2000 Dodge Viper...Continued

About three years ago, I spent a few hours at the famous German Nurburgring racing circuit in a Viper GTS, and it is a symphony of joy to fling the car around, then feel the massive rush of horsepower as you fly down the straights. There is a section just before the long straight that is entered in a series of fast downhill turns, then a sweeping right hander at over 120 leading up to the second carousel section. We shared the day with a BMW club, and most of them were having their lunch while we were on the track. I passed a slower driver on the down hill section, setting up a wonderfully controllable power slide through the turn, and was rewarded by a young fan leaping and swaying his entire body from side to side while waving his cap. I felt like a real driver for the moment.

The team Chrysler assembled for the Viper project are all volunteers -- the result is a lean, taut organization which managed to get cars out only three years after the concept car was hinted at -- a previously impossible feat for U.S. manufacturers. They realize that they are building not only a car, but more importantly, an image, not only for the public but for the internal organization. Despite the rapid development and the low volume, the Viper sells for less than $70,000.

Most importantly for the corporation, the Viper was the test bed for the platform-team development process. They were able to iron out the wrinkles on this new methodology on this small project, then refine it on the Plymouth Prowler. Now it is the standard of the company and has allowed Chrysler to not only become lean and efficient, but drastically reduced development times. This is crucial in this highly competitive era.

The styling of the Viper matches its name. The low, wide and aggressive look is enhanced by slanting headlights which give the front a mean, sinister look. The all-aluminum 488-cubic-inch engine is a V10, based on a design intended for trucks, but completely re-engineered with help from Lamborghini for performance. The emphasis is high power rather than high tech, and the original roadster pushrod powerplant produced over 400 horsepower and 450 foot pounds of torque. For 1999 this has been improved to 450 hp, but the major improvement is in a smoother power band.

This is transmitted through a six-speed manual gearbox and special Michelin Pilot tires and 18ä wheels. Zero-to-sixty times have been measured below 4.0 seconds -- That's in the Star Wars range! Now the pipes come out of the rear, and while the catalytic converters don't allow the roar we remember from the 60s, it is a vast improvement from the flat blat of the original side pipes.