At the Chrysler business plan meeting this morning, Ralph Gilles, CEO of the Dodge car brand, dropped big news on the Viper. After going back and forth for the past 18 months on what to do with Viper, Chrysler has decided that production of the current Viper will end in July 2010. Before that happens, 500 final cars will be built that, according to Gilles, will be the most special Vipers ever. Gilles explained that the company wanted to preserve the value of existing Vipers by not continuing the current generation indefinitely. He didn't give any details on what would be special with the final 500 cars.

However, Viper fans need not mourn yet. Gilles revealed that an all new car is being developed with a launch targeted in 2012! Even better the Viper will be getting some help from Chrysler's new Italian colleagues... and lets not forget about a certain Fiat outpost that uses a yellow-and-black Prancing Horse for its logo that's based in Maranello.

Source: AutoBlog

Viper, a company producing and selling car alarms and remote starters, has launched Viper SmartStart for iPhone and iPod touch. The app works with Viper remote-start systems and can start a car, lock or unlock its doors, open its trunk, or even locate it in a parking lot. Users can also set off a panic alarm. While more than one car can be controlled with the app, multiple users can just as well control the same vehicle.

“Are you tired of carrying around another clunky remote control on your keychain, or finding yourself out of range when you really need to warm up or cool down your car before getting in?” Viper says. “Now you can remote start or lock and unlock your car just by pushing a button on your iPhone or iPod touch, using the exciting new Viper SmartStart app from Directed Electronics, the leader in vehicle security and remote start,” the official App Store description reads. More in the jump!

Viper cites the simple graphical interface as being the key feature giving users control over capabilities like lock/arm, unlock/disarm, remote car starter, trunk release and panic or car finder. The company also offers instructions for those looking to use the solution.

1) Download the free Viper SmartStart application to your iPhone or iPod touch;
2) Get SmartStart installed in your car (see www.viper.com/SmartStart for more information on SmartStart modules, and where to buy Viper SmartStart);
3) Set up your SmartStart account.

However, the Viper SmartStart solution requires a great deal of add-ons, so to speak, on the user’s end. While the three steps sound fairly easy, it's a bit more complicated.

First, you’ll need an iPhone or iPod touch. Then, if you’re an iPod touch user, the device will require a Wi-Fi connectivity. The actual Viper SmartStart application is also required, of course. You can easily download the app to your device via iTunes – luckily, it’s free. You also need a compatible Viper system in your car (see www.viper.com/SmartStart for details). Finally, a SmartStart service plan is required. SmartStart comes with a one-year service plan included, and renewals are $29 a year, while the terms and conditions apply.



Source: Softpedia

The elephantine rear airfoil bolted to the rear deck of the Dodge Viper ACR is not only highly functional, but it gets credit as being the first mass-produced carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) wing on a production car. Rear wings on high performance vehicles are designed to counter lift. Without aerodynamic aids, most vehicles become less stable and have reduced grip as velocities increase (worst case, the vehicle actually flies as did the Mercedes CLR at Le Mans in 1999).

Chrysler's SRT Performance Group was tasked with building a faster variant of the Dodge Viper with the ACR, yet cutting weight at the same time. The team did extensive studies of wing profiles before settling on a 72-inch wide wing manufactured out of CFRP. While most wings have a structural core or ribbing, the ACR's hollow wing is comprised of just four layers of epoxy/carbon fiber weave with an outer UV-resistant clearcoat.

The wing is amazingly strong (as evidenced by the picture at right), yet it weighs just 7.5 lbs, 50 to 80 percent less than an aluminum or thermoplastic counterpart. Working in conjunction with a variable-geometry front splitter and dive planes, the oversized rear wing helps the Viper ACR achieve its targeted 1,000 lbs of downforce at 150 mph. That's enough to help Dodge's supercar sustain a cornering load of 1.5 Gs at speed – superior to many GT racing cars.

Source: AutoBlog

Now that Fiat has inherited control of the Viper brand (attempts by Chrysler to sell it resulted in a single bid of a paltry $5.5 million), buzz has been circulating about the fate of America’s other sports car. According to our sources, Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne has big plans for the Viper sub-brand. Marchionne thinks Viper has the potential to be to Dodge what Miata is to Mazda—a halo car that transmits the brand’s best attributes, and one that has tremendous marketing potential in car enthusiast/amateur racing circles.

