The Viper was meant to be Chrysler’s version of the legendary Shelby Cobra offered up by Ford, and Carroll Shelby himself went on to help market Dodge’s very own muscle car (via MotoTrend).
The following year the first generation production model of the Viper RT/10 appeared at the famed Detroit auto show. Under the hood was a 400-hp, 465-lb-ft, 8.0-liter V-10 developed by Lamborghini (owned by Chrysler then). It went from zero to 60 mph in only 4.2 seconds and had a top speed north of 160 mph. It was quicker than Chevy’s base Corvette and Porsche’s 911 Carrera 2 (via MotorTrend).
That initial two-seat roadster was packed with power, but it was also stripped down. The Viper came with a six-speed standard transmission, favored by muscle car enthusiasts. Still, it lacked some standard features like air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, traction control, and airbags. Heck, it was so minimalist that it didn’t come with a hard roof, exterior door handles, or glass side windows. It only had a cavass top and zipping vinyl window inserts. There was no mistaking this as anything but a ride built for speed.
Still, the Viper evolved over the years. Each successive iteration came with a more powerful engine, various upgrades to standard equipment, and was released in several different models and editions. The fifth and final generation had a naturally aspirated 645 hp, 600-lb-ft, 8.4-liter V-10 that went from zero to 60 in 3.5 seconds, and topped out at a speed of 206 mph.
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