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Chrysler Viper RT/10 - of snakes and real sports cars

Name: Dodge Viper RT/10 1992
Brand: Dodge

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Created on March 9, 2022

Text:

Bruno von Rotz

Photos:

Daniel Reinhard

FCA - Fiat Chrysler Group

Daniel Reinhard

FCA - Fiat Chrysler Group

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - not afraid of curves

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - the rear-view mirrors integrated into the windshield did not make it into series production

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - you can understand that this car caused a stir in Detroit 1989

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - an engine and a car

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - the prototype was slightly shorter than the production version

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - completely open

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - wide and flat, like the production car

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - in the concept car, the instruments were still distributed somewhat differently than in the production car

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - attractive presentation

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - tastefully designed cockpit, note the baseball as a gear knob

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - beautifully drawn instruments, oil pressure between speedometer and rev counter

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - electric mirror adjustment

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - too bad this gearshift didn't make it into series production

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - integrated fire extinguisher

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - the petite steering wheel did not make it into series production

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - dark tinted headlight covers

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - the V10 engine rests behind the front wheels

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - there was no longer so much bare metal in series production

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - beautifully refurbished V10 engine

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - four-point seat belts

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - everything a little more delicate than in the later production version

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - the rear lights also took up the snake theme

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - clearly visible exhaust pipes

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - mighty wheels

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Dodge Viper RT/10 concept car (1989) - the name is already final

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Dodge Viper Prototype (1991) - pre-production model at the Indianapolis 500 as a pace car

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - on smaller country roads the car fills one half well

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the roll bar does its job better with smaller drivers

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - steers precisely and remains safe to drive

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - always looks and is wide

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - almost 270 km/h fast, said the factory specification

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - you don't really want to drive fast in an open-top car

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - you have to imagine the sound carpet

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the windshield cannot offer perfect wind protection

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - long front, short and crisp rear

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the large V10 engine requires a lot of air supply

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the front definitely has something snake-like about it

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - quite wide at over 1.9 meters and also quite flat at less than 1.2 meters high

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - visually, the production version still largely corresponds to the concept car from 1989

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - no fixed side windows

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - is best driven open-top

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the European versions actually had the exhaust pipes at the rear

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - powerful tires (335s)

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the design of the headlights characterizes the shape of the front end

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the engine owns the front half

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the crew only takes up a small part of the total space

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the first examples were all red, other colors were added later

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - filigree design was certainly not the aim of the designers

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - simple interior

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Speedometer up to 320 km/h

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - simply drawn rev counter

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Additional instruments for water temperature, oil pressure, fuel level and on-board voltage

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - longitudinally mounted V10 engine with a displacement of eight liters

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - no overhead camshafts, maximum speed at 5500 rpm

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - beautifully presented engine

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Viper sign on the nose

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Snake eyes

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - also 275 tires on 17-inch wheels at the front

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Venting for the V10

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Vents for the V10

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - the side exhausts are nicely integrated

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - one cylinder bank directs its exhaust gases into each of the two side exhausts

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Rear-view mirrors are an indispensable auxiliary instrument-_IMG_2725

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - 335 tires on 17-inch wheels

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - large rear lights

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - Viper sign on the rear

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - long front, short rear - that always works

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - wide and flat

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Chrysler Viper RT/10 (1995) - unconventional proportions

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Summary

In 1989, Chrysler unveiled a new sports car in Detroit that completely shattered the image that people had of luxury-oriented, pseudo-sporty American cars at the end of the 1980s. With no air conditioning and only a manual gearbox, the 1.5-ton two-seater with a soft top was announced for 30,000 dollars, not to mention with an eight-liter V10 engine behind the front axle. It turned out to be a little more expensive and a little more suitable for everyday use than the concept car, but the Dodge/Chrysler Viper RT/10 remained true to its spirit. This driving report tells the story of the Viper and shows the concept car and its successors in many pictures. There is also a sound sample!

This article contains the following chapters

Show star
On the way to series production
Who needs comfort ...
Not just for straight-line driving
The Viper from Rinspeed
Modest model upgrades, small numbers
Nothing can replace displacement ... but even more displacement

Estimated reading time: 13min

Preview (beginning of the article)

Actually, the Chrysler Viper (or the Chrysler Viper driven) is closer to the Black Mamba than to a (green or brown) Viper. In contrast to the relatively short Viper, the Mamba is a venomous snake that can grow up to 4.5 meters long and can be quite dangerous to anything that moves. The Chrysler (or Dodge) Viper RT/10 is a sports car measuring 4.448 meters in length and, with 400 hp from a displacement of 7997 cm3, not necessarily the right car for a novice driver. But let's first go back to the beginning of the story. On January 4, 1989, the "Motor Show" took place in Detroit, with 24 concept cars on display. The Dodge Viper, created in just a few weeks, certainly caused the most excitement, because as a combination of "muscle car" and Barchetta, the sports car designed by Tom Gale screamed out into the crowd: "Drive me!".

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