The true challenge of the Gen 5 is to maintain the "attitude" of the Gen 1-4 while making enough changes to attract NEW BUYERS that have never owned a Viper before. Many felt that the Gen 3 did not have as much attitude as the Gen 1/2, but it did attract some new Viper owners. Same for the Gen 4, it did attract some new Viper owners, yet even with all of the significant changes and 600hp has not been a huge seller (the state of the economy sure does cloud this picture though.)
This is the exact reason why I built my Street Serpent. I felt that the underpinnings of the Gen 3 were far better than my Gen 1, but I was underwhelmed by the looks of the Gen 3 – particularly the front grill and rear deck lid. The Street Serpent combines design cues from the Gen 1, 2, 3 and the comp coupe. Can there really be a radical change to the Gen 5 that keeps the Viper nation happy while still attracting new Viper owners? I hope so and believe that some of the futuristic sketches that we have seen may get us there as I plan to own a Viper for as long as I have a license.
This may all be a mute point as as I can’t see any new Viper being released in 2012 if the economy doesn’t dramatically improve.
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