ViperStaring
Enthusiast
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2010
- Posts
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In the very short time since I began to look at a Viper as my next ownership experience, I discovered the Viper Forum and located the local Viper group here in Northern California. My first meeting with president Maurice Q. Liang and his members at their hospitality suite at the Formula Drift racing the past week has impressed upon me their comradery and deep-riding love for their cars, something I’ve never seen in owners of European luxury sports cars.
Consequently, I have come to appreciate the more down-to-earth and fun-driven aspects of American muscle cars, and my quest for knowledge on the Viper led me to the discovery of a documentary last week on Netflix on the creation of Viper, called “Dodge Viper: Legend in Its Own Lifetime”, sanctioned by the officers of the Chrysler Corporation. Considering the recent discussions in this Forum on the next-generation Viper, I think this is high time for us to retrace the original spirit of the Viper, and I consider it a privilege to be able to share a few aspects of the DVD with fellow Viper enthusiasts/owners here. I have been playing this DVD almost every day now, and I believe all the discussion of the future Viper will not be pertinent if we don’t understand its origin.
The following is the live, opening remarks by Lee Iacocca, Former Chrysler President, on the podium made in February, 1990 of the 75-minute video:
“If this doesn’t excite you, check your pulse because you’re not well today. This is Viper.”
There are a dozen long and short interviews/commentaries by individuals directly associated with the creation of the Viper, accompanied by extensive video footage and narrative. The following is an excerpt of the opening narrative after the Iacocca quote:
“Aimed at being a Cobra for the 90s, the Viper first appeared as a concept car in the 1989 North America International Auto Show in Detroit. Carroll Shelby, the creator of the Cobra, was brought on board as the consultant… The real American sports car was back. Shelby drove the first production model as the pace car for the 1991 Indianapolis 500…”
In order of appearance, there are brief comments by:
Bob Lutz, Former Vice-Chairman, Chrysler Corporation
Tom Gale, Executive Vice-President, Product Strategy & Design
Francois Castaing, former Exec. Vice-President, Vehicle Engineering
Carroll Shelby, Consultant on Viper Concept
Next comes video footage of the first owners’ meeting in 1994, procession of Vipers on freeways, and hundreds of Viper in parade formation at Indy car race.
There is also a short footage on the 1996 Viper owners 2nd gathering. License plates shown included SNKE BTE (Florida), FANG (Texas), VPR RASH (Illinois), CNT DV55 (Alabama), NOXQUSE (Tennessee), BAH BYE (Indiana), and I ZOOM BY (Illinois).
Interview with Bob Lutz.
Followed by detailed video on assembly of a Viper, Jay Leno interview at the Viper plant and a Viper procession in downtown Paris (all blue Vipers with white stripes). Then, the segment moves on to the birth of the GTS-R racer, with factory onsite interviews with Roy Sjaberg, Former Executive Engineer – Team Viper, Neil Hanneman, Program Manager – Team Viper and Richard Myers, Product Development Specialist – Team Viper.
Then the video went on to detailed, more insightful interview sessions with John Fernandez, Executive Engineer – Team Viper, Herb Helbig, Manager – Vehicle Synthesis – Team Viper, otherwise known internally as the keeper of the Holy Grail of Viper on the limited production of GT2, the GTS-R replica, and John P. Hinckley, Plant Manager – Viper Assembly.
The third to the last segment of the video was an interview with Randy Buck, Driving Instructor, Skip Barber Racing, on using the Viper in a driving school, followed by a segment on Harold Cocolin, Viper Drag Racer and his RT 10-based custom Viper.
Rounding out the interviews was a segment with Jim Julow, General Manager – Dodge Devsion, Chrysler Corporation, who went on record in saying that, “I don’t think the average car driver is made for a Viper. What we’ve kind of go on with the Viper is to make it in small quantities… we just recently did a 100 series production run of the commemorative car for our championship last year in Europe, the GT2. Those are kind of things I think our Viper goes in the future, to make it more special, more unique for the real enthusiast to get behind the wheel, and enjoy what is a very, very incredible, almost race car on the street…. It is an icon of the brand, we cannot let it fade.”
