By Darren Jacobs

Some combinations work together so perfectly that each single element seems sadly out of sorts when forced to go it alone. Peanut butter just plain tastes better with jelly, biscuits cry out to be dipped in gravy, and Starsky just wouldn’t be the same without Hutch.

And while the Viper is nothing to sneeze at while cruising along the streets, the Snake seems to really sizzle when it’s able to cut loose on a drag strip, race track or road course. And that’s just what a number of professional race teams did to kickoff the 2009 racing season.

SPEED World Challenge GT

The SCCA Pro Racing SPEED World Challenge GT Championship has been home to a number of regular Viper-powered competitors in recent years, and 2009 will be no exception.

Albuquerque, N.M. native Jason Daskalos led the Viper pack after the first two SPEED World Challenge GT events, at Sebring and Long Beach. Daskalos drove his Daskalos Developments Dodge Viper Competition Coupe to a fifth-place finish on the Streets of Long Beach road course on April 19. His sharp moves behind the wheel brought him the AutoWeek Move of the Race award for his deft pass of Tony Rivera’s Porsche and moved Daskalos to eighth in the SPEED World Challenge GT standings.

Just behind Daskalos at ninth in the standings was rookie Viper pilot David Welch. The Kirkland, Wash. native made a head-turning debut at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring season opener on March 20, scoring a seventh-place finish in his Woodhouse Performance Viper Comp Coupe in his first visit to the track. Welch finished 19th at Long Beach.

“Every time David gets in the car he goes faster,” said team owner Bob Woodhouse. “We need to keep raising the bar until he is in a position to podium consistently.”

Ritch Marziale, who finished 14th at Long Beach, clocked in at 13th in the standings. Welch’s teammate, Jeff Courtney, scored a tenth-place finish at Long Beach, overcoming a hard-luck Sebring outing in which he finished fifth and earned the Hard Charger Award but was later disqualified after his front axle was deemed under weight during the post-race tech inspection. Courtney is currently 19th in the point standings.

“I’m always glad to come out of a street course in one piece,” said Courtney of his top-ten Long Beach outing. “I’m glad to have the #99 KENDA Tires Dodge Viper Competition Coupe come out of Long Beach intact.”

ALMS

The sole Viper entry in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) looks to be in good hands despite a (literally) bumpier-than-desired start.

The Primetime Race Group Dodge Viper Competition Coupe team, featuring owner/driver Joel Feinberg and driver Chris Hall, entered the March 21 ALMS season opener at Sebring on a positive note, clocking in faster than the factory-backed BMWs and Porsches during practice sessions prior to race day. Alas, their luck went south before the checkered flag dropped, and with a top-five finish in sight, no less. After completing ten hours of the race the clutch on the Primetime Viper Comp Coupe failed, resulting in a hard-luck DNF.

The Primetime crew’s struggles continued at the next race in St. Petersburg, “not an ideal venue for the torquey Viper, as the tight corners and hard braking points force us to work harder than any other driver on the track,” explained Feinberg. A tire blowout in Turn One soon led to a close encounter with the concrete barrier wall, resulting in another DNF. But Feinberg and Hall’s luck would soon change at Long Beach.

“Primetime’s dedicated team hustled to get the car back to race ready condition within a week for our next race out west,” said Feinberg. “The Viper ran strong and handled great at the Tequila Patrón American Le Mans Series at Long Beach race. We managed to find 5.338 seconds from 2008, which goes to show our program is continuing to develop and remain strong when competing against factory efforts. We logged a seventh-place finish, which was like finishing on the podium after the unfortunate mishaps at the first two races. As the only Viper in the American Le Mans Series, I look forward to delivering the Viper community much success throughout the ALMS season.

Formula Drift

Team Mopar® driver and two-time Formula Drift (FD) champion Samuel Hübinette had a nice surprise for the Viper Nation, showing up for the 2009 Long Beach season opener back in the seat of his Mopar Dodge Viper SRT10.® Mopar announced late in 2008 that Hübinette would debut a new Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger for the 2009 campaign, but after the “Crazy Swede’s” team owner, Shaun Carlson, suffered three heart attacks in February, a bit more time was needed to put the finishing touches on the Mopar Challenger.

The decision was made for Hübinette to steer his trusty Viper at the first two events of the year, Long Beach and Road Atlanta, with the Mopar Drift Dodge Challenger making its debut at the New Jersey event in June. It wasn’t a very tough decision for Hübinette, who captured FD championships in 2004 and 2006 behind the wheel of a Viper, as well as a 2008 runner-up showing in the standings.

