins, or fletcher (Mike); though I suspect that I saw their Vipers among the many Vipers that were there. I just could not stakeout each Viper, waiting for its owner to show up, so I could introduce myself, and find out if they are so-and-so from the Viper forum. But at least I got to meet a few of you.
The two hour trip was so worth it! It was wonderful getting to see at least one of every kind of Viper produced. All generations were there. And in all forms:
1. RT/10 Vipers without tops, without windows, some with windows "popped" in, some with soft tops, some with hard tops, some with short wings, some with beige interiors, some with gray interiors, most with black interiors, some with aftermarket paintjobs, some with aftermarket tailpipes, some with aftermarket wheels - the chromed Startech wheels being notable.
2. GTS Vipers without tails, some with large tails, some with ground effects, some with elaborate custom paintjobs [like a certain yellow one with purple stripes (no picture, sorry)], there was even one Viper with a little doggie in it wearing a red knit sweater with the Southern California Viper Logo sewn into the top. It was so cute! And the Viper was damnsexy. (Always end your paragraphs with Viper information.)
3. SRT-10 Vipers with tops down, one with top up, two with me standing next to them. *chuckle* Admittedly, the SRT-10 list is quite short, but that's because the SRT-10 is so new. Not a lot of aftermarket support...yet! But it's on the way, like Autoform's six-piece body kit that has just been completed. Sure would have been nice to see one of those there. *grin*
Speaking of the SRT-10, in general. We all have read the many opinions posted by others on what they think about Dodge's latest Viper, its third incarnation, the SRT-10. Well, having gotten to experience all three of the 2003 SRT-10 "versions" - silver, black, red - at the same time, now you can read my opinion on this same subject, at least insofar as looks go.
First of all, the SRT-10 is a beautiful Viper. Anyone that straight-out doesn't like it, well, so much for taste. And so what if it's not like the RT/10 and GTS. Hello, it’s the next generation. It's still clearly Viper. And it looks awesome. Anyone claiming otherwise has not had enough experience with other cars. In other words, they're green! Wet behind the ears! It is of my opinion that the SRT-10 looks sharper and way more aggressive head-on than both the RT/10 and GTS, but that the RT/10 and GTS look sharper and more aggressive from the side and the back than the SRT-10. The interior of the SRT-10 is superior to that of the RT/10 and GTS. I love the sharp, angled, deep gash in the side of the SRT-10 while at the same time feeling the same way about the rounded deep gash of the RT/10 and GTS. But you can't have both on the new model, so I think the angled one works best with everything else that has made the generation III Viper what it is. I think that the back of the SRT-10, specifically the top, does not quite go with the sharp aggressive front of the Viper or the angled gash at both sides. But I think that the bottom part is great - the two big vent holes and the black under-fins. This is unique and really cool. I love the new wheels. As for color, which is the only thing that separates one "version" from the other, I have come to the following conclusions:
1. Black, though a beautiful color, surrounding its subject in mystery, is only the best color when you want awesome-looking pictures. Black is extremely photogenic (attractive in photographs), though it is not persogenic (attractive in person). Why? Because in person, black has a way of creating dead zones within itself - whole areas that suddenly become lost to your eyes as you walk around the Viper; lines that just disappear. But in pictures, when the lighting is right, no color makes the Viper look as beautiful as black does. Argue this all you want. And this goes for all Vipers, not just the SRT-10 models. Black is not the color for a living, breathing, moving Viper. But, hey, if you're just going to take pictures of it, then black can't be beat!!! I say this with the utmost respect for the color and its fans. I cannot be convinced otherwise - not after today, having seen several black Vipers parked amongst all the other Viper colors, walking around them all, up and down the isles of some forty Vipers. It was as though the black Vipers did not exist. And to think, I used to think this was the color of all colors. Well, I wasn't entirely wrong. It IS the color of all colors...when needing a great picture model. It's the most photogenic. Wow.
2. Red is somewhat photogenic and somewhat persogenic. Why? Well, though the wording is interpretively negative, I don't mean it in a negative sense. You see, red truly is attractive, however, the positive and negative aspects of the color are relative to other colors. Red has a way of being so visually fast* that it keeps your eyes from being able to fully grasp the whole "picture". Red cheats your eyes of the full experience, keeping them from being able to fully appreciate all the lines (the art) that is the 2003 Viper SRT-10. (*Scientifically speaking, red has the fastest wave length of all colors in the visual spectrum.)
