More Exclusive than an F Car or Lambo

[SharpMan]

Even though it has a manual transmission there's really a lot of modern features in the car.

I believe it was a total communications and marketing disaster. The Gen V is a modern car. Multi-mode stability and tractions control, variable valve timing, largely carbon body, etc...etc... The problem was that it looked too much like a Gen II GTS and they did nothing to properly control the media message around the car (ie continued nonsense about it being a widowmaker) and did next to nothing to market it. Lastly, selling a $120,000+ car out of Dodge dealerships is an almost impossible task. I bought my 2017 ACR-E because of what it is but you have to be a pretty die hard car guy to put up with how shit most Dodge dealerships are. For the same money I could have (and have) bought a GT3 and any new Porsche store is not only nicer than any Dodge dealer with more professional service it's also nicer than hanging out at my house! For most people buying cars in this price range that matters.

That's also a reflection of the fact that for most Dodge management's KPIs the Viper is not only irrelevant but a distraction. I mean 300 cars a year vs the million or more Rams and vans...why waste your time. Especially sad considering how passionate Gilles and so many people at Dodge were about the car and the pride with which it was built.

[Policy Limits]

Facts. They sorta knew the dealerships were crap so they wanted to have "SRT" dealers which ended up meaning they paid 25k for a title with few Viper techs in the country. Try finding one now. Even when I was able to find a Dodge dealer willing to touch my car for warranty work, a difficult task, I always hated bringing it there. You're right about the price point. It puts you smack in the Lotus, Maserati, Porsche category. and that's just new models and dont take into account preowned exotic market. I doubt gen 6 will ever debut.

[SharpMan]

Facts. They sorta knew the dealerships were crap so they wanted to have "SRT" dealers which ended up meaning they paid 25k for a title with few Viper techs in the country. Try finding one now. Even when I was able to find a Dodge dealer willing to touch my car for warranty work, a difficult task, I always hated bringing it there. You're right about the price point. It puts you smack in the Lotus, Maserati, Porsche category. and that's just new models and dont take into account preowned exotic market. I doubt gen 6 will ever debut.

My ACR-E was $192,000 CAD which is knocking on McLarent money and it wasn't even a 1-of-1!

I agree with you. There will not be a Gen 6. Honestly, it would be a stupid move. It just isn't a fit for their brand / product / corporate makeup and strategy.

[ViperJon]

The dealership experience is the single worst aspect of owning a Gen V Viper under warranty. Yes...there are some good ones sprinkled around the country but few and far between. There are none in the entire northeast to my knowledge.

[ACRSNK]

Facts. They sorta knew the dealerships were crap so they wanted to have "SRT" dealers which ended up meaning they paid 25k for a title with few Viper techs in the country. Try finding one now. Even when I was able to find a Dodge dealer willing to touch my car for warranty work, a difficult task, I always hated bringing it there. You're right about the price point. It puts you smack in the Lotus, Maserati, Porsche category. and that's just new models and dont take into account preowned exotic market. I doubt gen 6 will ever debut.

Which Dodge dealer did you use for warranty work

[Policy Limits]

Thank God none for the ACR. But my GTS had more recalls than that schwartzeneger movie and at that time I used Herb chambers in Danvers MA, which is close to NH and I live in RI, lol.

[SharpMan]

But my GTS had more recalls than that schwartzeneger movie...

LOL

[Scott_in_fl]

Back to exclusivity, Aventadors still bring an awesome presence, but Huracans are everywhere in South Florida.

Ferraris are also everywhere, so it would need to be something really unique to pop the exclusivity meter. Maybe a Pista, an F8 Tributo for the first few months, but nothing else short of LaF, F40, etc.

The new FGT for sure checks all the boxes for exclusivity and drool factor. A Mac Senna for sure. 720's are starting to become somewhat common believe it or not, but I still really dig them. A 675LT is cool, but the rest (570S, 650S, MP412C) are far less interesting.