The combo of the Viper and the “Crazy Swede” posted their customary podium-worthy performance at Long Beach on April 11. Despite winding up an uncharacteristic No. 12 in qualifying, and with an extra round of judged tandem eliminations added to the FD program, Hübinette mowed down the field on his way to the runner-up spot on the podium. He repeated that performance one week later on the Streets of Long Beach, taking a runner-up finish in the Team Drift exhibition—where he was paired up with a Corvette (hey, sometimes racing makes for strange bedfellows).

“If you’re on the podium today in Formula Drift, you did something right, because it is hard to do with the level of drivers battling it out now,” said Hübinette. “So big thanks to Shaun Carlson and the NuFormz Racing team for all their hard work. I’m very happy.”

A day at the track in a Viper—who wouldn’t be happy!

By Roger Meiners

Tammy Allen, a Grand Junction Colo., car enthusiast, attended this year’s Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Ariz. to buy a fleet of classic cars for a new business venture—a limousine service for car lovers. She toured the massive display tents with her dad and her daughter, looking for classics that would excite her potential customers. As she neared the prime display space in the main tent she spotted an unusual gold Viper shimmering in the spotlights. The reflections from the Viper’s paint were unusual. The car had a matte finish instead of the usual highly-polished show paint.

“I wanted a Viper for a long time,” said Allen. “As soon as I saw the car I fell in love with it. I loved the matte paint.”

A few months before, Ron Flint, president of Hurst Performance Vehicles, was in a meeting with Bill Pemberton, the Viper and SRT® sales manager of Woodhouse Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep® in Blair, Neb. They were discussing Hurst’s idea to team up on producing a Hurst Challenger. “We heard about all the performance stuff Woodhouse was doing from DC Performance, the Viper tuner in L.A., so I met with Bill Pemberton,” said Flint. During the discussion Pemberton revealed that Woodhouse was going to do a special-edition Viper. Why not make it a Hurst/Woodhouse Viper? Hurst liked the idea and proposed to auction the first one at Barrett-Jackson.

The result: The matte gold Viper coupe on display at Barrett-Jackson. As the project proceeded, NASCAR star Kyle Petty and his wife Pattie’s Victory Junction Gang Camp entered the picture as a charity beneficiary. Woodhouse would donate the profits from a sale to Victory Junction. This ramped up the publicity value of the project.

Tammy Allen stood there, looking at the strikingly painted Viper. “I told my dad, ‘I’m getting it.’” Her dad wasn’t so sure. He cautioned her, saying, “That’s going to be too fast.” Allen responded, “Dad, you don’t always have to drive fast.” She reminded him that the accelerator pedal had “slow” settings, too, and repeated, “I’m getting it!”

This changed her car-buying strategy slightly. She had to conserve enough cash to make sure she won the Viper.

When the car came up for bid, Allen was ready. Kyle Petty’s son, Austin was there and so was veteran Hurst Golden Shifter girl Linda Vaughn as a crowd gathered to see who would buy the car. Allen was not to be denied. She stuck with the bidding until she emerged the victor. The price: $275,000 after auction fees, the highest price ever paid for a new Viper.

She was surprised at all the excitement after the sale. “Linda and all the Woodhouse people were excited that the winner was a girl,” she said. “I believe they thought a guy would buy it, because they had gold cufflinks and a gold tie tack in the glove compartment.”

Lance Pittack, president of the Omaha, Neb. metro area Woodhouse Auto Family said, “It’s fantastic that this Hurst/Woodhouse Viper brought the highest price for the
marque and gave us an opportunity to donate a significant amount to a worthy cause.” He presented a check for $125,000 to Victory Junction.

“The Hurst/Woodhouse Viper is an amazing collaboration and the resulting donation will provide life-changing camp experiences for many children with chronic medical conditions or serious illnesses,” added Pattie Petty, co-founder of Victory Junction. “Kyle Petty and I are so grateful to Hurst Performance Vehicles and the Woodhouse Auto Family for their generous support of the new Victory Junction camp location in Kansas City.”

Tammy Allen loves the gold Hurst 50th Anniversary Dodge Viper so much that she recently purchased its stable mate, a gold Hurst Viper convertible. She intends to
keep the cars together and drive them only on special occasions, so she just purchased a blue Viper coupe to enjoy all that performance on a daily basis. “My dad doesn’t even know I bought it,” she said when we interviewed her. We’re sure he knows by now.

By Herb Helbig

One of the most frequent questions I get asked as I visit with the Viper Nation is, “What kind of Viper do you own?” I usually answer, “As soon as my last little Viper gets out of college, I’ll think about getting the other one.” Well, things didn’t quite work out that way.

