FCA to discontinue production of the Viper after 2017. It is officially being killed
The only American competitor to the Corvette is officially being killed. FCA announced that 2017 will be the final year of production for the Dodge Viper.
Parent company, FCA made the demise of the Dodge Viper official by announcing that the 2017 Viper will be the last to roll out of the Conner Avenue Assembly plant in Detroit Michigan. The shutting of the Dodge Viper assembly line leaves yet another hole in Detroit’s strong muscle car and manufacturing scene. The Viper was introduced to the World in 1992, defining for a generation, the American muscle car.
Interestingly enough, this is not the first time that the Viper has been killed. It was laid down in 2010 but revived two years later in a more refined form. However, it could still be dangerous in the hands of a novice who did not respect the car’s awesome power.
The Dodge Viper has incredible amounts of horsepower and did not require the skills of a professional racecar driver to tame. Since the car was first produced in 1992, 30,000 units have been produced.
One of the more-respected Dodge Vipers is the current Viper ACR. The exterior bodywork produces sufficient down force to make the Viper ACR a barely-legal racecar. It is competitive with most supercars on the market today.
The death of the Viper is nobody’s fault but our own. Increasingly strict fuel economy regulations and design issues made it so that the Dodge Viper could not be justified economically by the parent company.
FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne went on record saying, “Every economic analysis that we’ve carried about keeping that vehicle in its current architectural state alive doesn’t add up,” he said. “So, we will not do it, as much as I love the car.”
To commemorate the Viper, Dodge will make five special editions as an encore. Starting June 24, 2016, prospective buyers will be place their orders for the 1:28 Edition ACR, celebrating the 1:28 Laguna Seca lap record held by the Viper ACR. A GTS-R commemorative edition Viper ACR will be made available as well as a VooDoo II Edition ACR, a Snakeskin Edition GTC, as well as a Dodge Dealer edition, available through very limited dealerships.