Given all of that, what we continue to see is more and more new mass produced vehicles coming from "exclusive" brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mac, etc. -- which makes them less exclusive because they are moving down market in an effort to ramp up production/sales volumes. Thus, it is not like when we were little when we caught a glimpse of a Countach going by, or a Testarossa or even a 388GTB. Those were the days when anything produced by those brands were exclusive.

These days, I find far more interest in the really cool cars that are no longer in production as opposed to any of the new mass-stamped widgets from Anybrand MFG.

And, of course, I still think it is tough to beat this:

20200105_110902.1.jpg

[IndyRon]

I actually agree with Scott, except minus all the vinyl on an otherwise awesome ACR.

[Bryan Savage]

I actually agree with Scott, except minus all the vinyl on an otherwise awesome ACR.

It would look better with Porsche GT2RS White Gold GTD1s.

[ACR Steve]

Almost every manual sports car has gone up in value (shows demand) not sure 8 speed auto would have been the way to go.

To me just the PR on how friendly the car became should have been the way to go . So many people are still spooked at the old handling connotations

[Scott_in_fl]

I actually agree with Scott, except minus all the vinyl on an otherwise awesome ACR.

Ha, you should see the printed full wraps that are all the rage these days.

It would look better with Porsche GT2RS White Gold GTD1s.

LOL, yes, those wheels were awesome. I'll likely grab another set soon and try to go darker color. I've also been eyeing the BC Forged EH308. I think the car needs a busy wheel, and I have to imagine that BC could cut this for 6 lugs.

BC Forged EH308.jpg

Almost every manual sports car has gone up in value (shows demand) not sure 8 speed auto would have been the way to go.

To me just the PR on how friendly the car became should have been the way to go . So many people are still spooked at the old handling connotations

^^^ This is right on, imo. FCA did not properly educate the public about the quality of the car, its refinement, or the comfort/ease of driving. When I saw the Gen V in person for the first time, I was blown away by the difference between it and my Gen III. Everything about it felt sooo much nicer, better built, and just much better executed.

That message never went out, because I never received it. And if I never received it (a car guy), then nobody else did either.

I had no idea how nice the car was until I just happened to stumble upon one sitting on a showroom floor, roped off, while I was looking at other vehicles for my in-laws. That is pretty pathetic.

And how important was that happenchance meeting? Very. It was at that point that I knew I had to sell my recently purchased Z06 and get back into a Viper.

[Bruce H.]

I don't seem to be afflicted with the need to have my cars turn other people's heads, just my own. Perhaps that's because I don't go to C & Cs or live in an area where a lot of people drive or show off the latest hardware. The analogue driving experience trumps all to some of us and in this regard the Viper was and still is a brilliant standout, with the latest flashy stuff moving in the wrong direction. And ever-increasing hp doesn't make them better...just the shiniest object for a short time before being replaced in the minds of those with that kind of a limited focus.

It may be a fact that the Gen V was a relative unknown to many, but unless you were a supposed car enthusiast living in the middle of a turnip patch without access to the internet or car magazines you had to have seen something of the Gen V. Well known race car drivers, IMSA racing wins, Motor Trend testing with Randy Pobst and numerous related articles, TA Production Car Record at one of the two tracks that many high performance car buyers reference when researching these kind of cars, articles in other auto magazines, car forums like corvetteforums.com that went crazy because of the Viper taking back the record, and then repeating it all after the ACR came out. But either way I wasn't concern with who knew about the car, and still don't.

Cars like the Viper often times take a while to be more broadly discovered by the enthusiast masses, and often times after they are out of production. That discovery pushes values up and suddenly it becomes a collectible car to have, not because it is the latest flashy object, but because of the incredible car that it is, and how it becomes more of a standout compared to the latest offerings. The Viper is the anti-Ferrari, the anti-Lambo and McLaren, and that is more and more becoming a good thing...and more and more exclusive than those cars.

Bruce

[SharpMan]

Interesting the conversation about the look of the car, the attention that it may or may not elicit and those aspects vis-a-vis other sports and super cars.

While I love the way my ACR looks it's definitely the way it drives that I love most. It's entirely unique as a road car. Nothing is as direct and raw. Interestingly it becomes more fluid and comfortable on the track at speed...the opposite of most cars and many performance cars.