Early this year I heard about a brand new ‘09 Viper VOI.10 edition that was going up for sale. As the saying goes, “When opportunity knocks, you should open the door.” With the help of my dealer friend, John Gastman of Roanoke Dodge, my new Viper rests quietly in my garage.

The car arrived early in February and was stored for a few weeks by my friends at Prefix. Thanks to them for helping out. It’s gorgeous and sports the personalized plate … “GRALKPR.” No surprise there. I picked her up on Friday the 13th. The best part was a few of the Viper team members went with me to enjoy the moment. Included were Jeff Reece, vehicle synthesis engineer–Viper; Ben Swears, SRT® electrical systems engineer; Dick Winkles, manager, SRT powertrain engineering; and Mike Shinedling, program manager ACR. We had a great time taking pictures and putting the first coat of wax on. I can’t thank them enough and they were kind enough to sign the intake manifold. It was a special moment.

I didn’t think picking the car up would be that big a deal, after all, I drive Vipers all the time. Boy, was I wrong. When I saw her for the first time knowing she was mine, I was overcome. It was an emotional experience I won’t ever forget. A special thanks to my lovely wife Debbie who let me temporarily steal her parking spot in the garage … she’s the best!

Dick Winkles has been on the Viper engineering team since Day One, including a stint at the helm of the Viper GTSR race program. The new 600 HP Viper engine is his baby. “I was so pleased with the way the new engine turned out that I had to own one.” The only way to get one was to buy the car. He wanted a roadster and, when he learned that an orange color was to be added to the portfolio, he ordered it—then discovered that his would be the first one built in that color. He also was privileged to follow his new car all the way through production. Luckily we got to go with him via his photos.

1. The chassis starts down the line. The instrument panel is mounted and the rear suspension is attached.

2. Jim Drew uses the large yellow air bladder to position the chassis assembly at a convenient height for installation of components.

3. Winkles assists as Anthony “Smooth” Thomas scribes the Viper’s serial number to the transmission housing.

4. Winkles with the complete powertrain (engine and Tremec transmission), ready to install.

5. Thomas slides the powertrain unit into the chassis. He earned his nickname because of the deceptive ease with which he does this.

6. Al Dunlap and Thomas are ready for the next sequence now that the chassis is dressed with exhaust system, brakes and fuel tank.

7. Deron Rogers III attaches the hydraulic clutch line while Hassanh Collins prepares for the next step in the process.

8. John Roberts wields a rather large lug nut wrench. It’s probably not the ideal tool for the home toolbox.

break!

1. Palomba adds taillight brackets. He also will install the trunk seal.

2. Jim Richards hangs the driver side door.

3. Tony Banks drops the passenger-side front fender into place.

4. The “Orange line” at the end of the day. Winkles’ car is the first Orange Viper to be built.

5. Jeff Jakubowski and Rob Rouda attach the front fascia. It’s about the last part to go on the Viper.

6. The completed car, ready to be driven off the line.

7. The Viper gets a bath to make sure there are no leaks. When test technician Dave Kochan saw the look on Winkles’ face he said, “if you dont want me to run it through …” But Winkles waved him on.

8. Winkles and Ralph Gilles on the line. Ralph’s car, an ACR Coupe, was built at the same time. Both were at the plant to pick up their cars. Behind them is John Gassman, of Roanoke Dodge in Roanoke, Ill. He sold Winkles and Gilles their cars. With him to the right is Janet VanHavermaat of the Conner plant.

To the uninitiated, the thought of taking the stock 500 hp 8.3L Dodge Viper engine and boosting it up another performance level seems like overkill. After all, when most people look at a Dodge Viper they see the ultimate American super car. However, for many in the Viper Nation, 500 hp is merely a starting point. For those Viper fanatics looking to squeeze out every ounce of horsepower and torque that the Viper V-10 can muster, we offer this blow-by-blow account of how to add some snarl to your Snake with a polished Paxton supercharger kit, polished valve covers and Crower rocker arm assemblies, courtesy of Big 3 Performance, in Green Bay, Wis.

For more information on Big 3 Performance, visit www.big3performance.com.

Note: How-to install photos and captions courtesy of Big 3 Performance. Space limitations do not permit coverage of all aspects; therefore, please refer to the detailed instructions included with the manufacturer’s kits. The procedures and comments in the article do not reflect the opinions and endorsements of Chrysler LLC or J.R. Thompson Company.

