A thin slither of hope emerged today as news circulated about a potential return for the discontinued Dodge Viper. It won’t have escaped your attention that Dodge discontinued its iconic sports car last year amid poor demand and its alleged inability to comply with FMVSS 226 regulations which require new cars to be fitted with side curtain air bags.
The rumours suggest that Dodge will do away with the classic V10 engine in favour of a naturally aspirated V8 engine. Whilst its competitor, the Corvette, looks set to switch to a mid-engined layout, the Viper will retain its trademark front engine, rear wheel drive setup.
The new Viper’s engine will probably be shared with the Challenger range with a 550 hp version likely for entry models and a 700 hp Hellcat version to follow. Convertibles will hit the market first with Coupe’s to follow. Pricing is expected to start at around the $90,000 mark, increasing once the hardcore ACR version is released.
Dodge will likely use an aluminium spaceframe setup with carbon fibre bodywork. Given that Dodge closer the Viper factory last year when the previous generation model was discontinued, it is expected that the 4th generation model will be built by an outside contractor.
The Viper is likely to have stiff competition from its American rivals.
