I knew it was coming..........just not so soon.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100701/CARNEWS/100709983
I knew it was coming..........just not so soon.
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100701/CARNEWS/100709983
" D'Ann Rauh, who with her husband, Wayne, owns more than 40 Vipers. "
1) what the hell kind of name is D'Ann?
"The Texas couple is recognized as owning the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world."
2) I guess that's supposed to impress me, but it really just sounds pretty pointless....unless you like crappy interiors in your expensive car, that is....
Wonder how much that collection depreciates every day. Um, "congratulations?"
God I hate autoweek, hate it with a passion. Please no more stories from Autoweek, every rich guy's lifestyle magazine.
irish44j wrote: " D'Ann Rauh, who with her husband, Wayne, owns more than 40 Vipers. " 1) what the hell kind of name is D'Ann? "The Texas couple is recognized as owning the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world." 2) I guess that's supposed to impress me, but it really just sounds pretty pointless....unless you like crappy interiors in your expensive car, that is....
I don't get the obsession with interiors on cars like that. Sure, it's expensive relative to a typical car, but for the performance and engineering that went into it it's a bargain exotic. Dressing up the interior with soft plastics and fancy leather would just push the price higher, and it's not what the Viper is about at all. It was designed from the start to be a rather barebones car that puts performance above comfort and fanciness. Take a look at the Ferrari F40's interior. It was much more expensive than the Viper and the materials used for the interior were cheap, not just sparse, but I've never heard a single complaint about it. American cars already have the reputation for cheap interiors. The difference between them is that it's easier to beat a dog that's already down.
JeepinMatt wrote:irish44j wrote: " D'Ann Rauh, who with her husband, Wayne, owns more than 40 Vipers. " 1) what the hell kind of name is D'Ann? "The Texas couple is recognized as owning the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world." 2) I guess that's supposed to impress me, but it really just sounds pretty pointless....unless you like crappy interiors in your expensive car, that is....I don't get the obsession with interiors on cars like that. Sure, it's expensive relative to a typical car, but for the performance and engineering that went into it it's a bargain exotic. Dressing up the interior with soft plastics and fancy leather would just push the price higher, and it's not what the Viper is about at all. It was designed from the start to be a rather barebones car that puts performance above comfort and fanciness. Take a look at the Ferrari F40's interior. It was much more expensive than the Viper and the materials used for the interior were cheap, not just sparse, but I've never heard a single complaint about it. American cars already have the reputation for cheap interiors. The difference between them is that it's easier to beat a dog that's already down.
Thanks for saying that. I agree. I remember a co-worker getting all giddy about the interior on the MDX we got from Acura for prototyping our systems on. I got in, and it felt pretty much like any other SUV to me. He seemed impressed. Not only is the interior less than important on cars like the Viper et al, but as much as I appreciate a well thought out and non boring interior, I don't notice a huge rift between a Cayman and a Viper or any other comparo like that. Honestly. Maybe it's just me, but I'd like to think a large part of it is the snobbery factor.
Back on point. BOO!! This isn't cool. The Viper is pretty much the only good thing they make now. Until the 500 gets here an super special whatever trim, or they finally make that demon thing (two seat roadster they made a concept of a number of years back) there's pretty much nothing there other than awesome minivans and so-so trucks. I mean look:
http://www.chrysler.com/en/lineup/
I guess Dodge has the Challenger, and that LOOKS pretty... And this company is supposed to recover?
Reminds me of my company, currently doing layoffs. All of the engineering department is saturated to the point of having to outsource everything because the management half assed all of the designs from the past ten years. The solution? Layoff a bunch of engineers... oh yeah, this is going to end well, or we'll go out of business in ten more years.
I am bad about off-topic today. My apologies.
Vipers were cool.
