2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10

Engine: 8.3-liter V-10
Horsepower: 500
Height: 48.6 inches
Width: 75.2 inches
Length: 175.6 inches
Curb weight: 3,410 pounds
What the automaker says: "Dodge Viper SRT10 is about uncompromising performance and stunning looks."
What you should know: The "double bubble" in the roof is there to create headroom for drivers wearing safety helmets while racing the car.
Production possibility: Production begins this summer

With the unveiling of an anticipated 500-hp, Viper-challenging Corvette ZO6 at the Detroit show the worst kept secret in town, DaimlerChrysler is rushing to head ’em off at the pass. Unveiled at the Los Angeles show is the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe.

“Rushing” might be overstating things—we’ve anticipated this car ever since Dodge’s first concept car for the second-generation Viper, which was not the convertible, but a coupe. The open-top car debuted first, though.

Why repeat the Viper Coupe? (Note that it’s not a “GTS” anymore, Dodge having dropped out of that class of competition, for now at least). Because the “Viper Nation” wants it, says Chrysler, citing requests from customers ever since the second-generation convertible came to market in 2003. Chrysler primed the pump a little more last fall when it gave Viper owners at a club meet in Texas an early peek at what was billed as a concept Viper Coupe (AW, Sept. 20, 2004).

“There’s been a lot of demand for this car,” says Dan Knott, director of Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) operation. “Racers, especially, prefer a coupe for structure and aerodynamics.”

Front fascia and fenders, hood and doors are the same as those on the convertible. Design of the coupe started, says Chrysler design vice president Trevor Creed, with a mannequin wearing a helmet, and that drove the return of the “double bubble” roofline.

From there back to the wraparound taillights, hidden from the airflow so effectively by the new rear quarter-panels that the company had to add a separate rear side-marker lamp, the car resembles the original Viper GTS in form, though the details differ.

Mechanically, there are no surprises here, with the Viper line’s 500-cid V10 generating 500 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque providing the motivation. The company is claiming 0-60 mph in less than 4.0 seconds, and 0-100 mph in 12 seconds, aided by braking performance that brings everything to a halt from 60 mph in less than 100 feet, which is astounding in any car, let alone one that tips the scales at more than 3400 pounds. A Cd of 0.39 is more an asset to the braking side than it is to the acceleration component of that 0-to-100-to-0 performance—the aerodynamic work focuses on downforce and high-speed stability. When we saw the car previewed in early December, Creed said that wind tunnel work was “likely” to result in a more extended rear roofline line reaching farther back on the car, and an even more exaggerated ducktail rear spoiler than is seen in these photos.

Note the deep cut line for the decklid back there, giving the new Coupe a low lift-over height for cargo. The move to a fixed roof also delivered expanded storage space: Still meager at 6.25 cubic feet, it is nonetheless a 4 cubic-foot improvement on the convertible’s trunk.

Viper Coupe production should begin late this year.

Sun-in-face and wind-in-hair have been celebrated as essential sports-car joys ever since we discarded the horse, but these joys do have limits. When wind-in-hair is occurring at velocities north of 100 mph, it gets to be more like hair-in-wind, as the strands attempt to separate themselves from the follicles. Our experiences with this phenomenon include a 1990 session in a Viper prototype with none other than Robert Lutz at the helm, hurtling down Arizona back roads at a buck-fifty while his passenger's hair stood resolutely vertical.



Chrysler was still an independent business entity at the time, Lutz was its president, and the Viper was his baby. In the afterglow of this ride, while Lutz was discussing the joys of barely sublight speeds with a member of the Arizona protect-and-serve, we reflected on the distinction between closed and open cars and concluded, again, that having a solid roof and side windows (the original Viper possessed neither) is a Good Thing, in the sense of hair retention (assuming you have hair), general comfort, and going fast. Okay, make that going faster. No one would characterize a Viper roadster as slow, but thanks to cleaner aero, coupes are almost invariably faster than roadsters of equal power, even when the roadster is operating with its top up.

And, in fact, when the tintop Viper-the GTS-arrived in 1996, its top speed did jump from 166 mph to 177, also aided by a 50-hp bump (from 400 to 450) and a 69-pound-lighter weight advantage.

But that was then. When the new hardtop rolls into showrooms in October—it will be called the SRT-10, replacing the GTS moniker—its aero advantage should be a single digit, 0.39 Cd versus 0.40. It's expected to weigh in about 15 pounds heavier than the softtop car, and output numbers for the pushrod aluminum V-10 engine will be unchanged. The kids in Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) group felt that 500 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque were sufficient, even with the potent new 500-hp Corvette Z06 on the near horizon.

So what's new? Besides the roof, the sheetmetal from the doors rearward was obviously designed and fabricated for the coupe. There's commonality with the Competition coupe—the turnkey racing version introduced in mid-'03—but the rear end is unique to the street coupe. According to exterior designer Ralph Gilles, the objective was "to get some attitude into the car. The roadster has always been a little less edgy."

And the elements of edge are?

