If you’d hoped to get your hands on one of the first new SRT Vipers built, we’ve got bad news for you: the full production run of 800 units sold out quickly, and those lucky (and fast) enough to get orders in will be seeing delivery in the very near future. First batch production of the new Viper has officially ended.
In an interview with Wards Auto, SRT boss Ralph Gilles said that some 80-percent of the first batch models were the range-topping Viper GTS variant, while just 20-percent were the more affordable base model. Affordable is a relative term here, since even the base model has a starting point north of $99,000. Opt for the Viper GTS, and the price of admission begins at over $122,000.
While that may seem ambitious for a domestic sports car, Gilles is quick to point out that the car’s handling and top speed over 200 mph make the $99k price of admission a relative bargain. Detractors would be quick to point out that similar money could likely buy you a ZR1 Corvette, which also boasts a 200 mph top speed off the showroom floor.
Oddly enough, Gilles doesn’t see the new Corvette (which has yet to be priced) as competition for the Viper. The Corvette is a volume car, while the Viper is a halo car that will never see more than 2,000 units produced per year.
As for the issue of when (or if) a Viper convertible will launch, Gilles was non-committal, saying only that he hoped to see it in the next few years. The Viper’s current body structure is rigid enough that cutting off the top won’t require additional bracing. While it’s likely that a Viper convertible (which is how the product line began) is in the works, we’d stop short of calling it a certainty given the financial woes of SRT’s parent, Fiat.
