Is the Viper a Supercar

[Vipernathan]

It always bothers me when someone claims the Viper isn't a supercar. If you ask them why, they'll generally say because it's an American car or because it's built by Dodge.

They don't have a good answer because the facts aren't in their favor. Supercars built in Europe are great, but the Viper isn't inferior to any of them.

My brother put together a video showing how the Viper has a history of outperforming Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche for a fraction of the price.

If you'd like to watch it, here's the link: https://youtu.be/9auAY21snqg

What do you guys say when someone tells you the Viper isn't a supercar?

[BlknBlu]

To me it is an American Sports car, Super cars have a dollar amount tied to them, lets say $250.00 plus to be categorized as a Supercar. Then you get into Hypercars which are very exclusive and very high dollor like 1 Mil +.

Just my thoughts

Bruce

[Vipernathan]

Yes its certainly an American sportscar that can be put into the supercar category since it can do almost everything a supercar can. Rolls Royce, Bentleys, etc are very high priced, are they supercars? Are lower end Ferraris that cost $300k....supercars?

[josh]

I think it's all subjective.

You could say "super cars" from Europe could be called Exotic Cars

I think "super car" can be a combination of performance, price, exclusivity.

When I think of "sports car" I think of Corvette, Camaro, Mustang .. I definitely don't want to be lumped into that group, haha.

[ViperJon]

This will be an interesting discussion. IMO I do not consider ANY Viper to be a "supercar" or even an "exotic" at least in the sense the term is used by the general public or automotive enthusiasts. And not because they are American made. A supercar has the connotation of not only great performance but being made to a very high standard of quality in workmanship, materials and design. The Viper has the performance (although it falls farther back every year) but not the other attributes. Of course it had budget constraints the Euro's didn't but it falls short in build quality and rarity to make it "super".

[bluesrt]

shure its a super car, it appears to kick ass on the race track

[Vipernathan]

I think it's all subjective.

You could say "super cars" from Europe could be called Exotic Cars

I think "super car" can be a combination of performance, price, exclusivity.

When I think of "sports car" I think of Corvette, Camaro, Mustang .. I definitely don't want to be lumped into that group, haha.

My thinking is the same as yours. Does the LaFerrari owner not consider a Murcielago or a Carerra GT a supercar? Definitely subjective.

[Fatman2006]

I would say yes it's a supercar. I agree it is not as expensive as other supercars, but withstanding price, it meets whatever vague term defines a supercar. Performance...check, exclusivity ...check, uniqueness...check, dope ass name...check!

I think it helps to not look at the term supercar, as binary or black and white, but more to the point of varying degrees of a supercar. Vipers have been shown to be faster than their equivalent European counterparts, so can you really say those Euro supercars are "fast enough" to meet the metric of supercar. Yes generally speaking, the Euro cars are more expensive. A Viper's performance doesn't take away from the Euro supercar's title, so why would a more expensive car's price effect the supercar title of a Viper?

All that said, let's give it a scale, supercars fall in the 0-5 scale, hypercars 6-10. We can say a SMART car is a 0, and a Lambo SV is a 5. I would put the Viper at a 4. Price alone does not make or break the term supercar.

[Exhlr8n]

It's Super, It's a Car, It's mine, therefore it's My Supercar and it's Bad ASS..!

[Policy Limits]

Super car, yes. Hyper car, no. The latter is reserved for Koenigsegg, Pagani, Bugatti, etc. However, it is the former in that it's hand made, exclusive, high performance. Those attributes make it a super car as well as an exotic. The dodge name ruins it though and so much so that we can't forget the identity crisis 5 years ago. SRT is street racing technology so let's call it that instead. The painful lesson was it was still just a dodge dealer for service. Just today I did my second oil change in the ACR. Again I returned to my local Ferrari dealership for the service since the local dodge dealers have literally messed up putting air in my tires on my last snake. I wish I had a picture of it. There's 488, 458, 430 cars ever where yet the entire dealership was surrounding my car after the service including the GM. He even asked if he could take a picture of it. And there you have it.