3. Silver is extremely persogenic, but oddly less photogenic. Oddly? Why do I say this? Read on. But first, why silver is, by far, the best color for the 2003 Viper SRT-10. Silver says: "Here I am. See me. See all of me! Experience my beauty. Experience the functional art that I am. I hide nothing. Take all that I am into your mind. I am endless. Your eyes will never tire of me. I am everything at once. I give and I keep on giving." That is what silver does for the SRT-10. But it's not ALL roses, for silver, though extremely persogenic, is oddly less photogenic. Its true downfall is in that it just cannot make the transition from physical to image without dying. The light within silver is too much of a living thing. It is lost to photography. It can't be captured.
...But you, my readers, whose hearts have been captured by my poetic words, I have no doubt that you understand where I'm coming from; that you believe as I do; that you agree with me wholeheartedly. We are as kindred spirits. *smirk* Okay, okay, that's a stretch. *chuckle* But really, what I have experienced today, at the South Coast Slither 2003, has left me not just believing what I have written here, but also FEELING what I have experienced! Which is why I created this thread and wrote this post. I had to express and share my experience with you. It was just THAT fantastic and THAT eye-opening.
Oh, and before I forget:
1. Charcoal-silver (is this the color name?) is a beautiful color on the Viper! It has an odd way of looking like there is some form of blue within its metallic depths. Weird and amazing. (I'll post a pic. Let me know what the color is named? Thanks.)
2. Yellow is the most vibrant color I have ever seen on a Viper. It blazes with energy. Now I know why yellow Vipers are the fastest Vipers. *grin*
Now don't take what I've said lightly. Remember, you're reading the words of someone who has just experienced every kind of Viper in the way of seeing and standing in the presence of some forty Vipers at the same time! I'm experienced, baby! Heh-heh. Can't touch this!!! *theme music blasts*
Please Read:
Below is a list of license plates of some of the Vipers that were at the South Coast Slither 2003 gathering. If you see your plate in the list, please say hi, so I'll know that I actually got to see YOUR beautiful Viper. Thank you for adding to this wonderful experience of mine that I will forever treasure as being my very first Viper gathering. The only way this can get better is when I get to attend with MY beautiful Viper, next year! *sparkly smile*
License Plates:
ITILFLY
SSSRPNT
UPAYNOW
ITWLFLY
VIPER10
DTECHCA
GRN UFO
BD ASP
AQUAUV1
OBSDIEN
BDRPTLE
POIZUN
WHTVNMS
ITBITME
ODAAT13
4UAD256*
(*Steven Spielberg's Viper? I ask because the owner of this Viper looked just like Steven Spielberg. Anyone know if one of the guys attending happened to look like Spielberg or if, in fact, this really was Spielberg? Just curious.)
P.S. Remember, I'll be posting quite a few pictures very soon!
!!!HAPPY VIPERING!!!
I was at the South Coast Slither 2003 gathering (10:00 AM to 11:30 AM) with my brother and his wife.
At 11:25 AM, when it ended, all the Viper owners got in their Vipers, started the engines, some of them revving the beasts to a thunderous roar, while proceeding to exit the parking lot of Duke's Restaurant in a long beautiful colorful line. Gosh but you could feel the energy vibrate through you, and taste the excitement on the air. I waved, and said things like "have fun" (to those that had their windows down), but what I really wanted to do was jump up and down and shout with joy. Yes, the Vipers inspired that much glee in me. It was dreamy. *sigh*
It was such a glorious event. Every kind of Viper was there. We got to see them all up close and personal. It was awesome! All three colors of the SRT/10 Vipers were there - silver, black, and red. There were even two 1998 GTS-R Vipers. There were also two 2002 GTS FE Vipers (red with white stripes), several GTS ACR Vipers, and a couple of 1996 RT/10 Vipers, one white with blue stripes, the other black with silver stripes. We took a lot of pictures! *grin* (I will post them soon. They are huge, so I need to reduce the size some. They'll take all day to load if I don't.)