By Juli Polak

Skeeter Todd, NY/CT VCA Mid-New York events director, is credited for organizing an amazing event at the Orange County Chopper shop. Yes, THE Orange County Choppers. The amazing thing? There were 87 Vipers in attendance that day in Newburgh, N.Y. The Teutuls were unveiling a Dodge HEMI® Chopper to promote the new Dodge HEMI Ram Truck.

Vipers came from all over the Northeast—Maryland, Virginia … hundreds of us attended. No two Vipers seemed to be alike, except two owned by brothers “Matt and Mike” who had matching black 2008 ACRs they both will track. It really was amazing to see that many Vipers supporting the VCA and Dodge, as we want the Viper to continue. Mike Davi took an awesome picture of Paul Teutul riding the newly-unveiled bike through a sea of Vipers.

Also in attendance were CitySnake’s beautiful 2008 SRT,® Bob Carroll’s one-of-one gorgeous 2008 ACR, and Chuck Tator, also known as the “Viper Wizard,” showing the traffic ticket he received while trying to lead the pack to the event. Dan Dibner, AKA “Damn Yankee,” created a poster to go with Mr. Tator’s ticket. The poster is a testament to the abundance of humor, camaraderie, fun and not-so-serious talk when this group gets together.

The day ended with a delicious luncheon at Torches on the Hudson River. Our return trip to Albany, N.Y., proves that a Viper can slither just fine in the rain.

By George Farris

About a year ago, all was going well for a car guy like Bunky Preston of Amarillo, Texas. He had a 2002 Yellow Viper RT/10 and a 2001 Burnt Orange Prowler. Of course, being an avid Texas Longhorn fan, the Prowler was indeed the right color.

Like many Viper fans, Bunky’s neat and orderly world changed when Dodge introduced the 2008 Viper with 600 hp and all those different colors. It was more than Bunky could take. He desperately wanted the very Viper Orange to keep true to the Longhorns, but that would be one of the last colors available and he didn’t want to put his desire on hold for that amount of time.

So studying the colors again, Bunky decided to go with a Snakeskin Green coupe with white stripes. It turned out to be a stunner. The car has been a hit all over Amarillo and even down in Austin at the Hill County Cruises this past summer.

But since he was still affected by Longhorn fever, the orange car became too much to resist. So Bunky did what any self-respecting Viper fan would do—he ordered up another Viper. This one is very Viper Orange with white stripes. As neat as his garage was before, it is super neat now with those two beautiful 600 hp beasts!

In the photos with the new Vipers are Bunky and his daughter, Austin. No surprise there. After all, being a Longhorn fan, no way was she going to be named Ann Arbor, South Bend, Coral Gables or Tuscaloosa.

Fantastic Vehicle

In reading your recent issue of VM (Winter 2009), I was impressed and most thrilled to see the display of personalized license plates from various states.

Thereupon, I took a picture of my 2003 Viper SRT10®’s rear license plate to submit for your consideration in a subsequent publication.

Furthermore, it has been one of the greatest pleasures in my life to spend time driving this wonderful machine. Everyone that has been seated beside me has also enjoyed the exuberance and exhilaration that comes with the ride.

I would like to take this opportunity also to commend you on the wonderful job you and your staff have done in bringing this fantastic vehicle to light. Keep up the good work!

Sincerely,

Raymond J. Bucci, M.D.

Simi Valley, Calif.

Thank you for the kind words about our publication, Dr. Bucci. Regarding the Viper being a fantastic vehicle, we could not agree with you more.—Ed.

VM Back Issue

Could you send me a PDF of the Winter 2009 issue of VIPER Magazine? My friend would like to view this issue. She doesn’t want a hard copy.

Thanks,

Laura Sullivan

Via e-mail

Laura, the Winter 2009 issue of VIPER Magazine is available online at www.vipermagazine.com/issues.—Ed.

So Many Combinations

I found the article about the 2008 model year Viper production in the spring issue of VIPER Magazine very interesting. WOW, 121 different paint and body combinations. I didn’t realize there were that many possible combinations.

Best Regards,

Chris Moleski

Via e-mail

You’re not alone, Chris. There were many VIPER Magazine readers that were amazed at the number of possibilities for paint and body combinations.—Ed.

Viper Plant

I heard the Viper plant is operational. That’s fantastic! It’s music to my ears.

Sincerely,

Heidi Stender

Via e-mail

After being idle for over three months, the 392,000-sq-ft Conner Avenue Assembly Plant was temporarily operational. However, as I write this letter, the plant is idle again during Chrysler LLC’s reorganization.—Ed.

Connor Avenue Assembly History:

Built in 1966, the plant was purchased by Chrysler in 1995. Dodge Viper production began in May 1992 at the New Mack Assembly Plant and was moved to Conner Avenue in October 1995. Prowler production began in May 1997 and ended in February 2002. Viper V-10 engine production transferred from Mound Road Engine to Conner Assembly in May 2001.

