| I'm posting this note on behalf of Ken Nowak, Original Team Viper Engineer. |
"Who was RHS and what does he mean to Viper?
Roy Hamilton Sjoberg came to Chrysler after a number of years with GM working on the Corvette program under his good friend and mentor, Zora Duntov. Zora was known as the Father of the Corvette and was the first to put a V8 into one. When Bob Lutz. Tom Gale, Francois Castaing, and Carroll Shelby began stirring the witches brew that shakes up stagnant automakers, Roy's name bubbled to the top of the *** and he was given the assignment to put together a "Feasibility Study" to see if Chrysler might have a two seat V-10 sports car in its future.
Moving "Viper" from concept to production inside a conservative front wheel drive K-Car corporation required a uniquely talented and dedicated group of people. "Team Viper" as they came to be called was a gaggle of hot rodders, motorcycle riders, drag racers, rally drivers, road racers and enthusiasts who built Plymouth Reliants by day, and worked on race cars by night. The man who found these competitive and creative engineers, techs, and support personnel, and essentially built an entire car company within a car company, was Roy Sjoberg.
Roy not only built an engineering Team VIper, but he led it like a father leads a family. Roy made Team Viper into a family. He made time to listen and understand whenever someone had an idea, a suggestion, or a complaint, Floor sweeper or VP, Roy wanted to know your thoughts. He was more than a leader. Roy was our patriarch and his recent passing feels like a loss of family.
Roy Hamilton Sjoberg, RHS, created Team Viper.
Roy loved the Viper, he loved his Team Viper who made it happen, and he loved the Viper Nation.
When a firefighter or police officer honors a fallen comrade, he wears a black "Mourning Band" over his badge. One of the ways Team Viper recognizes and honors the memory of Roy Sjoberg is a kind of automotive version of this Mourning Band. We’ve created a black vinyl decal which is placed over the Viper nose badge in memory of Roy. We intend to have these bands available at NVE6 and other events for the entire year."
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