Viper Engine Guru Retires

[SmoknTires]

Dick Winkles announced that he is retiring as Chief Engineer of the Viper V-10 at the end of February. Winkles has been with Chrysler for 34 years, and was involved in the development of the Gen I, III, and IV Viper engines. Most recently, he led the development of the Gen V Viper engine, bringing it back to life after the bankruptcy period, and injecting an additional 45 HP into the already fire-breathing 600 HP V-10.

Winkles always joked, "The Viper is just the box that the jewel comes in," since the engine is his baby and the heart of the Viper. In his 34 years at Chrysler, he's seen it change from notepads to iPads, from carbs to fuel injection, and screwdrivers to laptops for making tuning adjustments. But the goal was always the same. MAKE MORE POWER!

Many of you have met Winkles at various Viper events and most notably, at the races while the Viper was racing. Winkles owns an orange Gen IV convertible with the cleanest engine compartment you're likely to find anywhere! A retirement party is planned for mid-March. Watch for a more detailed account of his history and memories with the Viper program in an upcoming issue of Viper Quarterly.

[SmoknTires]

Released today for public consumption, a press release from Prefix regarding Dick Winkles joining their team. See below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 9, 2015

Industry Veteran Dick Winkles Joins Prefix Family of Companies
as Chief Engineer of Prefix Arrow Racing

(Rochester Hills, MI) - - Prefix Corporation officially announced today that former Chrysler Engineer, Dick Winkles has joined the Prefix team as Chief Engineer of Prefix Arrow Racing. Prefix acquired Arrow Racing in 2014. In his new role, Winkles will work to expand the division with new opportunities as they relate to engine and drivetrain development.

Arrow Racing was founded over thirty years ago, originally to support all aspects of Chrysler Motorsports, Performance Parts, and Production. Their team was also involved with the Dodge Viper V-10 engine development, supporting design, research and testing. Arrow’s innovative engineering success continues to be led by Lee Carducci. “I’ve got a lot of respect and admiration for what Dick has accomplished, and look forward to working together on some very exciting projects in the future.” said Carducci.

Winkles, was Chief Engineer for the mighty Viper V-10 engine, and retired from Chrysler last month. Known among Viper enthusiasts as “Mr. V-10”, Winkles was at Chrysler for nearly 34 years, and was instrumental in developing the Gen I, III, IV, and V Viper engines. Most recently, he led the development of the Gen V engine, putting it back into production while squeezing 645 HP out of the naturally-aspirated V-10.

“We’re very excited to welcome Dick Winkles to Prefix.” exclaimed C.E.O. Kim Zeile “Our Arrow Racing division has a strong team of experienced, dedicated, and passionate people, and we’re looking forward to some very interesting projects in the coming months.” Prefix employs nearly 300 people at their six Metro Detroit area facilities. For additional information on Prefix, visit www.prefix.com.


Contact:
Jhan R Dolphin
Director of Marketing
Prefix Corp.
(847) 910-2248