Dodge Viper ACR vs. The World of Super Cars

[TIME]

In no way do I want to knock ANY other exotic car - but:
When i started looking into getting a Viper there was no end to the doomsday talks. The Viper is not what it was 25 years ago when it ruled the road... It is doomed without automatic transmission (young people and grandmas' couldn't drive it), and on and on. Then came the Hellcat - oh boy - now the Viper really was useless.
BOOOOOM: The ACR was introduced with 13 track records to boot!!! Come on, how cool is that. It is exactly what is was 25 years ago, faster than any/most other exotics on the track. This may well be achieved with "primitive" measures but at the end of the day it is fast as f***, an amazing accomplishment in today's exotic car world - all i can say is: Enjoy the moment - i know i am! It is sooo fun to drive (TA in my case).

PS:
This has got to be the best buy ever. You virtually have a lifetime guarantee on the engine. Mine only has the R29 recall but I don't think I will have any problems getting the engine replaced, should something happen. Please note the "I don't think" - so please don't ruin my (wishful) thinking.

[NT-ACR]

In no way do I want to knock ANY other exotic car - but:
When i started looking into getting a Viper there was no end to the doomsday talks. The Viper is not what it was 25 years ago when it ruled the road... It is doomed without automatic transmission (young people and grandmas' couldn't drive it), and on and on. Then came the Hellcat - oh boy - now the Viper really was useless.
BOOOOOM: The ACR was introduced with 13 track records to boot!!! Come on, how cool is that. It is exactly what is was 25 years ago, faster than any/most other exotics on the track. This may well be achieved with "primitive" measures but at the end of the day it is fast as f***, an amazing accomplishment in today's exotic car world - all i can say is: Enjoy the moment - i know i am! It is sooo fun to drive (TA in my case).

PS:
This has got to be the best buy ever. You virtually have a lifetime guarantee on the engine. Mine only has the R29 recall but I don't think I will have any problems getting the engine replaced, should something happen. Please note the "I don't think" - so please don't ruin my (wishful) thinking.

I'm confused by this post. Your title is "Dodge Viper ACR vs. The World of Super Cars" yet the only vehicles you compare it to are the previous generation Vipers and the Hellcat. Do those vehicle represent "The World of Super Cars" in your opinion?

Also, this comment ("It is doomed without automatic transmission (young people and grandmas' couldn't drive it)") is ridiculous. I know people who would love to drive a manual vehicle but because of circumstances completely out of their control (illness, injury, etc.) can not.

[TIME]

I'm confused by this post. Your title is "Dodge Viper ACR vs. The World of Super Cars" yet the only vehicles you compare it to are the previous generation Vipers and the Hellcat. Do those vehicle represent "The World of Super Cars" in your opinion?
Also, this comment ("It is doomed without automatic transmission (young people and grandmas' couldn't drive it)") is ridiculous. I know people who would love to drive a manual vehicle but because of circumstances completely out of their control (illness, injury, etc.) can not.

Sorry for the confusion. I did not compare it to other Vipers and the Hellcat. That was what I was reading at the time I was looking at buying a Viper. I thought it was pretty obvious that the track records were against other super cars.

I also know people that would love to be able to drive a manual shift Viper. Ridiculous? What is next? I am against handicapped people? Again, I was just quoting what I was reading at the time I was looking at buying a Viper.

[lochnessmonster]

In my mind, there is no better value in terms of "supercar performance" vs. price point when it comes to the Viper. But it's more than that. So much more. It's American made, hand built, has more torque than any other N/A car on the planet, it's rare, mine now has another two years added onto the engine warranty (I have the R28 recall), it is absolutely gorgeous, and I can get it serviced at my local Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealership. You simply can't beat those stats. Mine is the GTS. But then you take the ACR, which is all that, and it crushes the competition on the track. Viper drops the mic................

[SharpMan]

I understand your excitement...it's what led me to order one. I'm not too concerned with the fact it beats supercars as I know I can't reproduce those results but it definitely does support the value that the car is.

