Bob Woodhouse
Enthusiast
Have you ever caught yourself resisting change? What I have read on this board about the new SRT-10 tells me that many of us have. I catch myself all the time. Which is what urged me to write this note to you all.
I had some private moments in our dealership Viper Pit yesterday with both the Gen II and III Vipers side by side. After an hour of silent observation, I walked out with a whole different attitude.
Wow, gentlemen, this new Viper is amazing. Oh you knew that, but think of this; it is being brought into the world with little fanfare, with an understated press release, if you could call it that, closer to a media vacuum in relation to what the car is. In fact, there isn’t even a brochure for this car, well why should there be, we Viper people already own the first year of production, none left to buy. So why try to impress anyone?
Why did it fall under my radar? To keep anxiety and disappointment from butting heads continuously I just put it out of my mind until 18 of those gorgeous creatures got lowered to the concrete here in Blair.
Observations: Photos are lame, the car is much bolder and in your face, visceral; than the camera lens can grab. Wow; justice is done in black, the linearity of design, the plateaus and creases on the body come out, the car is menacing, bat-mannish, trekky. Those wheels, chrome plated, and the only glitz on the car puts a bigger than life, cartoonist flavor to it.
Yes you can feel the engine, more power is without question from our previous brethren. Does it drive any better? No; it is the same in terms of steering feel and the fact you can't take your eye from the road much. Seating position is better, view through the windshield and those powerful fender peaks, pedals are awesome, gauges, hah how about that; an oil temp!, love the bright interior lite on the bottom of the mirror, love the totally absolutely wonderful radio, 6 disc in dash with a gazillion huge and tiny speakers. Top is a work of art. Convertibles are problematic with fit and finish, (just an observation of my short 32 years of car business). But this, the best I've seen. It has those side windows that inch up at door closure too and an outside hidden keyhole that opens the door when the battery goes dead. Sheer genius. Headlights will light a battleship; the exhaust sound is quieter but better tone because you hear both sides out of each pipe. There are another 100 stories to tell. Whoa, no mindnumbing intended.
It humors me to read the stories written by car magazine editors and their attempt at relating a supercar such as this new viper to a magazine audience. First they talk about the styling, and then they drive it and interpret what they felt. Judging from their eager to impress prose; most should explain mini-vans; the few that CAN drive struggle to put the experience on the page. I finish reading their story with “Geez, nothing learned or fresh even though the car is”. My worry is that their influence is what a potential Viper purchaser relies on for his decision making process.
So how do you commit $85,000 without an experience or good opinion? There aren’t too many ways you can get an all out test drive in one of these. So from my posterior’s experience to those who haven’t yet been behind the wheel; expect to feel like you are the weakest link. This car is incredibly fast and a lot of pilot training is in place before the outer parameters of it’s goodness can be extracted. Hmm, maybe there is a reason the driving experience is never explained appropriately! Exclusivity has it’s price!
I had some private moments in our dealership Viper Pit yesterday with both the Gen II and III Vipers side by side. After an hour of silent observation, I walked out with a whole different attitude.
Wow, gentlemen, this new Viper is amazing. Oh you knew that, but think of this; it is being brought into the world with little fanfare, with an understated press release, if you could call it that, closer to a media vacuum in relation to what the car is. In fact, there isn’t even a brochure for this car, well why should there be, we Viper people already own the first year of production, none left to buy. So why try to impress anyone?
Why did it fall under my radar? To keep anxiety and disappointment from butting heads continuously I just put it out of my mind until 18 of those gorgeous creatures got lowered to the concrete here in Blair.
Observations: Photos are lame, the car is much bolder and in your face, visceral; than the camera lens can grab. Wow; justice is done in black, the linearity of design, the plateaus and creases on the body come out, the car is menacing, bat-mannish, trekky. Those wheels, chrome plated, and the only glitz on the car puts a bigger than life, cartoonist flavor to it.
Yes you can feel the engine, more power is without question from our previous brethren. Does it drive any better? No; it is the same in terms of steering feel and the fact you can't take your eye from the road much. Seating position is better, view through the windshield and those powerful fender peaks, pedals are awesome, gauges, hah how about that; an oil temp!, love the bright interior lite on the bottom of the mirror, love the totally absolutely wonderful radio, 6 disc in dash with a gazillion huge and tiny speakers. Top is a work of art. Convertibles are problematic with fit and finish, (just an observation of my short 32 years of car business). But this, the best I've seen. It has those side windows that inch up at door closure too and an outside hidden keyhole that opens the door when the battery goes dead. Sheer genius. Headlights will light a battleship; the exhaust sound is quieter but better tone because you hear both sides out of each pipe. There are another 100 stories to tell. Whoa, no mindnumbing intended.
It humors me to read the stories written by car magazine editors and their attempt at relating a supercar such as this new viper to a magazine audience. First they talk about the styling, and then they drive it and interpret what they felt. Judging from their eager to impress prose; most should explain mini-vans; the few that CAN drive struggle to put the experience on the page. I finish reading their story with “Geez, nothing learned or fresh even though the car is”. My worry is that their influence is what a potential Viper purchaser relies on for his decision making process.
So how do you commit $85,000 without an experience or good opinion? There aren’t too many ways you can get an all out test drive in one of these. So from my posterior’s experience to those who haven’t yet been behind the wheel; expect to feel like you are the weakest link. This car is incredibly fast and a lot of pilot training is in place before the outer parameters of it’s goodness can be extracted. Hmm, maybe there is a reason the driving experience is never explained appropriately! Exclusivity has it’s price!
