Dodge Viper Used Parts Online

The Dodge Viper is a V10-powered sports car manufactured by the Dodge division of Chrysler LLC. Production of the two seat sports car began at New Mack Assembly in 1992 and moved to its current home at Conner Avenue Assembly in October 1995. The car, as well as numerous variations of it, has made countless appearances in TV shows, video games, movies, and music videos. All generations had the same 6-speed manual transmission. The Viper was conceived as a historical take on the classic American sports car. The iconic AC Cobra was a source of inspiration, and the final version of the Viper bears this out with its powerful engine, minimalist straightforward design, muscular and aggressive styling, and high performance. Some saw claims to kinship with the Cobra as a marketing exercise, ignoring that Carroll Shelby was heavily involved in the initial design of the Viper, and subsequent design of the Viper GTS coupe. Notably, the later Viper GTS coupe took a few design cues from the Pete Brock designed Shelby Cobra Daytona. Though the proportions seem similar at first glance, the designs are quite unique. Carrol Shelby was key in the development of the R/T 10 as well as having a hand in the development of the GTS model. The Viper was initially conceived in late 1988 at Chrysler's Advanced Design Studios. The following February, Chrysler president Bob Lutz suggested to Tom Gale at Chrysler Design that the company should consider producing a modern Cobra, and a clay model was presented to Lutz a few months later. Produced in sheet metal by Metalcrafters, the car appeared as a concept at the North American International Auto Show in 1989. This concept vehicle was originally named Copperhead because of its low, wide appearance characteristic of reptiles. All engines for the Viper have since been known as "copperhead." The name would later be changed to Viper. Public reaction was so enthusiastic, that chief engineer Roy Sjeoberg was directed to develop it as a standard production vehicle. Sjoberg selected 85 engineers to be "Team Viper," with development beginning in March 1989. The team asked the then-Chrysler subsidiary Lamborghini to cast some prototype aluminum blocks based on Dodge's V10 truck engine for sports car use in May. The production body was completed in the fall, with a chassis prototype running in December. Though a V8 was first used in the test mule, the V10, which the production car was meant to use, was ready in February 1990.

The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese built Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January 1992 as the RT/10 Roadster. The centerpiece of the car was its engine. It was based on the Chrysler LA design, which was a truck engine. The original configuration made it too heavy for sports car use, so Lamborghini, then owned by Chrysler Corporation, revamped Dodge's cast iron block V10 for the Viper by recasting the block and head in aluminum alloy. Some within Chrysler felt the pushrod two-valve design, while adequate for the truck application, was unsuitable for a performance car and suggested a more comprehensive redesign which would have included four valves per cylinder. Chrysler, however, was uncertain about the Viper's production costs and sales potential and so declined to provide the budget for the modification. The engine weighed 711 lb (323 kg) and produced 400 bhp (300 kW) at 4600 rpm and 465 lb-ft (630 N-m) at 3600 rpm, and thanks to the long-gearing allowed by the engine, provided fuel economy at a United States Environmental Protection Agencyý-rated 12 mpg-US (20 L/100 km; 14 mpg-imp) city and 20 mpg-US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg-imp) highway. The body was a tubular steel frame with resin transfer molding (RTM) fiberglass panels. Some small bits of the suspension, following the manufacturer's "engine first" mantra, were sourced from the Dodge Dakota pickup. It had a curb weight of 3,280 lb (1,490 kg) and lacked all modern driver aids such as traction control or anti-lock brakes. Car and Driver magazine referred to this generation as "the world's biggest Fat Boy Harley," and likened driving it to "playing ping pong with a Louisville Slugger baseball bat." Despite this, in straight line performance, it completed a quarter mile in 12.6 seconds and had a maximum speed of over 180 mph (290 km/h). Its large tires allowed the car to average close to 1 lateral g in corners, placing it among the elite cars of its day. However, the car proved tricky to drive at high speeds, particularly for the unskilled. The car was spartan, although it featured inflatable lumbar support and adjustable seats. Along with the absence of exterior door handles, the vehicle lacked side windows and a roof. Although a soft top cover was available, it was designed primarily for outdoor vehicle storage. Side curtains of fabric and clear plastic operated by zippers could be inserted into the door and hand bolted when needed. All of these decisions were made to reduce weight. The battery is located in the sealed compartment over the rear wheel well to increase rear end weight and traction. The car shipped with a tonneau cover and video tape on soft-top assembly. In 1994 A/C was added as an option. Performance Dodge Viper first generation 0-60 mph (97 km/h): 4.6 sec 0-100 mph (160 km/h): 9.2 sec quarter mile: 13.1 sec @ 112 mph (180 km/h) top speed: +180 mph (290 km/h) (confirmed by Road and Track magazine / 1992) 700 ft (210 m) slalom: over 66 mph (106 km/h) skidpad average g: 0.96