Global Vehicles

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July 2003

Viper Coupe nears competition

When the Chrysler Group developed the latest edition of its Viper sports car, a tight budget meant that, while the previous generation was offered in both coupe and convertible configurations, the new version arrived in roadster form only. Because convertibles are not as good for racing, and a lot of Viper enthusiasts like to race their cars, demand remained for a coupe, even if it was for track use only. With its racing budget concentrated on winning NASCAR's high-profile Winston Cup championship, rather than on its more obscure—though popular with Viper owners—Viper sports car racing program, an end to factory-backed Viper racing seemed near. However, by the time the decision to kill the racing program came, the engineering team was only five weeks away from constructing a prototype based on computer designs. Stopping the program in its tracks was not an option.
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