I really loved the first two generations (which seem like one big generation to me with some typical alterations, but what the heck do I know), but I wasn't a huge fan of the styling on the last two. The SRT-10 Convertible looked like an S2000 raided the Walgreens for steroids. The new coupe was better, but it didn't capture the magic of the original for me. And when I hear test drivers saying it felt a little less raw and a little more tame, it got me worrying if the next generation would have been more diluted. The performance and the numbers were still there, but I worried about its future. I love the Viper; it's always been at the very top of my very long list, but I'm not too terribly crushed. Sometimes it's better to let things die and remain a legend, rather than risk its reputation or change it into something it's not. With the trend in cars lately, I wouldn't have been surprised.
I'm concerned but not yet in panic mode over Chrysler. They've always been the smaller, scrappier one of the Big Three Americans (AMC would be if you're counting the Big Four). They've been driven to the point of extinction, then brought back. It seems like every country has had a hand in Chrysler over the years. Hopefully, they'll be back up and running on all fours soon.
The Viper is dead. Long live the Viper.
The original GTS coupe will always turn my head, but the newer ones are easily overlooked. Like the FD RX7, the GTS hasn't looked stale since it came out.
JeepinMatt wrote:irish44j wrote: " D'Ann Rauh, who with her husband, Wayne, owns more than 40 Vipers. " 1) what the hell kind of name is D'Ann? "The Texas couple is recognized as owning the largest personal collection of Vipers in the world." 2) I guess that's supposed to impress me, but it really just sounds pretty pointless....unless you like crappy interiors in your expensive car, that is....I don't get the obsession with interiors on cars like that. Sure, it's expensive relative to a typical car, but for the performance and engineering that went into it it's a bargain exotic. Dressing up the interior with soft plastics and fancy leather would just push the price higher, and it's not what the Viper is about at all. It was designed from the start to be a rather barebones car that puts performance above comfort and fanciness. Take a look at the Ferrari F40's interior. It was much more expensive than the Viper and the materials used for the interior were cheap, not just sparse, but I've never heard a single complaint about it. American cars already have the reputation for cheap interiors. The difference between them is that it's easier to beat a dog that's already down.
Not beating a dog at all. I think the car otherwise is amazing (though 1st gen vipers exterior styling left something to be desired) and would love to own one - particularly a coupe..... And take some GRM-style ingenuity to improve the interior quality.
Because quality and luxury are not the same thing. You don't have to have leather and heated steering wheels and navigation to have a quality interior. I drive a $25k wrx, a car well-known for its cheap interior materials. But they all fit well and don't show premature wear after 30k miles - I can't say the same for the two vipers I've ridden in during the last year. So if somehow if my motives for saying such about the viper is because I'm being snobby in my cheap turbo econobox....well, whatever you want to think.
And while we can all agree that the Viper was originally envisioned as a track toy, we all know that most are owned/driven by people who don't drive them over 6/10ths and are more likely to be seen cruising the upper-class suburbs on a nice Sunday or going to the local parking-lot car shows.....
Then again, price or profitability probably don't matter anyhow. I would guess the viper got the axe thanks to CAFE standards and such......
In reply to irish44j:
Much agreed that it could have extended its lifespan, but I'd rather see it cancelled than become a GT. I hear a lot of the Lotus guys complaining about bits and pieces falling off theirs, although I can believe the Subie holds together well.
JeepinMatt wrote: In reply to irish44j: Much agreed that it could have extended its lifespan, but I'd rather see it cancelled than become a GT. I hear a lot of the Lotus guys complaining about bits and pieces falling off theirs, although I can believe the Subie holds together well.
lol, right as you were writing this I was editing mine to get rid of the lotus reference, as I started recalling a guy's dash having a piece fall off of it at an autocross last year, lol.
I'd like to see the viper be replaced by a more affordable, streetable 2-seater, maybe with a turbo 6 or something. It's been a long time since Chrysler made a true sportscar that was worthwhile and affordable to the average Joe. Think Genesis, 370z, Z4 coupe, or something like that.
I've been slightly mad at Chrysler since last millenium (sounds like some kind of legendary family feud) when they didn't build the Copperhead. They just need to keep the weight down and keep it simple. The Challenger is humongous, and it looks humongous, like it's Mama Challenger to the originals.
