{"id":117380,"date":"2017-07-12T15:33:59","date_gmt":"2017-07-12T19:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=117380"},"modified":"2017-07-12T15:33:59","modified_gmt":"2017-07-12T19:33:59","slug":"the-end-approaches-for-dodge-viper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2017\/07\/the-end-approaches-for-dodge-viper\/","title":{"rendered":"The End Approaches For Dodge Viper"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Members of Team Viper ready an engine for installation into a new Dodge Viper. The plant is being shut down and Viper production ended for good.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Barely five years after bringing the Dodge Viper back to life, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will end production and permanently shut down the special Detroit assembly line tasked with building the two-seat sports car.<\/p>\n

A total of just 87 workers will be impacted by the closure of the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant on Detroit\u2019s east side, but FCA plans to offer all of them work at some of its other facilities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Product News!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First introduced in roadster trim in 1992, what fans preferred to call the \u201cSnake\u201d was one of the fastest products the automakers has ever built, but the $85,000 price tag was simply too much for most Dodge buyers, said Tim Kuniskis, head of Dodge and other North American passenger car operations. Ironically he told TheDetroitBureau.com, that sales of the Viper ACR model has actually been picking up as production of the Viper gets ready to shut down.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t build them fast enough,\u201d said Kuniskis, referring specifically to the \u201cUltimate Viper\u201d edition. The ACR starts at $119,000 but can push up to nearly $150,000 fully equipped.<\/p>\n

(For more about the demise of the Viper, <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
The original Viper was conceived during the "darkest hour" of Chrysler's life, according to one executive.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The top-line version of the fifth-generation Viper coupe appeals to a very different buyer than the base model, including customers who might also have products like a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Aston Martin in the garage. By comparison, even the most expensive of Viper models come as a relative bargain. Speculators have also been snapping up the top-end Vipers hoping that they will eventually become collectible models worth far more than sticker price.<\/p>\n

Overall, Viper sales are up 33% through June of this year, but the total for the first half 2016 was still just 402 of the sports cars.<\/p>\n

The original Snake was launched in 1992 in roadster form. It was the brainchild of former Chrysler President Bob Lutz, who wanted what he described as a \u201craw,\u201d and \u201cclassic American\u201d sports car in the mold of the iconic Shelby Cobra. It features a unique V-10 engine that, in its early incarnation was bumped up to 400 horsepower, a jaw-dropping figure for its era. A few years later, what was then Chrysler Corp. added a coupe version which quickly became the most popular version.<\/p>\n

In its initial form, the Chrysler development team eschewed any form of technology, opting for raw muscle. The first Viper didn\u2019t even have an airbag, though that was eventually added due to increasingly strict federal regulations. During the years, and with each successive generation, the Viper became faster, more powerful \u2013 but also more technically sophisticated.<\/p>\n

The Gen-5 model boasts most of the slick features found in other extreme machines, including Launch Control, a system designed to ensure the fastest possible launch by minimizing wheel spin on take-off. The current car uses an 8.4-liter V-10 churning out 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dodge has tried everything it can to build demand for the Viper, including adding the ACR version.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Often compared to General Motors\u2019 Chevrolet Corvette, the Viper has always aimed for a different \u2013 and smaller \u2013 audience, but built an extremely loyal following, with numerous clubs formed across the country and regular gatherings bringing together often fanatic owners likely to customize everything from engines to paint to license plates reading \u201cSNAKEBIT\u201d and \u201cBADASS.\u201d<\/p>\n

(<\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span>\u00a0to see why Hagerty says now is the time to buy a used Viper.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Viper was briefly pulled from production in July 2010 as Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy and was folded into Fiat\u2019s global empire. But CEO Sergio Marchionne promised to bring it back, and an all-new version went on sale in January 2013, following a much-heralded debut the prior April at the New York Auto Show.<\/p>\n

While some fans have expressed hopes in online forums that FCA would give the Dodge Viper another reprieve that seems highly unlikely.<\/p>\n

The same is the case for the 392,000 square-foot Conner Avenue plant which took over production of the Snake in 1995. (It was initially assembled at another Detroit facility.) The factory also produced several other special Chrysler models over the years, including the Prowler hotrod. Because of its size and age the company says it has no alternative uses for the facility.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Dodge offered five final special edition Vipers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“The plant closing will be\u00a0permanent and will involve the entire facility,” FCA said in\u00a0a notice to the State of Michigan.<\/p>\n

While the Snake might be slithering off into oblivion, FCA\u2019s Dodge division will continue to focus on performance products. That includes its new, 848 hp Dodge Challenger Demon. The most powerful factory-made V-8 model in automotive history, it was originally envisioned as a \u201cbookend\u201d to the Viper, Kuniskis said during a dinner interview.<\/p>\n

The Demon joins a variety of other versions of the Dodge Charger and Challenger models, including the 707-hp Hellcat.<\/p>\n

(Dodge ups the Hellcat\u2019s performance ante with debut of new Challenger Widebody. <\/em>Click Here<\/a><\/span> for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barely five years after bringing the Dodge Viper back to life, Fiat Chrysler will end production and permanently shut down the special Detroit plant that build the beast. To find out why, go to TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":87355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117380"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117380"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=117380"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=117380"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=117380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}