Months before Fiat had any dealings with Chrysler and months before the bankruptcy that was “the first shoe to drop”, there were rumors that then-Chrysler Corporation was looking around for an interested party to take the Viper model elsewhere. The rumors bounced from GM, to Nissan, to aftermarket bidders like Roush and Saleen to the tiny Devon Motor Works, but when push came to shove there was no company willing to pay what Chrysler wanted. Mopar diehards battened down the hatches for a Dodge brand minus their already historic Supercar, especially when Fiat, who has an interest in Italian Supercar brand Ferrari, “merged” with Chrysler. It was common knowledge that Sergio Marchionne and the rest of the new Chrysler management team were working on streamlining the Dodge, Chrysler, and Jeep brands to help to cut costs and increase profit. The Viper costs a fortune to produce, and has its own factory that is dedicated to nothing but the Viper SRT-10. Not to mention, the best way for Ferrari to beat the Viper was to kill the model…makes sense right?
Well, after much deliberation over what models will be staying, the management team came out with an announcement about the Viper. Mopar enthusiasts expected the worst, but amidst discussions about the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant being sold off, it has been announced that the Dodge Viper SRT-10 will remain in the Dodge lineup. It is unclear whether or not there have been any conceptualizations of a new generation of the Viper, but right now the 600hp V10 monster is among the fastest cars in the world so an immediate upgrade is not necessary, even though GM has kept the heat on with the 6th generation of the Corvette.
Stay tuned for more news on the future of the Dodge Viper and the brand as a whole, but for now, Mopar fans rejoice…the Viper lives.
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