2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10 - Once Corrupted You Can Never Turn Back
Name me the meanest, toughest, rawest, most audaciously styled and brutally powerful supercar produced over the last 10 years. All right, the title gave it away - the Dodge Viper of course. With 8.0-L of rippling OHV V10 muscle under its expansive hood, 450-hp and 490 lb-ft of torque twisting massive 18-inch rear rubber, gurgling side-pipe exhaust and slot car handling, the Viper has had no real threat to its omnipotent reign.
That said it's been a bloody beast to drive. Just getting in took a set of vice grips, a tube of super lubricant and contortionist lessons - OK so I exaggerate, but ingress and egress and then maintaining moderate levels of comfort was challenging for most body types to say the least. Its superb grip was slot car precise as I just mentioned, but it also produced the same backbiting ability as these tiny toys to spin off the edge of the track if a high-speed corner wasn't perfectly executed.
The new 2003 Viper has remedied all that. It's positively civilized. Oh you've caught me exaggerating again. Anyone who can call a 500-hp, 505 cubic-inch OHV V10 powered roadster that produces 525 lb-ft of gut wrenching torque civilized aught to have his head examined. But while intimidated at first I found driving it around town no more difficult than any other car, and easier in some respects. After all, it's pretty difficult to stall a vehicle that is endowed with torque adequate enough to accelerate forward from standstill in 6th gear. While peak torque is developed at 4,200 rpm 90% of it is available from 1,500 to 5,600 rpm. More appropriately than 6th I slipped it into 1st gear, let out the clutch and allowed the engine idle me to speed.