Of note, besides the obvious - Vipers galore! - I finally got to see the 20" Startech wheels in person. They are extremely impressive. The best looking wheels there. They were chromed, which is not how they come stock, and that made all the difference. Pictures don't do these wheels justice.
I got to meet Hissses (and his wife?). I took a picture of me standing next to his blue/white-striped 1997 Viper GTS (hope you don't mind, Hissses.) I met Viblur (and his son?), as well. I also met Dave - whose VCA screen name I don't know. All three of these guys were quite nice and very friendly. (Glad I got to meet you guys!) I only hung around them a bit, talking for a short time, because I did not want to be a pest (for want of a better word). I'm sure Viper owners get tired of people "hanging all over" them and their Viper. So, I played it polite, just feeling ecstatic to be there, and happy to meet a few Viper owners. It is unfortunate that I did not get to meet more. I did not get to meet BANKTHIS (Barry), Brad Manhattan Beach (Brad), Warren S (Warren), Greg 99ACR Red and Silver (Greg), Vic, 4B Viper, David Jenkins, or fletcher (Mike); though I suspect that I saw their Vipers among the many Vipers that were there. I just could not stakeout each Viper, waiting for its owner to show up, so I could introduce myself, and find out if they are so-and-so from the Viper forum. But at least I got to meet a few of you.
The two hour trip was so worth it! It was wonderful getting to see at least one of every kind of Viper produced. All generations were there. And in all forms:
1. RT/10 Vipers without tops, without windows, some with windows "popped" in, some with soft tops, some with hard tops, some with short wings, some with beige interiors, some with gray interiors, most with black interiors, some with aftermarket paintjobs, some with aftermarket tailpipes, some with aftermarket wheels - the chromed Startech wheels being notable.
2. GTS Vipers without tails, some with large tails, some with ground effects, some with elaborate custom paintjobs [like a certain yellow one with purple stripes (no picture, sorry)], there was even one Viper with a little doggie in it wearing a red knit sweater with the Southern California Viper Logo sewn into the top. It was so cute! And the Viper was damnsexy. (Always end your paragraphs with Viper information.)
3. SRT-10 Vipers with tops down, one with top up, two with me standing next to them. *chuckle* Admittedly, the SRT-10 list is quite short, but that's because the SRT-10 is so new. Not a lot of aftermarket support...yet! But it's on the way, like Autoform's six-piece body kit that has just been completed. Sure would have been nice to see one of those there. *grin*
Speaking of the SRT-10, in general. We all have read the many opinions posted by others on what they think about Dodge's latest Viper, its third incarnation, the SRT-10. Well, having gotten to experience all three of the 2003 SRT-10 "versions" - silver, black, red - at the same time, now you can read my opinion on this same subject, at least insofar as looks go.
First of all, the SRT-10 is a beautiful Viper. Anyone that straight-out doesn't like it, well, so much for taste. And so what if it's not like the RT/10 and GTS. Hello, it’s the next generation. It's still clearly Viper. And it looks awesome. Anyone claiming otherwise has not had enough experience with other cars. In other words, they're green! Wet behind the ears! It is of my opinion that the SRT-10 looks sharper and way more aggressive head-on than both the RT/10 and GTS, but that the RT/10 and GTS look sharper and more aggressive from the side and the back than the SRT-10. The interior of the SRT-10 is superior to that of the RT/10 and GTS. I love the sharp, angled, deep gash in the side of the SRT-10 while at the same time feeling the same way about the rounded deep gash of the RT/10 and GTS. But you can't have both on the new model, so I think the angled one works best with everything else that has made the generation III Viper what it is. I think that the back of the SRT-10, specifically the top, does not quite go with the sharp aggressive front of the Viper or the angled gash at both sides. But I think that the bottom part is great - the two big vent holes and the black under-fins. This is unique and really cool. I love the new wheels. As for color, which is the only thing that separates one "version" from the other, I have come to the following conclusions:
1. Black, though a beautiful color, surrounding its subject in mystery, is only the best color when you want awesome-looking pictures. Black is extremely photogenic (attractive in photographs), though it is not persogenic (attractive in person). Why? Because in person, black has a way of creating dead zones within itself - whole areas that suddenly become lost to your eyes as you walk around the Viper; lines that just disappear. But in pictures, when the lighting is right, no color makes the Viper look as beautiful as black does. Argue this all you want. And this goes for all Vipers, not just the SRT-10 models. Black is not the color for a living, breathing, moving Viper. But, hey, if you're just going to take pictures of it, then black can't be beat!!! I say this with the utmost respect for the color and its fans. I cannot be convinced otherwise - not after today, having seen several black Vipers parked amongst all the other Viper colors, walking around them all, up and down the isles of some forty Vipers. It was as though the black Vipers did not exist. And to think, I used to think this was the color of all colors. Well, I wasn't entirely wrong. It IS the color of all colors...when needing a great picture model. It's the most photogenic. Wow.
