Because everyone was annoying Chrysler with questions about the the next generation Viper, the company decided to preview it on their official Facebook page. With a motor-home. Its true that it only has a Viper logo on it, but this should keep fans quite for a while. And here’s the comment that comes with the photo: “Like many of you, Twitter user @DaveOrrSales asked for a taste of what’s to come at SRT. We dodged death to sneak you this top-secret photo. That’s all you get, crew.”
Exterior and Interior
There isn’t any information as of yet on what the next generation Dodge Viper will look like. However, the company announced it will be sportier and wilder than the current generation. Dealers who saw the concept version said that the model will be a combination between the 8C and a Viper; however Dodge denied those rumors.
The design aspects of the new Viper are being kept hush hush, but Ralph Gilles, head of Chrysler’s design, has said that “there won’t be a part of the car that’s untouched.” He also told Detroit News that he would “want the new Viper to be a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people. We’ve never had stability control on a high-performance car, which is about to happen on the new car.”
All of this is just fine and dandy, but give us some concrete information. All these details tell us is that the next Viper will look better than the model it replacing, but we don’t have a clue as to hoe much better.
The Engine
Dodge is hard at work trying to reinvent the Dodge Viper for the 2013 model year. As of right now, they are working on the new powerhouse engine that will be found under that long hood. This is evidenced by a Viper mule recently caught testing with the new Viper front end attached to the old body style. Something is cooking under that hood and whatever engine that may be, it will need plenty of fresh air to keep it cool. Check out the big air intake in the front bumper and what looks to be three air intakes in the hood. This engine will be a beast and Dodge is doing whatever it can to keep it at bay.
Rumors suggest this new engine will not come from Ferrari, but could be a variation of Chrysler’s new 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 with some form of forced induction. Only time will tell!
The first rumors suggested it would get a new direct-injection 8.4-liter V10 engine that will deliver around 700HP. However, European magazines are talking about a V8 engine with an output of 500 HP for an entry level version.
Other details on the next generation Viper suggest that the sports car will keep its V10 engine, but unlike the previous generation the new Viper will use an 8.7 liter V10 engine – the largest engine ever used in a Chrysler production car. The car will go into production in late 2012 as a 2013 model. (Allpar)
Of course, all of this is just talk and Dodge is staying mute on the matter. The next generation Viper will also be offered with stability control tuning for the first time.
New spy shots of the future generation Dodge Viper suggest that the future sports car may use cruise control. The prototype caught testing was featured a homemade cutout for the cruise control buttons – including adaptive cruise. This may be the worst choice Chrysler may have made for the next Viper, considering cruise control will it make harder for the driver to maintain a constant speed. (Straightline)
When Can I Buy One?
The next generation Viper will make its official debut in 2012 and will appear as a 2013 model. Pricing hasn’t been discussed publicly yet, but Gilles did say that “Dodge will be able to sell a small number of Vipers in Europe” and that all Chrysler wants with the new Viper is to make it profitable, and for this “sales volume isn’t important.” All that tells us is that we are looking at a high price tag!
The Competitors
When the new generation Viper is offered on the market, the list of competitors will be long. Models like the Acura NSX or the next generation Lotus Esprit come to mind as future cars that will try to give the Viper a run for its money.
The new NSX is expected to go on sale as a 2014 model. All we have on the future NSX is based solely on speculations as well, but for now it is rumored it will get a new V6 engine that will deliver up to 400 HP. This will be more than enough to sprint the NSX to an impressive speed of 200 mph.
As for the future Lotus Esprit, it will be powered by a 5.0 liter V8 engine that delivers an impressive 620 HP and 720 NM of torque. With a weight of 1450 kilos, the new Esprit will sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds and will hit a top speed of 205 mph.
These may be the competitors in the Viper’s category, but a true comparison can only be made once we know what the heck is going on with the 2013 Dodge Viper.
Sportier and wilder speculative design is rather intriguing
Aiming at younger buyers seems promising
Secretive plans usual mean extravagant changes
Have to wait until 2012 to get anything official on this thing
Still don’t know engine specs
Goals of small sales figures typically mean high price tags
gallery: 2013 Dodge Viper
