Okay, I admit it, I was a little bit scared. Having driven most modern supercars it might seem a little strange to be slightly intimidated but I was sitting behind the wheel of the Dodge Viper SRT – an absolute beast of a car.
It looks super-aggressive and let’s face it you wouldn’t treat a Viper with anything other than ultimate respect and, make no mistake, this machine more than lives up to the reputation of the venomous snake it is named after.
So, not really knowing what I was letting myself in for my finger hovered a little nervously over the red start button as I prepared to awaken this monster from its slumber. What happened next can be best described as an earth shaking clap of thunder as the 8.4 litre V10 exploded into life.
All the hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention and adrenalin started to pump through my veins as I put the car into first gear and slowly, oh, so very slowly, depressed the accelerator (don’t even think about pedal to metal unless you have a deathwish) and moved off in this red aerodynamic missile on wheels. About five minutes later all trepidation had disappeared to be replaced by growing confidence as this epic American supercar left me in total awe of its brutal power, and astonishing ability to terrify and charm you with its charisma at the same time. It is insanely brilliant.
The Viper is a machine that anyone with a love of automobiles just has to experience. It demands your respect and if you mess with this thing and its 645bhp and 800nm of torque it will leave you with a pretty painful snake bite. Respect it and you will be rewarded with an unforgettable experience.
To start with the Viper looks terrific with its long carbon-fibre clamshell bonnet featuring the big air intake and gill-like cooling vents. From the side it is sleek and athletic with those race-inspired exhausts which protrude from the sills and from the back the power theme continues with the huge rear tyres completing the picture.
To say the interior is cosy is an understatement but it is surprisingly comfortable and quite luxurious with a leather wrapped dash, really supportive sports seat and an 8.4-inch touch-screen. The digital instrument panel is impressive and the infotainment system is really good, although the radio is a little redundant as the best audio comes from the engine and exhausts which also makes any conversation with your passenger pretty pointless, although they are likely to be speechless with fear if you really open up this car.
There is also a complete lack of any decent storage space although what little there is useful. You can adjust the seat and the pedals as it is absolutely vital that you are comfortable and are not stretching to reach the accelerator and brakes when you are driving such a powerful machine. It’s not difficult to drive but you do need to respect the amount of grunt this Viper spits out and to be honest you won’t get anywhere near pushing this beast to its limits on the road.
It has an excellent six-speed manual gearbox featuring short-shifts and it was a pleasure to use but I rarely got above third gear because I want to keep my licence so if you want to really test its capability then you need to take it to a track.
The gearbox puts the power down to the rear wheels and the car will get your from 0-100kmh in around 3.5 seconds and you won’t be able to hear yourself screaming because of the crescendo of noise that accompanies what is a very exciting and fully engaging experience.
The handling is also good as the car is fitted with high-performance suspension so everything is sure-footed although it takes time to get used to the way it behaves before pushing too hard. Everything about this Viper is raw and brutal and even when you are stationary, at traffic lights for example, the burble of the engine really does sound quite intimidating and this car got more thumbs up and smiles than most I have driven.
And now for the bad news – this is almost certainly the last of a breed with production ceasing next year. There is a rumour that one final special edition will be built before the Viper is consigned to history which is a shame. Okay, it is a bit of a throwback with a massive engine that makes so much noise you can hear it coming from several miles away and is almost certainly been written off as prehistoric by the emissions police who have already succeeded in killing off most of our beloved V8s, but it deserves to survive. It needs a group of entrepreneurs to invest in the Viper, put an automatic gearbox in it, if that is possible with the amount of torque this car produces, and save it from extinction.
Alternatively, you could treat yourself and just buy one of your own while you can.