I will be holding on to the Netflix copy for the time being, until the new copy that I ordered on Amazon.com arrives. Sorry, but I’ve got to. I urge everyone to try to secure a new copy while they are still available.
Consequently, I have come to appreciate the more down-to-earth and fun-driven aspects of American muscle cars, and my quest for knowledge on the Viper led me to the discovery of a documentary last week on Netflix on the creation of Viper, called “Dodge Viper: Legend in Its Own Lifetime”, sanctioned by the officers of the Chrysler Corporation. Considering the recent discussions in this Forum on the next-generation Viper, I think this is high time for us to retrace the original spirit of the Viper, and I consider it a privilege to be able to share a few aspects of the DVD with fellow Viper enthusiasts/owners here. I have been playing this DVD almost every day now, and I believe all the discussion of the future Viper will not be pertinent if we don’t understand its origin.
The following is the live, opening remarks by Lee Iacocca, Former Chrysler President, on the podium made in February, 1990 of the 75-minute video:
“If this doesn’t excite you, check your pulse because you’re not well today. This is Viper.”
There are a dozen long and short interviews/commentaries by individuals directly associated with the creation of the Viper, accompanied by extensive video footage and narrative. The following is an excerpt of the opening narrative after the Iacocca quote:
“Aimed at being a Cobra for the 90s, the Viper first appeared as a concept car in the 1989 North America International Auto Show in Detroit. Carroll Shelby, the creator of the Cobra, was brought on board as the consultant… The real American sports car was back. Shelby drove the first production model as the pace car for the 1991 Indianapolis 500…”
In order of appearance, there are brief comments by:
Bob Lutz, Former Vice-Chairman, Chrysler Corporation
Tom Gale, Executive Vice-President, Product Strategy & Design
Francois Castaing, former Exec. Vice-President, Vehicle Engineering
Carroll Shelby, Consultant on Viper Concept
Next comes video footage of the first owners’ meeting in 1994, procession of Vipers on freeways, and hundreds of Viper in parade formation at Indy car race.
There is also a short footage on the 1996 Viper owners 2nd gathering. License plates shown included SNKE BTE (Florida), FANG (Texas), VPR RASH (Illinois), CNT DV55 (Alabama), NOXQUSE (Tennessee), BAH BYE (Indiana), and I ZOOM BY (Illinois).
Interview with Bob Lutz.
Followed by detailed video on assembly of a Viper, Jay Leno interview at the Viper plant and a Viper procession in downtown Paris (all blue Vipers with white stripes). Then, the segment moves on to the birth of the GTS-R racer, with factory onsite interviews with Roy Sjaberg, Former Executive Engineer – Team Viper, Neil Hanneman, Program Manager – Team Viper and Richard Myers, Product Development Specialist – Team Viper.
Then the video went on to detailed, more insightful interview sessions with John Fernandez, Executive Engineer – Team Viper, Herb Helbig, Manager – Vehicle Synthesis – Team Viper, otherwise known internally as the keeper of the Holy Grail of Viper on the limited production of GT2, the GTS-R replica, and John P. Hinckley, Plant Manager – Viper Assembly.
The third to the last segment of the video was an interview with Randy Buck, Driving Instructor, Skip Barber Racing, on using the Viper in a driving school, followed by a segment on Harold Cocolin, Viper Drag Racer and his RT 10-based custom Viper.
Rounding out the interviews was a segment with Jim Julow, General Manager – Dodge Devsion, Chrysler Corporation, who went on record in saying that, “I don’t think the average car driver is made for a Viper. What we’ve kind of go on with the Viper is to make it in small quantities… we just recently did a 100 series production run of the commemorative car for our championship last year in Europe, the GT2. Those are kind of things I think our Viper goes in the future, to make it more special, more unique for the real enthusiast to get behind the wheel, and enjoy what is a very, very incredible, almost race car on the street…. It is an icon of the brand, we cannot let it fade.”
I will be holding on to the Netflix copy for the time being, until the new copy that I ordered on Amazon.com arrives. Sorry, but I’ve got to. I urge everyone to try to secure a new copy while they are still available.
