Usually, you hear about street-legal sports cars converted into racers but this time we have the exact opposite.
After acquiring a Zakspeed Racing Dodge Viper GTS-R in 2010, the current owner of the 1998 model turned to Heurich Classics, a Germany company that specializes in the maintenance, repair and optimization of vintage and classic cars.
The owner had two very special requests for Heurich Classics: recreate the looks of the Hasseroder Viper GTS-R that won the 24 hours of Nürburgring endurance race in 1999 and at the same time, make it completely street legal.
The German firm started out by eliminating, replacing, adding or modifying certain components of the Viper GTS-R to allow it to achieve road-legal status in Europe.
Understandably, a lot had to be done but among other mods, Heurich Classics removed the rear diffuser, replaced the brake system, added a hand brake, increased the steering angle, added a passenger seat, and completely revamped the electrical system while also adding regular sport tires.
The Viper is currently powered by a 6.2-liter V8 delivering 600 horsepower (no other specific details where given about the engine, nor why they opted for a V8 instead of the Viper’s V10), matched to a Tremec six-speed manual gearbox. According to Heurich Classics, the GTS-R tips the scales at just 1350 kg or 2,796 pounds.
Last but not least, the German company wrapped the Dodge in the traditional colors and livery of the original Hasseroder Viper GTS-R.
The Dodge Viper has been absent for just one model year, but the natives are restless. With little concrete information out there about the next generation Viper, and Dodge officials remaining tight-lipped about their halo car, anything that surfaces is big news. So how about this for the biggest news yet: Chrysler’s SRT Brand President and CEO Ralph Gilles has announced in the pages of Viper magazine that the 2013 Viper will be introduced at the New York Auto Show in early April.
So what might we expect to learn in the next four months? The biggest question is what kind of power the snake will be packing under its unnaturally long hood. Anything other than a V10 would be heresy, so Chrysler will likely bump the Viper’s displacement up to 8.7 liters, trumping every other Mopar mill to ever roll out of an engine plant.
The other canard is that the Viper will be based on a sports car from the Fiat stable, like the Alfa Romeo 8C or Maserati GranTurismo. (One rumor even had the new Viper incorporating some sort of Ferrari-derived technology.) Some of this conjecture may prove to be true in the end, but we hardly imagine that the Viper that gets unveiled in New York will be badge-engineered from anything European. Although it will most certainly add a further layer of refinement to the car, Chrysler would be crazy to dilute the Viper’s American muscle car spirit.
Absent for several years from Rolex Series competition, the Dodge Viper will return to the series as part of a new direction for GT veteran Racers Edge Motorsports.
After fielding Mazdas and Pontiacs in the Rolex Series since 2007, the DeLand, Fla.-based team is developing cars for Dodge Motorsports in both GRAND-AM series for 2012 competition.
“We have been working closely with GRAND-AM officials and our suppliers to develop a Viper spec engine that meets all of GRAND-AM’s requirements,” said David Bailey, Senior Manager, SRT Motorsports Engineering. “We are very excited to see the Viper and Racers Edge competing in the Rolex Series next year.”
Racers Edge Motorsports is preparing a pair of Viper Competition Coupes for the Rolex Series. Doug Peterson and Jan Heylen will co-drive the No. 87 3Dimensional.com/Dodge Motorsports Viper, powered by a Viper V-10 engine. The No. 85 will serve primarily as a test car.
“We are pleased that Racers Edge has chosen to race the Dodge Viper in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series for 2012,” said Beth Paretta, Director of SRT Marketing. “The field is more diverse and competitive than ever and the Viper, with its racing pedigree will be an exciting addition. We look forward to seeing Racers Edge on the podium in 2012.”
Peterson and Heylen will also co-drive the No. 87 Dodge Challenger SRT8 in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge. Racers Edge will field two cars in 2012 Grand Sport competition, including the No. 86 for the father-son team of Rod and D.J. Randall.
“It is great to be heading up this new program,” said team owner Jon Mirachi. “The Viper Competition Coupe is an incredible machine and will make a great Rolex GT weapon for us to compete with for the championship. The Challenger SRT8 program is also fantastic and we can’t wait to hit the track with that famous Hemi power.”
“Building two new cars from scratch in just a few months has been an enormous undertaking,” Mirachi continued. “We’re pushing our own staff to the limit, but with our technical partners – 3 Dimensional Services Group and the engineers from SRT Motorsports Engineering – we were able to complete the task and build a couple of really high quality race cars. We are really looking forward to 2012.”