[Lemay88]

IMO
When it come to performance....Viper has always been in the supercar category ( it even flirts with hyper car in some occasion...wink,wink porsche 918 laguna seca)
In exclusivity...in the supercar category
But for everything else....just a above average, a..s kicking, killer looks and not you mommy's car american made supercar...

Just my 3 cents

[Photog1]

Viper is a Super Car and an Exotic. Being a Dodge does not take away from that. Would you not call a Porsche 918 a Super Car or Hyper Car because it is owned by VW.

[Vipernathan]

Agreed, its a supercar imo. It will draw a crowd just as easily as any other supercar will, performs as well too, there may be some with nicer interiors and fancier paint and materials, and perhaps a more prestigious emblem on the hood, but I would certainly argue that the Viper has a right to be in the same crowd as Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, etc.

[Exhlr8n]

Hey Nathan,

Fancier Paint...?

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[soundkillr]

Meh.... Stryker red, and it would have been a hypercar.....

[SlateEd]

supercar, yes.

hyper car, no... not expensive enough, and not enough 'bleeding edge' technology like a P1 or 918.

Sports car... I would say no there also. That category is too busy. Miata and S2000 and Corvette (lower models) and 911 (lower models) really define that category...but as soon as people start putting Mustang into that category and M3 in that category and CTS-V and ....... It's too broad and doesn't say anything anymore.

Muscle Car... absolutely NOT and that's the one I hear most that drives me nuts. Being American and having a lot of horsepower does not make it a muscle car.

Wherever you categorize the Challenger, Mustang, Camaro, the Viper CAN NOT be in the same category. That is both inaccurate and bad for the marque. It needs to be compared to the 458, the GT3RS, the Huracan, etc.... just like the Gen1 and Gen2 were compared to Testarossa and Countach

[1ststrike]

Love the story, thanks for sharing.

[drewsss]

I just call mine a megacar and drop the mike.

[viperBase1]

Exotic Supercar. By every measurable criteria sans price.

This thread is proof there's nothing new to talk about.

[commandomatt]

Supercar ?.....No way

Sure the Viper can outperform many others out there but it is not all about that. The guy in the F, L even P car couldn't care less if the Viper will outdo them in some performance category. This just like us not caring if there is another car that will beat the Viper performance wise (does it bother you that the Tesla can take it in a straight line race ?)

What takes the Viper out of the category is build quality, parts and material use. Yes it's hand built but that doesn't mean much because it all depends on how capable the 'hands' are that built it and what standards they are upheld to

None of this really matters though. Who cares what class our cars will fit into ? Maybe it is in its own class. That is a lot cooler as far as I am concerned

[mattssg]

i could care less what the placebo effect of the word "supercar" has to do with anything period.

the snake is one of the fastest cars on the world, holds multiple spots on the ringleader list, and to me it's my favorite car. Whatever people call it I could care less.

[Old Surfer]

No. Build quality kills it.

[Happycamper]

I would consider the Viper a Supercar based on the monocoque design and very limited number of cars built per year.

That being said, I never refer to it when talking about it as a SuperCar, I just refer to it as the "Viper"... nuf said!

Wikipedia definition of Supercar
A supercar is a luxury, high-performance sports car or grand tourer. The term is used in marketing by automakers for unusual and expensive vehicles, and has been used to refer to different sorts of cars:

Limited-production specials from an "elite" automaker
Standard-looking cars modified for power and performance
Models from smaller manufacturers that appeal to enthusiasts


This article would class it in the Supercar category.
https://drivetribe.com/p/whats-the-d...RWqdS4keaZl9xw

[bulitt]

To me the term "Supercar" is a fleeting thing. As new models and performance arrives Supercars of today become Classic's. Each Generation has their own reference as to what a Supercar is. Time sorts all of this out.
What the Viper has is a Legacy. It pulled American sports cars out of the smog equipped doldrums of the 70's and 80's. It was a wake up call to other sportscar manufacturers. It has been a blast to watch ever since!
Multiple class wins at LeMans.
A Production based Viper won the Daytona 24 hrs outright. You can count on one hand how many times that has been done.
A Viper in Europe is more of a head turner than a Ferrari. Perspective.
A special place in American Automotive history...Far better than a Supercar.

[parabs]

To me, Viper is a supercar, although it is the entry level supercar but a supercar nonetheless.