[Scott_in_fl]

Ask people why they love cars and what they enjoy doing with them, and you'll get many, many different responses. Some love to restore them, some love to mod or customize them, some love to race them, some like to go to car shows, etc. Frankly, I love everything and anything about cars because I enjoy all of it. My former life as a motorcycle racer had me zipping around race tracks all over the place, so I completely understand the satisfaction that comes from chasing that perfect lap at Barber, Road Atlanta, Laguna, etc. I've been there, done that, it was awesome.

But I also have a creative side that loves to mess around with things trying to improve them both mechanically and aesthetically. I've always done that and, with my bikes, I built quite a reputation for having the baddest ass machines around. Everyone would always ask me to call them when I was ready to sell because they knew everything was always done as well and as thoroughly as possible. Was it showing off? Was it to get attention? No. That's just my own personal quest to take a canvas and see what I can do with it.

If attention was the goal, I would have an Aventador. That is absolutely the best option on the planet short of an LaF, for someone seeking eyeballs. The problem is that I could not work on the car without a ton of special tools and would not enjoy driving the car without a manual. Plus, I enjoy machines that work better the more they are muscled and man-handled. The harder you drive a Viper, the more rewarding it gets. It drives well at the limit, slides predictably, and is telepathic with what it is doing. I've not driven an Aventador at that level, but I have to imagine that it's not quite the same. So, the Viper is perfect for me. It sounds like it may be perfect for you as well. Cheers!

[ACRSNK]

Agree Viper is perfect 😝

[SharpMan]

Ask people why they love cars and what they enjoy doing with them, and you'll get many, many different responses. Some love to restore them, some love to mod or customize them, some love to race them, some like to go to car shows, etc. Frankly, I love everything and anything about cars because I enjoy all of it. My former life as a motorcycle racer had me zipping around race tracks all over the place, so I completely understand the satisfaction that comes from chasing that perfect lap at Barber, Road Atlanta, Laguna, etc. I've been there, done that, it was awesome.

But I also have a creative side that loves to mess around with things trying to improve them both mechanically and aesthetically. I've always done that and, with my bikes, I built quite a reputation for having the baddest ass machines around. Everyone would always ask me to call them when I was ready to sell because they knew everything was always done as well and as thoroughly as possible. Was it showing off? Was it to get attention? No. That's just my own personal quest to take a canvas and see what I can do with it.

If attention was the goal, I would have an Aventador. That is absolutely the best option on the planet short of an LaF, for someone seeking eyeballs. The problem is that I could not work on the car without a ton of special tools and would not enjoy driving the car without a manual. Plus, I enjoy machines that work better the more they are muscled and man-handled. The harder you drive a Viper, the more rewarding it gets. It drives well at the limit, slides predictably, and is telepathic with what it is doing. I've not driven an Aventador at that level, but I have to imagine that it's not quite the same. So, the Viper is perfect for me. It sounds like it may be perfect for you as well. Cheers!

Good point. I very much support that people should enjoy cars, or whatever, however they choose!

[ACRSNK]

Ha, you should see the printed full wraps that are all the rage these days.



LOL, yes, those wheels were awesome. I'll likely grab another set soon and try to go darker color. I've also been eyeing the BC Forged EH308. I think the car needs a busy wheel, and I have to imagine that BC could cut this for 6 lugs.

BC Forged EH308.jpg



^^^ This is right on, imo. FCA did not properly educate the public about the quality of the car, its refinement, or the comfort/ease of driving. When I saw the Gen V in person for the first time, I was blown away by the difference between it and my Gen III. Everything about it felt sooo much nicer, better built, and just much better executed.

That message never went out, because I never received it. And if I never received it (a car guy), then nobody else did either.

I had no idea how nice the car was until I just happened to stumble upon one sitting on a showroom floor, roped off, while I was looking at other vehicles for my in-laws. That is pretty pathetic.

And how important was that happenchance meeting? Very. It was at that point that I knew I had to sell my recently purchased Z06 and get back into a Viper.

That wheel is sick!!!!