The last Dodge Viper to race in the Rolex Series was in the 2002 Rolex 24, with an American Viper Racing entry finishing 13th in GTS. Viper won one of its two starts in 2001, with Eric Messley and Ritch Marziale winning the GTS class at Phoenix. The Oreca Dodge team won the inaugural GRAND-AM event, the 2000 Rolex 24, with a lineup of Karl Wendlinger, Olivier Beretta and Dominique Dupuy. Vipers took three of the top five overall positions in that event, with Rolex Series regular David Donohue part of the third-place lineup.
The Nürburgring Nordschleife is often described as the most technically challenging purpose-built road course in the world. This is the place where automakers test their vehicles for proper suspension tuning and endurance abilities. The 12.9-mile north loop has long been the global standard bearer for sports cars since its construction in the 1920s. For these reasons, SRT believes it is important to show the world that the Viper ACR is capable – and dominates.
The Viper ACR injected its first dose of venom into the Green Hell in August 2008, setting a record 7:22.1 lap time. Despite many attempts to dethrone the Viper, its record run stood for nearly three years. Its lap record was finally eclipsed this summer by a pair of worthy competitors. Upon hearing the news, SRT knew it was time to reset the record. With encouragement from the Viper Club and help from ViperExchange.com, SRT returned to the track to reclaim its rightful prize.
SRT engineers honed the ACR for 2010 by shortening fifth gear, improving rear wing aerodynamics and employing a short-throw shifter. These improvements, along with ideal track conditions, helped the team shave a full ten seconds off its previous time.
On September 14, 2011, veteran GT driver Dominik Farnbacher lapped the Green Hell in 7:12.13 – a full two seconds faster than its nearest competitor.
Following its latest achievement, the ACR has set benchmarks at 19 road courses across two continents.
Autobahn Country Club, Joliet, Illinois 2:37.70
Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, California 1:55.70
Gingerman Raceway, South Haven, Michigan 1:26.70
Grattan Raceway, Belding, Michigan 1:22.70
Laguna Seca Raceway, Salinas. California 1:33.90
Miller Motorsport Park (perimeter), Tooele, Utah 1:59.90
Monticello Motor Club, Monticello, New York 2:26.37
When we were kids playing with our Hot Wheels, we dreamt about growing up and designing cool cars one day. For Mark Trostle who is Head of Design for SRT, Mopar® & Motorsports, that dream became a reality. Mark is a second generation automotive designer and was bitten by the car bug at a young age. He’s been involved in some fun projects including the Challenger, Charger and even the next generation Viper. We recently had a chance to corner him in our design studios to find out more about how he turned his passion for cars into a great career as an automotive designer.
RedlineDodge.com, the official Dodge blog and your number-one news source for everything Dodge will be ”in the house” covering the 2011 LX & Beyond Nationals held this weekend, July 16-17 at Quaker City Motorsports Park in Salem, Ohio. They feature everything from the latest and greatest SRT8 and R/T products along with great historical content going back to the days of the original Dodge Scat Pack. RedlineDodge.com will be taking pictures and talking to owners so if you see their online editor roaming the pits, make sure to tell him all about your LX and LC.
April 14, 2011 , Tooele, Utah – The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) has made history at yet another storied road course.
Renowned Dodge road racer Kuno Wittmer piloted a street legal 2010 Dodge Viper ACR to a record lap of 1:59.995 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Monday, April 11, breaking the 2-minute mark for the first time in a production car on the 3.048-mile Outer Course configuration. The Viper ACR shattered the previous production car lap record of 2:03.86, held by Jan Magnussen in a Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 by close to 4 full seconds.
“It’s amazing to come to this world-class track and shatter the production car lap record by almost 4 seconds,” said Bryan Viger, Head of Dodge Motorsports. “We brought our street-legal Viper ACR to see what Kuno could do behind the wheel, and on his second lap he’d already gone faster than the single lap record.”
A veteran behind the wheel of the Viper on and off the track, Wittmer continues to be impressed by the performance of the Dodge Viper ACR. “Wow, what an awesome supercar!” the Montreal native said after exiting the car. “The Viper ACR is such a blast to drive at the limit, and I can honestly say that I didn’t leave an inch out there on the track and was barely braking in the corners.”
This latest achievement joins a growing list of track records for the Dodge Viper ACR. In November 2009, SRT vehicle dynamics engineer Chris Winkler lapped the 2.238-mile, Laguna Seca raceway in 1:33.92, beating the previous record by 1.1 seconds. Dutch driver Tom Coronel set a 7:22.1 production car record at the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in August 2008.
Dodge Viper ACR
The Dodge Viper ACR remains the ultimate purpose-built, street-legal track car since its introduction in 2008.
Powered by the venerable 8.4-liter, V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Viper ACR continues to offer extreme performance, including 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat.
