Take a look at my collection [ViperArry]

[ViperArry]

I'm complete!

I bought both the McViper and the Orange SMS!

Team Rent-A-Car, Released in a worldwide limited series of a 100!!!!

Viper RT/10 Le Mans 1994 #40

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Viper RT/10 Le Mans 1994 #41

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And,
Viper RT/10 1996
aka the Ketchup and Mustard Viper or McViper.

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I wonder who will be the winner of the contest
Baz or F355
What r you betting for?

 

[VIPER BAZ UK]

WAHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ViperArry]

Buying these rare pieces meant a great effect on my collecting budget.....
Therefore I will not longer buy Vipers for the rest of the year.
Sometimes you have to get back to reality and ad some borders....

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

After you get the 1:18 McViper, no more Viper models are needed. You have the greatest of all-time Congrats!

 

[ViperArry]

Next step..... a 1:1!

Another update... this time it's the proto-type of the Rudolph Viper.
I'm very very proud to be the one wich started this project.

I proudly present........The first CC in Race livery!!!!!

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I will post some pictures of the real car here tonight.

 

[VIPER BAZ UK]

Now thats nice as well!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well done

 

[ViperArry]

I took some pictures of the SMS set yesterday.... don't they look gorgeous?

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More pictures to come..... the McViper is also there....

As are 2 1:12's.... Like I said, I'm almost complete.

 

[turboICE]

That is one awesome collection! I love the display case

 

[VOI9 ASP]

Where can I purchase these SMS Vipers and what do they sell for? I need them now!

 

[vipernate]

lol - Jerry, you are great!

 

[ViperArry]

Jerry,

You can´t just purchase them..... you have to scabenge the internet for some 5 years to find them.... and then pay incredible prices to get them.

I bought my set for some $ 425,-
Now owning 3 out of 200...... one will leave this week.

 

[ViperArry]

I found some pictures from the past.... featuring the Rent A Car Vipers.

Le Mans 1994

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Last year, the number 41 car performed at Monaco @ the Maas in Rotterdam Holland. I've found out the current owner is a Dutch guy! Something to investigate the next days.

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I never found pictures of this cars running at the 24Hrs of Daytona in 1996.

 

[WickedV]

I'm getting quite interested in those SMS Vipers.
There are still some small details I'd like to see explained.
Firstly, what is the difference between SMS and ABC Brianza? Is it something like Anson and JRL? Same car/quality, only under a different name?
Further, why does the first SMS Viper have black side pipes but all the other models have body colored ones?

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Thanks in advance!

 

[Leslie]

holy cow batman, what a COLLECTION!

awsome display case too

 

[ViperArry]

I'm getting quite interested in those SMS Vipers.
There are still some small details I'd like to see explained.
Firstly, what is the difference between SMS and ABC Brianza? Is it something like Anson and JRL? Same car/quality, only under a different name?
Further, why does the first SMS Viper have black side pipes but all the other models have body colored ones?

Thats a good question!
Once I bought the first yellow Viper for me it was the SMS as all were sold....
But when I ran into another one, it seemed some things were slightly different on the first model.
I did some comparisons to the car finding minor differences.... Like the painted side pipes, the green dot on the side.... the detail on the rims.

I found that both cars were definatly made by the same person, the paint is exactly the same, so are all the parts that were put on it (like the seatbelts).

This raised the question... why are they different?

1. Did someone try to make it " more original " painting some parts, and leaving the rest of the car the same?
2. Is it possible, this is a early model (one of the first out of the 100?) where the builder (Systems Models Supply) tried to find the best way of making them?
3. Is it a non-original car? or a car built with a transkit?

I think it´s safe to say that the car is original. The paint matches 100%, so do all the parts. With the paint matching, the transkit is excluded also.
(I also compared the way it was built.... both cars had the same glue spots and were built in the same shop!)
Then the first two options..... I just don´t know. Some of the differences made the car better looking than others.....

To be safe I´d say someone messed up some parts on the car, but they can be restored to it´s proper state (the black was painted over the yellow).

If someone ever finds one of these cars again.... maybe safe to check this out here. I know of 2 or 3 sets beeing owned by members of this site (one beeing myself).

When I first bought the car, I mailed to ABC Brianza, finding that they were very nice in answering my questions (Laura Brianza did this!).
They used to sell the cars that were produced by SMS, but if they sold all 200 of them (100 #40 cars, 100 #41 cars) thats still uncertain (I mailed her again today to find out).

 

[WickedV]

ViperArry, thanks!
There's also another thing very fishy about them.
If you look at the interior and the side pipes, they look like those that are on Bburago RT/10's.
Maybe ABC Brianza ordered 200 blank Bburago's to start of with and then they customized them.
Also, do you have any pics of them with the doors, hood and trunk open and a pic of the underside?

 

[ViperArry]

The base of the car are the "normal" RT/10 Bburago´s, I think simply because there were no other manufacturers making the RT/10 in 1:18(and still).

