Sports cars are among the most popular and beloved vehicles in the automobile industry among gearheads. Everyone between the U.S. to Japan, we have seen attempts from manufacturers the world over to make outstanding sports cars. But American sports cars have been around for ages, and we are spoilt for choice if we want to get an American track monster, whether new or used. For every Mustang owner, there is a Camaro lover. And for every bunch of Corvette lovers, we’ll find someone who prefers a sleeper in the form of the CTS-V. But we bet most gearheads today had a poster of the Dodge Viper in their room growing up.
The Viper is a two-seater sports car that’s as cool as its name. It first came to life in 1991 when Dodge wanted to make a proper performance car. As a result, the first bunch of Vipers had no exterior-mounted door handles or even an air-conditioner. Dodge instead focused most of its R&D on the big V10 engine that powered it. But eventually, we started getting more civilized versions of the Viper with some comfort-oriented features from 1994-95 models onwards.
The Viper soon became an icon for its powerful engine and menacing looks. But FCA stopped production for the model from 2010 to 2012 and then ended it after 2017. But we think the arrival of a new Dodge Viper will not only be a pleasant surprise but also a welcome one. In the current world, there are three paths that Dodge can take to revive the Viper in 2023. So, let’s take a look.
Why An Electrified Dodge Viper Sounds Interesting
By now, we have gotten used to manufacturers converting their cars traditionally using gasoline into battery-powered vehicles. Apart from hatchbacks and SUVs, we saw electric versions of muscle cars like the Mustang, luxury cars from Genesis and Rolls-Royce, and even grand tourers from Aston Martin or BMW. So seeing the Viper make a comeback with a battery underneath won’t be a first. Now, there will definitely be some who’d say that a Viper without the iconic grunt of its V10 will not be a true Viper. While that’s true, there can be workarounds like synthetic engine sound like in the recent Tesla models.
But one of the factors that made the Viper so popular in the first place was its performance. It once used to be so powerful that driving it required immense skill. Kinda like the TVR Cerbera; it was one of the most dangerous cars to drive fast. Today’s cars have been blessed with advanced technologies that mitigate the loss of control of a vehicle due to lack of traction or instability. So at least we won’t have to worry about potential crashes every so often.
Furthermore, Dodge is on the way to make the all-electric Charger Daytona SRT already. So at least finding the powertrain won’t be as big of an issue. And Dodge has been killing it lately with the design of their cars.
Combining The Quickness Of An EV And The Might Of A V8
Looking at how things are right now, a plug-in hybrid might be a great option for a new Viper’s powertrain. Those who want to advocate using a sustainable power source rather than just gasoline will have an easier time liking it. And so will the folks who prefer things the way they were, i.e., traditional IC engines with lots of raw power. And a hybrid powertrain will certainly not disappoint the performance department as well. After all, there’s a reason why so many supercars and hypercars have been using a hybrid system instead of pure gasoline engines for a while. You get the electrically assisted torque off the line and then the might of a few cylinders to move the speedometer needle even further.
For non-supercar manufacturers, Toyota seems to have nailed the formula for hybrid cars with adequate performance and good fuel efficiency. The 2022 Toyota Tundra is a good example of hybrid technology done right. There are even reports that a new MR2 is in the works with a mid-engine layout, perhaps with an electric motor assisting a 4- or 6-cylinder engine. The MR2 was a good sports car that the owners loved to drive, and it’s getting a good amount of hype before Toyota confirms it. Now imagine what type of noise the revival of a car with the Viper’s status and notoriety would generate if that ever happened.
One Last Hurrah For A Naturally-Aspirated V10 Viper
The uber-powerful 8.0-liter to 8.4-liter V10 engine (400-640 hp) of the Viper is one of its most significant features, right there with the iconic red color scheme. Bringing back the pain is easy, but the engine, not so much. After using the HEMI for so long, Dodge has since moved on to its supercharged version, the Hellcat engine.
Now, we have mostly seen Hellcats in the V8 configuration in Chargers, Challengers, Durangos, and Grand Cherokees. So Dodge would either have to make do with a V8 Viper Hellcat (which doesn’t sound bad at all) or get a powerful and robust V10 from someplace else. Building one themselves or adding two more cylinders to the Hellcat is possible for Dodge, but doing that just for the Viper won’t be feasible. But if we talk purely about the Viper, seeing it come back from the afterlife with a new V10 in all its glory would be like a pipe dream coming true.
Nevertheless, if Dodge decides to revive the Viper, the mere fact that we’re getting a new one would be amazing, regardless of the powertrain it comes with. We don’t think Dodge can mess it up that bad, after all!