2. Red is somewhat photogenic and somewhat persogenic. Why? Well, though the wording is interpretively negative, I don't mean it in a negative sense. You see, red truly is attractive, however, the positive and negative aspects of the color are relative to other colors. Red has a way of being so visually fast* that it keeps your eyes from being able to fully grasp the whole "picture". Red cheats your eyes of the full experience, keeping them from being able to fully appreciate all the lines (the art) that is the 2003 Viper SRT-10. (*Scientifically speaking, red has the fastest wave length of all colors in the visual spectrum.)
3. Silver is extremely persogenic, but oddly less photogenic. Oddly? Why do I say this? Read on. But first, why silver is, by far, the best color for the 2003 Viper SRT-10. Silver says: "Here I am. See me. See all of me! Experience my beauty. Experience the functional art that I am. I hide nothing. Take all that I am into your mind. I am endless. Your eyes will never tire of me. I am everything at once. I give and I keep on giving." That is what silver does for the SRT-10. But it's not ALL roses, for silver, though extremely persogenic, is oddly less photogenic. Its true downfall is in that it just cannot make the transition from physical to image without dying. The light within silver is too much of a living thing. It is lost to photography. It can't be captured.
...But you, my readers, whose hearts have been captured by my poetic words, I have no doubt that you understand where I'm coming from; that you believe as I do; that you agree with me wholeheartedly. We are as kindred spirits. *smirk* Okay, okay, that's a stretch. *chuckle* But really, what I have experienced today, at the South Coast Slither 2003, has left me not just believing what I have written here, but also FEELING what I have experienced! Which is why I created this thread and wrote this post. I had to express and share my experience with you. It was just THAT fantastic and THAT eye-opening.
Oh, and before I forget:
1. Charcoal-silver (is this the color name?) is a beautiful color on the Viper! It has an odd way of looking like there is some form of blue within its metallic depths. Weird and amazing. (I'll post a pic. Let me know what the color is named? Thanks.)
2. Yellow is the most vibrant color I have ever seen on a Viper. It blazes with energy. Now I know why yellow Vipers are the fastest Vipers. *grin*
Now don't take what I've said lightly. Remember, you're reading the words of someone who has just experienced every kind of Viper in the way of seeing and standing in the presence of some forty Vipers at the same time! I'm experienced, baby! Heh-heh. Can't touch this!!! *theme music blasts*
Please Read:
Below is a list of license plates of some of the Vipers that were at the South Coast Slither 2003 gathering. If you see your plate in the list, please say hi, so I'll know that I actually got to see YOUR beautiful Viper. Thank you for adding to this wonderful experience of mine that I will forever treasure as being my very first Viper gathering. The only way this can get better is when I get to attend with MY beautiful Viper, next year! *sparkly smile*
License Plates:
ITILFLY
SSSRPNT
UPAYNOW
ITWLFLY
VIPER10
DTECHCA
GRN UFO
BD ASP
AQUAUV1
OBSDIEN
BDRPTLE
POIZUN
WHTVNMS
ITBITME
ODAAT13
4UAD256*
(*Steven Spielberg's Viper? I ask because the owner of this Viper looked just like Steven Spielberg. Anyone know if one of the guys attending happened to look like Spielberg or if, in fact, this really was Spielberg? Just curious.)
P.S. Remember, I'll be posting quite a few pictures very soon!
!!!HAPPY VIPERING!!!
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