The 2013 SRT Viper has evolved from its predecessor in terms of power, control, weight, and features, but at the cost of doubling the price tag.
Expect the SRT Viper Roadster to make an appearance later this year, possibly during the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Spy photographers recently captured Viper prototypes with what appears to be a production-ready front fascia, grille and hood.
From these images, the awkward jump from the 2011 to 2013 model year does not appear all that dramatic. That muscular, swept-back roadster shape remains true to the original 1992 RT/10.
A toned-down grille and larger, more elongated headlights are visible beneath the camouflage. Like the previous Viper, there looks to be a large center air intake on the hood. But in these images there seems to be two smaller intakes on either side.
“The first American Alfa in automotive history.”
This officially sanctioned Alfa by Zagato doesn’t employ any Italian mechanicals; rather, it leverages the Fiat-Chrysler marriage to use the last Dodge Viper, specifically the ACR-X with an 8.4-liter V-10 pumping out 640 bhp and 585 lb.-ft. of torque. The front mid-engine/rear-drive layout and 98.9-in. wheelbase remain unchanged.
Working within the 167.7-in. length, 78.0-in. width and 47.0-in. height, the TZ3 Stradale manages to convey that it is an Alfa Romeo through and through. This 2-seater is just 3.3 in. shorter than the previous TZ3 Corsa that Zagato introduced at Villa d’Este last year, which was built on a tube-frame Gillet chassis and powered by a 420-bhp 4.2-liter Maserati V-8.
Dodge seems to be on a mission to shatter track records for street legal cars.
It’s latest achievement took place this week when Dodge road racer Kuno Wittmer drove a street-legal 2010 Dodge Viper ACR to a record lap of 1:59.995 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Wittmer broke the 2-minute mark for the first time in a production car on the 3.048-mile Outer Course configuration. The Viper ACR shattered the previous production car lap record of 2:03.86, held by Jan Magnussen in a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1, by close to 4 full seconds.
Dodge says this latest achievement joins a growing list of track records for the Dodge Viper ACR. In November 2009, SRT vehicle dynamics engineer Chris Winkler lapped the 2.238-mile, Laguna Seca raceway in 1:33.92, beating the previous record by 1.1 seconds. Dutch driver Tom Coronel set a 7:22.1 production car record at the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in August 2008.
Cold-weather snake
Chrysler’s SRT engineers are already working on the next generation all-new Viper that is scheduled to be launched late next year, likely as a 2013 Viper. A photo of a development mule using a 2010 Viper was released today showing the stability control system being tested in snowy conditions. Perhaps it will be able to take on the Ferrari FF in the snow?
