What have you been told about your Viper?

[Vprbite]

What have you...ahem...learned about your Viper at car shows, gas stations, street lights, etc by non-owners? I assume we get a lot of the same ones but here are my favorites and the three that really stick out to me. 2 are common, one is a fact straight out of outer space. I say fact because to those telling me, they are damn certain.


1. IT'S THE EXACT SAME MOTOR OUT OF THE 94 TRUCK. Oh is it? Well shit, I better get rid of my ram pickup and tow with my GTS instead. If someone told me it had the same bore and stroke, I would be impressed. But that never happened with my Gen II. I was just told over and over that it is a truck motor just stuck in the car.

2. IS THIS ONE A V-10 OR A V-12? Well, being the outright liar or full blown idiot that I am (depends on what they think of me as I answer) I tell them that all Vipers all aluminum V-10s. It is at that point I am informed that they have a V-12 option, I must not know about it because these people sure do. It is again at this point my pathological lying comes into play as I say that they have always been aluminum V-10s but that displacement and power has increased over the years, but still they are aluminum V-10s. People stick to their guns pretty hard on this one, so I find it no worth the effort.

3. IS THIS SOME KIND OF CORVETTE? (It was a Gen II, 2002 GTS) Me: No, this is a Dodge Viper. THEM: YEAH BUT VIPER IS MADE BY CORVETTE. CORVETTE OWNS THE BRAND. It was at this point where I think I had an aneurism or a stroke or something like that because all I could see was white hot rage and then I passed out.

I am thankful for these good Samaritans, for without them I would know so little about the car that I have lusted after from 92 to 2009 and owned some variation of since then.

Please share what these "shade tree lunkheads" have enlightened you with over your time of ownership.

P.S. I of course find most non-owners to be very nice people who ask legitimate questions about the vehicle or express their appreciation for it/other great automobiles so the good interactions outweigh the bad by about 99 to 1. It's just the people that are so certain they know these things about these cars and I am nothing but a clueless rich guy (neither of those accurately describes me at all) who has no idea about his V-12, Truck-Motored but rebadged Corvette.

[BlknBlu]

Wow it goes 220 MPH, dang that is fast.

Bruce

[Shooter]

I was told that they are ordered as "kit cars" that the dealer then builds to your specification... really. Blew me away.

[venomous08]

I have been asked if my 08 ACR was a real ACR before at the gas station.....

My reply was it has the wing, splitter, canards, and paint like one so I think it is one.

[Venom]

I was told that the wing on my car was from a HONDA !!!!!!

[v10enomous]

I was told that the wing on my car was from a HONDA !!!!!!

Wow that guy was confused. It's off a Supra... haha

[Fatboy 18]

Truck Engine! Check.

Wow look at that Corvette! (BEFORE THE STICKERS WERE ON THE CAR)

Didn't know GM Made these!

[v10enomous]

I guess we all get a lot of the same stuff. It's one of the entertaining aspects of Viper ownership. What's really funny is when people say stuff to other people that they know you can hear trying to bait you into a discussion or debate.

[01sapphirebob]

I once had someone try to tell me (BTW this person claimed to work for a supplier on the Viper program) that the Vipers came with a V8. I told him that there never was aviper that was sold to the public that had a V8 in it but this person swore up and down that he was right. There was nothing that I could say to change this persons mind It was the weirdest thing.

[chesapeake07]

It truly amazes me but most of the public I talk to about the cars are convinced they are V12 motors.

[Fatboy 18]

I once had someone try to tell me (BTW this person claimed to work for a supplier on the Viper program) that the Vipers came with a V8. I told him that there never was aviper that was sold to the public that had a V8 in it but this person swore up and down that he was right. There was nothing that I could say to change this persons mind It was the weirdest thing.

That might have something to do with this! Thereis a brief mention of a V8 on the 1989 concept car.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGDdBFbikUQ#t=444

[VoodooRob]

I had the same with someone asking if it had the "optional" V12 engine. Have no idea where people get that from? I told him all Vipers produced come with V10 only and he said he knew that the V12 was an option.

[BlknBlu]

Do they still make Vipers?

Bruce

[Fatboy 18]

Oh and this one........"They don't handle well"

Muppets in Europe still consider American cars as big Tanks that go fast in a straight line are Rubbish at cornering.