I love that it's a serious, no compromise (or little compromise) effort. Dodge really put a lot of passion and ingenuity into this one!

[lochnessmonster]

I understand your excitement...it's what led me to order one. I'm not too concerned with the fact it beats supercars as I know I can't reproduce those results but it definitely does support the value that the car is.

I love that it's a serious, no compromise (or little compromise) effort. Dodge really put a lot of passion and ingenuity into this one!

So true. "Passion and ingenuity" is right. It never ceases to amaze me the attention to detail that's been put into this car. Even inside the vents you can see the "snake skin" motif......crazy.

[SharpMan]

So true. "Passion and ingenuity" is right. It never ceases to amaze me the attention to detail that's been put into this car. Even inside the vents you can see the "snake skin" motif......crazy.

It's legitimate skunk works kinda stuff. It's what Ferrari was probably like in the 50s and 60s...but with a marketing department ;-)

If you're planning your automotive career...working on the Viper probably isn't the the most strategic move. I think the team that built this will get some major internet/car guy kudos but car companies are about big profits and the Viper doesn't deliver. They're in this because they love it...I mean nobody needed to work this hard and push this hard on a car that has already been identified as cancelled.

That said, if you consider that a Viper start at what? $90K and ACRs are rolling out the door at $140K with 1 of 1 and all that...well this is, as far as Vipers go, probably a decent bit of business. Maybe it will pave the roadmap to the right business model for the next Viper?

At the end of the day it's really simple...good product always sells and while the Gen V is good in so many ways it took the ACR to generate the buzz. I bet they will sell more GTS because of it too and if they'd done this two years ago the overall nameplate would have benefitted from the positive energy and enthusiasm.

[lochnessmonster]

It's legitimate skunk works kinda stuff. It's what Ferrari was probably like in the 50s and 60s...but with a marketing department ;-)

If you're planning your automotive career...working on the Viper probably isn't the the most strategic move. I think the team that built this will get some major internet/car guy kudos but car companies are about big profits and the Viper doesn't deliver. They're in this because they love it...I mean nobody needed to work this hard and push this hard on a car that has already been identified as cancelled.

That said, if you consider that a Viper start at what? $90K and ACRs are rolling out the door at $140K with 1 of 1 and all that...well this is, as far as Vipers go, probably a decent bit of business. Maybe it will pave the roadmap to the right business model for the next Viper?

At the end of the day it's really simple...good product always sells and while the Gen V is good in so many ways it took the ACR to generate the buzz. I bet they will sell more GTS because of it too and if they'd done this two years ago the overall nameplate would have benefitted from the positive energy and enthusiasm.

Well said. My thoughts exactly. Particularly the, "nobody had to push this hard." The level of detail put into this car is, as you said, due to some guys who truly love the car. I'm so glad they put the ACR out there, even if the sun is setting on this car. It's a testament to the dedication and vision the guys at SRT have. The Viper will go out on a high note. Just as it should.

[dmann]

It's legitimate skunk works kinda stuff. It's what Ferrari was probably like in the 50s and 60s...but with a marketing department ;-)

If you're planning your automotive career...working on the Viper probably isn't the the most strategic move. I think the team that built this will get some major internet/car guy kudos but car companies are about big profits and the Viper doesn't deliver. They're in this because they love it...I mean nobody needed to work this hard and push this hard on a car that has already been identified as cancelled.

That said, if you consider that a Viper start at what? $90K and ACRs are rolling out the door at $140K with 1 of 1 and all that...well this is, as far as Vipers go, probably a decent bit of business. Maybe it will pave the roadmap to the right business model for the next Viper?

At the end of the day it's really simple...good product always sells and while the Gen V is good in so many ways it took the ACR to generate the buzz. I bet they will sell more GTS because of it too and if they'd done this two years ago the overall nameplate would have benefitted from the positive energy and enthusiasm.

Well, its started a little before that with Nineballs Viper vs Z06 videos ;)