The four-wheel independent suspension features high-performance aluminum control arms and knuckles, KW suspension with two-way adjustable competition coil-over shock absorbers with remote reservoirs.
The aerodynamic package features a carbon fiber “fanged” splitter in front and adjustable carbon-fiber wing with seven-position stanchions that allow up to an amazing 1,000 lbs. of downforce at 150 mph. Lightweight wheels, two-piece slotted StopTech brake rotors and Michelin PS Cup tires round out the ACR package.
For the 2010 model year, the Dodge Viper ACR received a shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from 0.74 to 0.80) for improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speeds. A new short-throw shifter also came in 2010 models for enhanced driver experience and better performance. The rear wing profile and end plates were also redesigned to further optimize the vehicle aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce. These changes resulted in an increase in top speed of 4 mph (to 184 mph).
The 2013 Dodge Viper is still a ways off but our SRT engineers have been busy making improvements to the iconic legendary super car. The snow is now melted here in Michigan but last month when it was still a “Winter Wonderland”, we caught the guys doing a little white powder drifting on a 2010 test mule. Here our resident gear heads are fine-tuning the new stability control that will be on the next generation model.
Even though the Dodge Viper never lost its crown as the ultimate American-built sports car, the bar has now been raised. For our competition out there, consider this your first warning!
The Dodge Viper may be out of production and only the last few remain at a handful of Dodge Dealerships, but it’s still setting lap records wherever it shows its fangs. Last Monday, veteran road racer Kuno Wittmer took a production street legal Viper to the world class Miller Motorsports park in Tooele, Utah and blazed a new lap record. Wittmer drove his venomous V10 powered ride around the 3.048 mile course in just under two minutes – 1:59.995 to be exact. This shattered the previous times that were held by a ZR1 Corvette by more than three seconds.
Our Viper SRT10 ACR has set lap records from the rolling hills of California’s Laguna Seca to the infamous Nürburgring nestled near the majestic Eifel Mountains in Germany. The ACR package is a finely tuned machine and makes for a great track car that you can drive home.
“It’s amazing to come to this world-class track and shatter the production car lap record by almost 4 seconds,” said our Bryan Viger who heads up Dodge Motor sports. “We brought our street-legal Viper ACR to see what Kuno could do behind the wheel, and on his second lap he’d already gone faster than the single lap record.”
A veteran behind the wheel of the Viper on and off the track, Wittmer continues to be impressed by the performance of the Dodge Viper ACR. “Wow, what an awesome super car!” the Montreal native said after he climbed out of the cockpit. “The Viper ACR is such a blast to drive at the limit, and I can honestly say that I didn’t leave an inch out there on the track and was barely braking in the corners.”
The Viper plant may be idle for now, but the legacy of the vehicles that rolled off its line is still rewriting the record books at race tracks around the world.
The California sun has set on the sixth annual LX Spring Festival. Once again, great memories with old acquaintances were rekindled while forging new friendships within the Dodge community. This year’s event smashed all previous participant attendance records as over 830 LX owners from all over the USA, Canada and even Europe came to share the love of their Challengers, Chargers, Magnums and 300s. Our president and CEO (and #1 LX fan) Ralph Gilles, was in attendance and shared his passion for these great vehicles as he walked among the masses. He even had the opportunity to sign a few Challengers and Chargers much to the delight of their owners. Our designers and SRT engineering gear heads held round table discussions with owners to exchange valuable feedback and discuss future product concepts. Our fans also got a taste of hot burning rubber in their faces as our own Samuel Hubinette wowed us with a drifting choreography that included billowing clouds of tire smoke to the sounds of a high-winding 7,000 RPM Mopar small-block. Sam wasn’t the only one tearing up the runways at the former Marine Naval Air Station. For $20 a run, participants had a chance to race against the clock and test their driving skills behind the wheel of a 2011 Charger R/T on the ‘Challenge Course’ (both Ralph and Sam laid down some smoking lap times!). There was no shortage of competition among those looking for a shot at beating those numbers and the best part was all proceeds went towards charity. The sponsor, midway, was filled with the latest go-fast and styling goodies from a wide variety of manufacturers. We also had our latest hardware for all to see, like the stunning 2012 Charger SRT8 and 2011 Challenger R/T “Green with Envy”. We also got to see event organizer and LX patriarch, John Fortuno unveil his 2011 Chrysler 300C “Fat Chance 2.0”
The owner had two very special requests for Heurich Classics: recreate the looks of the Hasseroder Viper GTS-R that won the 24 hours of Nürburgring endurance race in 1999 and at the same time, make it completely street legal.