I then remind them about Le mans wins and Ring Records. Which they never knew!

[mitchdob]

Them: "How many miles did you drive the car last year?"
Me: "Yea, only drove it about 200 miles."
Them: "But why, with that car you can drive that far in an hour."

True story....

[BlknBlu]

Why do they sound like garbage trucks?

Bruce

[Sybil TF]

I was told that women shouldn't be allowed to drive one.. Cause of that little issue we have with applying makeup and texting while driving. I don't get it

[slowhatch]

The ol' its a truck v10 line is the single dumbest and oldest wives tale about the viper. They had nothing to do with one another in any way, shape, or form. Considering the Viper V10 came out first...

[BlknBlu]

The ol' its a truck v10 line is the single dumbest and oldest wives tale about the viper. They had nothing to do with one another in any way, shape, or form. Considering the Viper V10 came out first...

Not true, a truck engine was sent to Lambo(CHrysler owned) and reworked.

Bruce

[Fatboy 18]

Not true, a truck engine was sent to Lambo(CHrysler owned) and reworked.

Bruce

Its all here

[Vprbite]

Stroke and Bore were the same as I recall.

Fatboy...the don't handle well thing is funny. I have been told so many times "that car is not known for its handling." So how did it set the record on the Ring? Can you get it out of control? Of course, but it's not due to poor handling.

VooDoo Rob, I heard the V-12 Option again just the other day in fact. I was getting gas and someone in an obvious work truck (paint spills, toolbox, all that kind of stuff. Clearly not a weekend toy type of truck. But that doesn't translate to knowing anything about cars apparently) asked if I had the V-12 Option. He said unequivocally Yes they do offer a V-12 but you have to order it. I said that no, all Vipers are the same V-10 and was promptly corrected. It is apparantly a dealer option that must be ordered. I am wondering if maybe the V-12 people read some article about Lamborghinis association with Viper at the time and didnt the Countache have a V-12? That is my best guess and I am giving people a huge benefit of the doubt in assuming they misread some article about the birth of the Viper and the association with lamborghini at the time and got confused. What's amazing is how incredibly adamant they are about what they know and I do not.

Like I said, most people will ask things like "were they always V-10s?" And things like that are absolutely fair questions. I was asking a young man about his new Boss 302 mustang the other day and though I know a bit about them, I didn't tell him about the car like I was an all knowing God of cars and he was an idiot. I asked if the exhaust was stock, how the 2 keys work. Car guy type questions. I guess we should take it as a compliment that people are so viscerally effected by our vehicles it causes them to know things we don't.

I wouldn't trade it for anything though. I keep matchbox Vipers and some 1:48 "pull-back action" Vipers in the car to give to kids who love the car and want to take pictures with it or sometimes adults (the adults usually happen to be pretty girls . And hey, if those cars happen to have my phone number on them then that's just a strange coincidence. : )

I wanted to see if any of you had gotten some absolute Planet Mars comments like the one I got about it beng owned by Corvette. Shooter's "Kit Car" comment is pretty nuts. Wild you trust the dealer to assemble one?

[Vprbite]

I was told that women shouldn't be allowed to drive one.. Cause of that little issue we have with applying makeup and texting while driving. I don't get it

He is lucky you didn't show him you could shove your foot up his ass while driving too! Wow, that's really pretty incredible. I bet you handled it with grace but I don't think it would have been rude knock him around a bit

[Vprbite]

I was told that the wing on my car was from a HONDA !!!!!!

That's ridiculous. Everyone knows it's the same spoiler off of the Acura NSX with the V-12 package. I am surprised you didn't know that.

[Vprbite]

The ol' its a truck v10 line is the single dumbest and oldest wives tale about the viper. They had nothing to do with one another in any way, shape, or form. Considering the Viper V10 came out first...

I am pretty sure it had the same stroke and bore in it's original form but the similarities end there. Besides, one of them is made of IRON and weighs as much as an entire Viper.

[Vprbite]

Them: "How many miles did you drive the car last year?"
Me: "Yea, only drove it about 200 miles."
Them: "But why, with that car you can drive that far in an hour."

True story....

To be fair, that is technically true. I mean, it could be a smidge dangerous on a public road to be dong 300ft/second, but ya know, it is do-able.