ABC Brianza definitly didn´t make the cars themself! The cars were produced by Systems Modells Supply as you can see on the box (above)

I didn´t take high res pictures of the inside myself (I try to keep the cars closed because of the special paint)

Currently I´m working on improving my photographing skills, I´m trying to make photographs of my Vipers on a black gloss background (reflecting the model in it). This is very hard to do, but I think it´s a matter of time before I will get the perfect pictures out of it....
When that happens, I will make pictures of the SMS set again (with the inside also).... make a website with my collection so whoever wants to see whether his/her car is original could check it. If someone wants to know now, please PM me.

 

[ViperArry]

Just got back from a roadtrip today.
Purchased 2 1996 GTS wheels! With the original Michelin tires on it.

The wheels look good, very very little rash on them!
They are in despirate need for a good polish.... I can see mild marks from past brake dust on them.
What to use? Meguiars all metal polish?

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Only thing is.....
The centercaps are missing.
Anyone with two 1996 centercaps as spare? Or intrested in one or two good wheels?

 

[InjectTheVenom]

Arjen, did you ever find out anything more about the Dutch owner of that yellow Le Mans RT/10? Oh and how does it feel to be married ? You know that Viper goes before diaper!

 

[ViperArry]

I did.....

Just still have to make an appointment with him for a meeting!

 

[InjectTheVenom]

I did.....

Just still have to make an appointment with him for a meeting!

Coolness If you do get around to doing that PLEASE let me know I'd KILL to attend that meeting! Maybe I can ask a few other Viper owners over at driving-fun.com/forum to join us, that would be really cool. We could make a story for Viper Magazine out of it!
And if we really want to outdo ourselves we need to locate the orange one as well and get the two together

 

[ViperArry]

Afraid it isn´t possible.... the Orange one is in Switzerland....

I do have a nice camcorder though... so some footage shouldn´t be any problem (Sony HD model!)

 

[Limit]

cool collection of cars.

ViperArry: make sure you remember that those wheels have a clearcoat on them!

 

[ViperArry]

How can I tell if there is a clearcoat on them....

I´m selling one wheel, so if anyone is intrested please shoot me a PM!

 

[96GTS]

If you put aluminum polish of them and it turns black there's no clear coat. If the wheel is cast instead of forged, there's not much point on trying to put a shine on them because it's a waste of time.

 

[ViperArry]

Some years ago, Michelin had its own "Driving School" called the Michelin Driving Experience.

Every now en then there was a competition on the Michelin website, winners were invited to the MDE! Or you could be invited as a large Michelin dealer as part of an incentive.
What a driving school.....

I found some photos of the MDE on Pbase, they were made by Benoit Desjardins uit Montreal.

Anybody would love to drive a BMW M3 or a Porsches

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Or a formula 3 car (I've driven one once, staggering experience)

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Or an old Arrows formula 1 car.

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Or, if not able to buy a Viper, be driven in a GTS/R
Unfortunatly I don't have any pictures of the Michelin Viper, maybe you can lend me a hand and help me find them?


Eagle produceced a special version of this car. It matches a normal IXO car in build quality.....
After a long search I was able to find an original Eagles Race model, with the original Michelin box.

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Altaya has produced the same model, for their Michelin series. Their car is less rare but slightly different. (So it will be in my collection in the future)

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Once in a while you'll find a model that isn't in the collection yet.
I found a handbuilt model from a team from Belgium.
It's a GLPK Viper.

Viper GTS/R Chassisnumber C12
Bought new by GLPK, raced in the following championships.

- Some races in Belcar 1999
- Fia GT 1999
- Belcar 2000
- Belcar 2001

I found this winning car from Zolder 24H in 2000.Hand rebuilt from a IXO model, and missing in my collection...... the model looked nice, so I bought it.

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The real car in Live-Action.

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The modelbuilder is going to build some more nice looking models for me in the future!!

 

[ACELLR8]

WOW! Very nice collection you have there!!

Nice Show case as well!

 

[le66]

Arjen,do you know if Michelin Viper was in 1/18 scale??....I don't remember about this...

Chris.

 

[ViperArry]

ACELLR8
Thanks for the compliment! The pictures of the show case are dated more than 1,5 years ago....
I´ve doubled the amount of storage space by doubling the glass plates in it.

I´ve also bought numerous models since then, so it´s quite crowded again.... have to post some new pictures of it right now.
Think there are almost enough Vipers in it to buy a full scale one. (Anyone wanting to trade? I´ll rebuild the showcase at your house for it too!)

Chris,
Both cars are only 1:43, a Michelin Viper in 1:18 would be nice, but it´s simply not there.

 

[InjectTheVenom]

Nice write up. My red Eagle's Race ACR came in the mail today, and it STILL has the shrink-wrap plastic all around the box (thought they are long out of business)!