The Tech Day was a great event. Members began arriving early at Dick Scott Dodge, despite some early morning rain in some areas.
We had about twenty-five cars show up. Each car was given a 1/2" drive Torque Wrench as an attendance prize. Attendees were able to watch an oil change, diff lube change, engine coolant change, transmission oil change, and a plug wire change and ask related questions from the Viper Tech. A Corsa cat back system and Random Tech high flow cats were displayed and questions answered about them. The Gingerman Track Day and upcoming Dyno Day were discussed.
One of the surprises of the day was the display of an engineering mule for the '08 Viper. Members got to get in it, go over it, and otherwise get a very up close view of what's coming up.
It's clear that there are some significant changes to the new engine.
The real highlight of the day was a presentation and display by ILMOR, the folks that build the Viper marine engine (and all sorts of racing engines for things ranging from Indy cars to whatever you want to handle). In conjunction with MOPAR, they are now starting to get into Viper engines for wheeled vehicles. In the picture below you can see their 700 hp Viper truck and their Comp Coupe.
Here's a closer view of their natually aspirated 700 hp truck motor. You can buy one of these in a crate for your car for about $57,000. If you want to add even more horsepower, they will be happy to help you. They also have lower horsepower crate engines available if you want to add a little pep to your older Viper (or other car).
Here's a closer view of the 700 hp marine engine. These babies are designed for 400 hour full throttle runs and are beginning to show their success against the other more traditional marine engines. Look for them on the podiums this summer!
The head of MOPAR Performance was also at the Tech Day and told us that there are a limited number of 550 hp high performance MOPAR crate engines available through your dealer. If you have any questions, contact MOPAR directly. MOPAR and ILMOR will be continuing their collaboration to bring us even more exciting things with the new engine in the future!
One of the great things about the Spring Tech Day is that we can see the results of those special projects that members undertook during the winter. Below is a picture of Dave Buchesky's Roe blower installation -- actually installed last summer, but improved over the winter.
Dave is a member of the original Viper Team and his car bears the signatures of everyone who built it -- as well as some special signatures, such as the Tom Gale, Bob Lutz, and Caroll Shelby scrawls shown here.
All in all, it was a lot of fun and educational too. Take advantage of any tech days offered by your club whenever you can.