Currently floating through the executive offices in Torino is a plan to fit the Dodge with a V-10 version of the next-generation corporate V-8. This 90-degree engine would be modular top to bottom as well as by cylinder, with a flat-plane crank for the Ferrari V-8, a conventional cross-plane crank for the Maserati V-8, and pushrod-actuated valves for the balance-shafted Viper V-10.

An interesting irony here is that Lamborghini, back when it was in Chrysler’s control, helped to develop the Viper’s aluminum V-10.

Source: Car and Driver

The Dodge Viper has received a reprieve. After nearly a year of trying to sell the iconic sports car business, Chrysler said Friday it will continue to build the Viper SRT10. Production was expected to end at the Connor Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit, known as the “Snake Pit,” in December.

But the new Chrysler has reversed its decision after a review of the company’s products, and top executives found the Viper to be a viable business going forward. The current lineup, including the ACR and competition versions, will continue.

“It’s off the table,” a spokesman said.

Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy in June, and the new company is led by Fiat. The Viper plant was the first to re-start production. More than 25,000 Vipers have been built since the car launched in 1992. The current SRT10 is powered by an 8.4-liter, 600-hp V10 that can hit 60 mph in less than four seconds. The fourth-generation model hit the market in 2008.

Source: AutoWeek

Call it project Sniper, project Nitemare, or just bat poop crazy, but Scott Vanderschoor’s twin-turbo, Viper V10 powered Mustang project has officially transitioned from garage-bound dream to functioning automobile status and we have the video to prove it.

The link was sent to us by Scott Clark (DieselGeek on the forums) who spends some of his spare time doing what he’s doing in this video, tuning and dialing in fuel injection setups on cars that range from fairly tame to, well, this.

Vanderschoor, it needs to be mentioned is a home builder, and he performed the work on every aspect of this amazing project. He’s been providing photo updates throughout the build on the BangShift.com forums.

This is a quickie video that shows the car’s first fire up and Clark establishing a baseline to have the car idle and behave itself well enough to get it onto the dyno rollers and really put the wood to that big V10. Video in the jump!



Source: Bangshift

Now that Chrysler has completed its sale to Fiat SpA, the newly formed Chrysler Group LLC resumed production at its first factory since coming out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Surprisingly, the plant that Chrysler chose to reopen first is its Conner Avenue plant, which makes the low-volume Dodge Viper.

There has been quite an interesting controversy involved with Chrysler’s Viper business, which now belongs to Fiat SpA. The Auburn Hills automaker has built only 61 cars at the Conner Avenue plant this year.

Chrysler shut down all operations after its Chapter 11 filing on April 30. According to Automotive News, most plants are now scheduled to resume production by the end of June.

“At this time, we cannot give exact timing in regards to the start of production at our other manufacturing facilities,” the Fiat SpA controlled automaker said in a statement today.

The plants will first resume production of some 2009 models and will then switch to 2010 models after the normal summer shutdown in July.

Source: eGMCarTech

As part of its well-publicized bankruptcy and restructuring, Chrysler will permanently shutter six of its facilities, one of which is the only plant that builds the Dodge Viper. That’s on top of word that all Chrysler factories and assembly plants will be put on hold for 60 days while the automaker attempts to emerge from what executives are calling a “surgical” bankruptcy.

Despite the White House’s assurance that no plants would be closed during the bankruptcy, court papers filed early this morning in New York indicate that Chrysler will close its Sterling Heights Assembly in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Detroit Axle, Conner Avenue in Detroit, St. Louis North Assembly in Fenton, Missouri, Kenosha Engine in Wisconsin and Twinsburg Stamping in Ohio.

Sterling Heights Assembly currently builds the Dodge Avenger and Chrysler Sebring, Conner Avenue hand builds the Dodge Viper and the St Louis North builds the Dodge Ram. Some of the Detroit-area jobs will be transferred to the Jefferson North Assembly Plant that builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Full Article at Source: Left Lane News

Even though Chrysler is going through a very hard financial time, Hurst Performance Vehicles said yesterday that it has opened the doors of its new California Performance Center in Irvine. The new 50,000 sq-ft complex will provide space for 60 employees that will hand build the many tuning stages of the 2009 Hurst/Hemi Dodge Challenger.

Hurst said that production and deliveries of the 2009 Hurst/Hemi Dodge Challenger and the 50th Anniversary Hurst/Viper is set to begin immediately.