"We made the rear spoiler aggressive, the rear taillights are shrouded, the rear diffusers are integrated better, and we maintained the double-bubble roofline to accommodate people wearing helmets."

Helmet use suggests racetracks, where a good many Vipers spend a good many weekends, participating in club events such as lapping days and autocross competitions.

"That's one of the reasons we brought the coupe back," says Gilles. "There are some tracks that don't allow softtops or open cars."

To further accommodate helmet wearers, the new coupe's interior headliner will be readily removable. Other small concessions to comfort and convenience include adjustable foot pedals, which have also been revised to improve heel-and-toe downshifts. (They were skewed left in the previous coupe.) The seats have had some attention to enhance comfort and lateral support, but they'll continue to offer only limited adjustability, a sore point of the GTS.

From a performance point of view, the distinction between coupe and convertible will probably be minimal until speeds soar north of 125 or so mph. At that point, the coupe's slightly cleaner bodywork should begin to give it an edge, and the hard top provides higher body rigidity (Chrysler estimates 30 percent). More important, according to SRT director Dan Knott, the coupe's rear spoiler will provide more downforce and hence better grip at the rear of the car.

"We rolled out our initial coupe concept at a Viper owners' meet in Dallas," says Knott, "and that's one of the things that emerged. They told us we should be more aggressive with the spoiler."

Previous sales performance would indicate that Viper buyers have also told the manufacturer they prefer hard tops to removable ones. During the seven years when both body styles were built, the coupe outsold the roadster 6034 to 3953. Which makes us wonder why Chrysler has once again dragged its feet developing the closed version of its super sports car.

"The convertible has tradition, so that came first," says Knott. "And when we came out with the convertible in 2003, we said, 'Okay, that's all we can afford to do right now.' Every time the coupe question came up after that, we just didn't have the funding to do it. Until now."

Naturally, we wanted Knott to discuss funding in the more personal sense of how much funding a guy needs if he wants to drive home a new coupe. And naturally, aside from a generalization about making the pricing "competitive," Knott refrained from mentioning hard numbers.

That's car-biz SOP. But we don't operate under the same constraints as Knott and his cohorts, so we'll make a semi-informed WAG. The last time the coupe was offered alongside the wind-in-hair Viper was 2002. The base price for an '02 Viper RT/10 was $73,535, and the GTS was $74,050.

Based on that, we forecast a base price of $86,000 for the new Viper SRT-10 coupe in the fall. You heard it here first.

2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe
Vehicle type: front-engine, rear-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door coupe
Estimated base price: $86,000
Engine type: pushrod 20-valve V-10, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 505 cu in, 8285cc
Power (SAE net): 500 bhp @ 5600 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 525 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm

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Transmission: 6-speed manual
Wheelbase: 98.8 in
Length/width/height: 175.6/75.2/47.0 in
Curb weight: 3450 lb
C/D-estimated performance:
Zero to 60 mph: 3.9 sec
Zero to 100 mph: 8.5 sec Standing 1/4-mile: 12.1 sec @ 121 mph
Projected fuel economy (mfr's est):
EPA city driving: 12 mpg
EPA highway driving: 20 mpg

Standing 1/4-mile: 12.1 sec @ 121 mph

Dodge Announces Pricing for All-New 2006 Viper SRT10 Coupe


“Double-bubble” Dodge Supercar “Tops Off” Viper Lineup

Auburn Hills, Mich., Aug 18, 2005 -
All-new 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe priced at $83,995
Boasts Viper-signature triple 500s: 505-cubic-inch V-10 engine, 500 horsepower, 525 pound-feet of torque
Zero to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, 0-100-0 mph in low 12 seconds, over 1g on the skidpad
Dodge announced pricing today for the all-new, heart-pounding 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe. Returning in hardtop form for the first time since the 2002 model year, the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe is available for $83,995, which includes $850 for destination. The 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe arrives in Dodge showrooms in October.

“With heart-pounding performance and head-turning design, Viper is the icon of the Dodge brand,” said Darryl Jackson, Vice President -- Dodge Marketing, Chrysler Group. “The all-new 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe is a true Dodge supercar boasting triple 500s – a 505-cubic-inch V-10 engine, 500 horsepower and 525 pound-feet of torque – plus a race-bred, stick-to-the-pavement suspension and braking performance that will separate your retinas.”

2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe Design

The all-new 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe features a “double-bubble” roof design and dramatic rear styling with wraparound taillamps reminiscent of the 1996-2002 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe.

Another connection to the Dodge Viper GTS Coupe is the inaugural color scheme: The 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe will be launched with a Viper Blue exterior accented with Stone White stripes, a nod to the blue-with-white-stripes motif of the original Dodge Viper GTS Coupe.

To develop the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe, the starting point was the stout structure of the Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible. With the addition of the roof structure, the Viper SRT10 Coupe becomes even more torsionally rigid than the Convertible. From an aerodynamic standpoint, the all-new 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe is designed for downforce and high-speed stability, with a sloping roofline and deck lid spoiler.