JeepinMatt wrote: I've been slightly mad at Chrysler since last millenium (sounds like some kind of legendary family feud) when they didn't bulid the Copperhead.
is that the one that looked like a curvy miata with Ford Sierra/xr4ti headlights stuck on the front bumper way too far inboard?
IDK why the US companies can't successfully make and market a true Miata competitor. They got close with the Solstice/Sky but that's about it....
A high-volume $25k fun roadster would do way more for Chrysler's bottom line than the Viper or Crossfire or Prowler.....
irish44j wrote:JeepinMatt wrote: I've been slightly mad at Chrysler since last millenium (sounds like some kind of legendary family feud) when they didn't bulid the Copperhead.is that the one that looked like a curvy miata with Ford Sierra/xr4ti headlights stuck on the front bumper way too far inboard?
Yep.
hehe....I remember thinking that it looked totally badass, except for the wierdo nose and headlights...
Actually, seeing that pic I still think that.
Spent a lot of time behind the wheel of a copperhead in my youth....
irish44j wrote:JeepinMatt wrote: I've been slightly mad at Chrysler since last millenium (sounds like some kind of legendary family feud) when they didn't bulid the Copperhead.is that the one that looked like a curvy miata with Ford Sierra/xr4ti headlights stuck on the front bumper way too far inboard? IDK why the US companies can't successfully make and market a true Miata competitor. They got close with the Solstice/Sky but that's about it.... A high-volume $25k fun roadster would do way more for Chrysler's bottom line than the Viper or Crossfire or Prowler.....
They built a concept called the dodge razor years back for a 2 seat coupe about the size of a miata that used an SRT-4 engine.
It would have been so awesome.
JeepinMatt wrote: I hear a lot of the Lotus guys complaining about bits and pieces falling off theirs
If I bought a Lotus, I'd almost be disappointed if bits didn't start falling off... Nice to know it's a proper British sports car. All is right in the world. 
Yes... It's sad to hear the Viper is going away... but I'm not surprised.
It is the end of this generation Viper. I wouldn't be surprised if it came back in a few years.
Bah, I finally read the link and it says a new generation is under investigation.
At a Kruse auction in Auburn, Ind. a few years ago, this fellow brought TEN Vipers he had bought new, and was going to cash them in for a profit. He expected to get in the neighborhood of 70-80 grand apiece. They were in almost new shape.
Most of them ended up bringing about half of that, except for a red ACR, that went for 60.
He was, needless to say, quite disappointed in his "investment".
irish44j wrote: I'd like to see the viper be replaced by a more affordable, streetable 2-seater, maybe with a turbo 6 or something. It's been a long time since Chrysler made a true sportscar that was worthwhile and affordable to the average Joe. Think Genesis, 370z, Z4 coupe, or something like that.
I don't think Chrysler ever did make something fitting that description, unless you count the Alpines made when they owned Sunbeam, or some roadsters that used Chrysler power in a non-Chrysler chassis. Closest thing they've made to a roadster under their own brands would be a Dart GTS droptop or maybe the LeBaron Turbo.
Sad to see the Viper go. I wonder how long it will be before all of Chrysler goes with it.
Back on the topic of interiors: A car's interior has always been more important to me than the exterior styling. Like I could care what other people think of my car. I see the inside of my car far more frequently than the outside. Driving position, ergonomics, and interior quality is THE make or break issue for my automotive purchases.
The last Viper I drove back in '05 (new at the time) had an ok interior. It wasn't as nice as say a new Mercedes, but it was still pretty decent and a huge improvement over the original. It was also on par for most specialty cars and better than some I can name. The only complaint I had was the shifter was too truck-like. Other than that, it was like a Miata on steroids. It drove nice, had huge horsepower, and could spin the back wheels at will, but still drive like a slot car if you wanted. Other than the heat of the engine and the shifter it was a delight. The price for the performance was also pretty low.
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