The Hurst Hemi Dodge Challenger is available in five performance stage for the Dodge Challenger R/T and SRT8 with prices starting at $18,350 for the R/T upgrade packages and $17,450 for the SRT8 packages.

Source: eGMCarTech

As you’ve probably heard by now, a company known as MJ Acquisitions has purchased most of Saleen’s street-performance car, aftermarket and supercharger business. According to Automotive News, it is now reported that MJ Acquisitions along with other Michigan auto-related companies have considered buying Chrysler’s Dodge Viper business.

Chrysler announced recently that it has had three offers for its Viper business since the automaker put it up for sale in August 2008. Chrysler declined to name the three companies from which it received offers.

According to Mike Shields, who owns a controlling interest in MJ Acquisition, Cyltec, Arrow Racing Engines, Control-Tec and Power-Tec Engineering, the group has considered purchasing Viper. Shields would not say whether his group is among the three bidders Chrysler speaks of. The Viper operation includes a factory in Detroit, the workers and the car itself.

Source: eGMCarTech

We’ve got some dyno results from a new 2008 Dodge Viper ACR. With 1,350 miles on the odometer the current Nürburgring King put down an impressive 546 horsepower and 510 foot pounds of torque to the rear wheels. With a 15% driveline loss that puts the new Viper ACR at 642 horsepower and 600 foot pounds of torque, quite a bit more than the official 600HP number from Dodge.

These dyno numbers are right inline with what the new Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 is putting down on the dyno as well. Should be interesting to see how these two cars do against each-other in the real world at a drag strip. If the large front splitter and monstrous rear wing don’t slow down the Viper ACR too much, it should be a very close race. Hit up the source for a video!

Source: Dragtimes

Yet another horror story has come about from an enthusiast who let Hennessey Performance Engineering work on their Dodge Viper. From horrible materials, to poorly-designed execution, this owner is pretty livid that he spent $80,000+ just to have his car have problem after problem. Follow the source to cringe.

Source: Zilvia Forums

Go figure: Amid the worst auto-sales market in decades, Chrysler's hottest-selling vehicle is its most expensive. The ACR version of the Dodge Viper SRT10 sports car, for example, is basically "sold out," Chrysler Vice Chairman Jim Press said on Monday.

But it's exactly the sorry economy and investment environment, Press said, that is goosing Viper sales. Individual, hand-built Vipers have emerged as a target of an increasing number of investors.

"Those customers are in a high-income group, and [a Viper] is a safe haven," he said. "Look at what's happened in their stock portfolios: The resale value of Vipers shows they're still in great demand. Smart investors figure out it's a safe place to put their money — and also have a lot of fun."

In general, Chrysler keeps selling about 100 Vipers a month, including in October, when overall industry sales were down by 32 percent and Chrysler's corporate-wide sales declined by about the same amount, compared with last October.

Source: Inside Line

Chrysler LLC has received multiple bids on its Viper sports car business and is reviewing the offers. Chrysler, which did not disclose the number of bids or the timeline of the sale, began reviewing strategic options for the the unit in August in an effort to raise cash to ride out a deepening U.S. auto industry downturn.

One person familiar with the process said no additional bids were likely to be considered. The Dodge Viper is a low-volume V10-powered sports car, which was first produced in 1992.

The news of the bids came the same day Chrysler said it planned to cut about 4,300 white-collar jobs and reduce capital expenditures. Chrysler has identified about $1 billion in non-earning assets for potential sale to raise cash.

Source: Automotive News

Chrysler LLC, which has seen its sales drop 25% so far this year, will begin offering employee discount prices to Wal-Mart Stores Inc. workers in a special program beginning Nov. 1. All U.S.-based Wal-Mart employees will be eligible for the incentive, Curtrise Garner, a Chrysler spokeswoman, said in an e-mail.

"Wal-Mart is one of our largest fleet customers," she said.

She said the savings would range from 4% to 6% off invoice or 8% to 14% off MSRP. It is identical to what Chrysler employees and eligible family members receive. Dan Fogleman, Wal-Mart spokesman, said the retail giant has 1.4 million employees in the United States.

Chrysler also told its employees that they will now be able to get an employee discount price on most Dodge Viper models. This isn't the first time Chrysler has extended employee pricing; earlier this year, it did so for military personnel, Tier 1 suppliers and members of AARP.

I'm sure Walmart employees are running to Dodge dealerships.

Source: Free Press