In addition to the new canopy and deck lid, the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe has a special windshield surround, door side glass, rear fascia, quarter panels and taillights.

The deck lid for the Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe was designed for customer convenience as well as structural integrity. The decklid opening is deeply integrated into the rear fascia, which offers a low lift-over height for stowing cargo.

2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe Features

Race-inspired characteristics are evident throughout the cockpit of the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe, which features a performance-oriented, highly functional instrument panel with center-mounted tachometer and 220-mph speedometer.

The 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe offers more usable trunk space: 4 cubic feet more than the Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible, for a total of 6.25 cubic feet.

New options for 2006 on both the Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe and Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible include two new styles of forged wheels: an “H-pattern” wheel and a five-spoke wheel (MSRP $700), SIRIUS Satellite Radio (MSRP $195) and dual exterior stripes: silver stripes on red and black cars and black stripes on yellow cars (MSRP $3,000). Additional color and stripe combinations will be introduced throughout the model year.

The first 200 of the all-new 2006 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupes will be offered with a First Edition package that includes a Viper Blue exterior (the only coupes available in blue) accented with dual Stone White stripes; the five-spoke forged wheels; a car cover with dual stripes; seats and floor mats with contrasting blue stitching and embroidery; parking-brake handle, shift knob and steering wheel all highlighted with contrasting blue stitching and blue leather; and a serialized dash plaque (MSRP $4,995).

Race-inspired Performance

An aluminum-block 8.3-liter (505-cubic-inch) V-10 engine powers the all-new Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe, generating 500 horsepower and 525 pound-feet (712 N•m) of torque — 90 percent of the torque available in the 1,500- to 5,600-rpm range. Transferring the Dodge Viper’s power to the rear wheels is a heavy-duty six-speed manual transmission.

Stopping power is another carefully developed part of the Dodge Viper SRT10 equation, with 14-inch brake rotors gripped by Brembo 44/40 dual opposing piston calipers in the front and Brembo 42/38 dual opposing calipers in the rear. This system results in a world-class braking performance of 60-0 mph in less than 100 feet.

Dodge Viper SRT10 performance is further defined by a race-bred aluminum, four-wheel independent suspension featuring lightweight, high-performance aluminum control arms and knuckles, damped by lightweight coil-over shock absorbers. Where the rubber meets the road, Dodge Viper SRT10 rides on forged aluminum, polished 18-in. x 10-in. front and 19-in. x 13-in. rear wheels, clad in Michelin zero-pressure run-flat tires.

Street and Racing Technology (SRT)

Formed in 2002, SRT is the industry’s leading in-house automotive performance group. SRT creates some of the Chrysler Group’s boldest, most distinctive products that deliver benchmark performance at the lowest price.

SRT boasts 10 SRT-badged Chrysler and Dodge performance vehicles, all of which will be in dealer showrooms by year’s end: Dodge Viper SRT10 Convertible and Coupe, Dodge SRT4, Dodge Ram SRT10 regular cab and Quad Cab™, Dodge Magnum SRT8, Dodge Charger SRT8, Chrysler Crossfire SRT6 Coupe and Roadster and Chrysler 300C SRT8.

The 11th SRT vehicle, the all-new 2006 Jeep® Grand Cherokee SRT8, will arrive in dealerships early next year.

Dodge’s all-new 2006 Viper SRT10 Coupe, packing an 8.3-liter (505-cid), 500-hp, 525-lb-ft V10, goes on sale in October for $83,995 (including freight).

A hidden gem tucked away in the basement at January’s Detroit auto show was the Diamondback Viper coupe, an American Specialty Cars concept featuring a 615-hp V10 tuned by McLaren Performance Technologies.

ASC broadly winked when asked if it planned to build the car, noting the company was already aware of potential problems with the concept’s 10 air intakes poking up through the lightweight carbon fiber hood (ASC also used carbon fiber for the roof, decklid and rocker panels, shaving 85 pounds off the concept’s curb weight).

It looks like they’ve tackled the intake issue—note the holes in this prototype’s hood, caught by one of our regular spy shooters, and by a reader in Idaho Springs, Colorado. We hear this killer Viper is already producing 650 hp, which ought to be good for 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds—or less.

Our best guess is Dodge will use this ASC/McLaren project to bridge a 2007 model-year gap, during which Dodge reportedly plans no regular production Vipers.

Behold the first images of a 2008 Dodge Viper development muel. Our source tells us that there wasn’t just one powertrain prototype here - there were at least four of these red-hot Vipers with a vinyl-covered camouflage hood and various wires and test gauges - but nothing could hide the huge vents on the hood.

Sources are telling us NOT to expect a 2007 Viper - that model-year will be “skipped” and the ‘08 models will make an early appearance within the first quarter of 2007. And we do know that Dodge wants to expand the horsepower in the Vipers, but the “what” and “how” are currently just rumors. One rumor floating around is that McLaren is involved and has been breathing on DCX’s V-10 engine to get it somewhere near 600-650 horsepower.