President Barack Obama’s public address to the nation on April 30, 2009, announcing Chrysler LLC going into Chapter 11 restructuring was shocking and disappointing to many. The world changed for Chrysler employees, dealers, autoworkers, suppliers and many families on that day.

As of this writing, the honorable U. S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Arthur Gonzalez is hearing this case in the Southern District of New York. His experience handling other complex corporate cases will no doubt help in the hearing of Chrysler LLC’s case. At this point we know two things for certain: 1) Chrysler’s alliance and plans with Fiat SpA are subject to U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval and 2) Dodge Viper remains secured under bankruptcy protection.

Take a step back and consider that an alliance with Fiat SpA represents Chrysler LLC’s best opportunity for the future. Could the brain trusts at Ferrari and Maserati have any influence on the Viper? Who ever thought that this is something we might contemplate? There’s also a very good chance that a third party may acquire the Dodge Viper. Either way, the future of Viper looks promising and interesting to say the least.

Fiat’s principal investment in Chrysler LLC is its intellectual property – namely the engineering and technology of fuel-efficient small cars. With the price of gasoline ratcheting up again, we all know that manufacturing fuel sippers is the right thing to do. It’s only a matter of time before we see more and more Americans buying smaller, more economical cars.

At this moment, Fiat SpA is working closely with Chrysler management to architect the way for “NewCo,” the soon to be reorganized and newly named company. President Obama has ordered Chrysler’s bankruptcy case to be completed as speedily as possible. It’s critical and necessary in moving the company forward.

Meanwhile, the Viper Nation is geared and ready for the summer driving season. Have you had a chance to go on a club road trip? Nothing beats the fun and camaraderie of a Viper club outing. There are many planned so make it a point to participate. Check out the upcoming events listed on www.ViperClub.org under Events or visit www.ViperMagazine.com and click on Calendar.

You might also take time this summer to plan and outfit your garage. Turn to pages 30–35 to see what some of your fellow Viper-holics have done with their garages. Those could be inspiration for what you might do to enhance yours. And when you’re ready to share your own shrine, submit your photos to [email protected] to be considered for one of our future garage features.

Keep the faith for good things to come and enjoy your summer!

Clay Thompson

President, J.R. Thompson Company

Publisher of VIPER Magazine

By Jason Mattinson

Greetings Viper Nation! I am beyond excited to finally be a Viper owner and a member of the VCA. This past September I purchased a yellow 1995 RT/10 and have loved every minute of it. The Viper has been my dream car as long as I can remember so I wanted to share my story with VM.

Back in the early ’90s I remember getting several car posters to hang in my room. One was a Ferrari and the other was a Viper; both red. I didn’t know it at the time, but this was the beginning of my Viper journey. A few years later I saw the blue and white GTS coupe for the first time. This was a major turning point and my obsession would only begin to grow.

I started out small by collecting scale models of the Viper in various colors. Then I stumbled upon an issue of VIPER Magazine in a bookstore. I purchased it on the spot and read it from cover to cover immediately (Ironically, it was the fall 1998 issue that had a yellow RT/10 on the cover.). Two years later I signed up for a subscription. I received a red Sneaky Pete key chain with my first issue.

About this same time I turned 16 and earned my driver’s license. I begged my parents to let me get a car with a manual transmission. My reason was that I wanted to be able to drive a stick in case the opportunity ever arose to drive a Viper. Through a weird twist of events, my dad promised that we could go “Viper shopping” if he had a good year at work. The year ended great and my dad kept his word; we were off to the local Dodge dealership.

They let us test-drive a red 1994 RT/10. I then built up the courage to ask my dad if I could drive it. At best I was hoping for a big parking lot so that I could say that I actually drove it. The day got even better when he let me take it out on the roads for a few miles. The dealership wrote up the paperwork but we did not buy the car. My dad made it clear that my education was more important. I kept that paperwork to use as motivation for future Viper ownership.

With the help of my parents, I made it through college and into the working world. I kept the Viper as a goal the entire time.

Finally this past fall I was in the position to purchase one. I took that Sneaky Pete key chain I had been saving for eight years so that I could finally add Viper keys to it. Then I hung the “No Parking except for Jason’s Viper” sign in the garage. The sign was a gift from my grandparents from several years back that I had been waiting to hang.

Even though my road to Viper ownership spanned nearly 15 years it was well worth the wait. I cannot thank my family enough for helping me through school and teaching me the value of hard work and going after your dreams. I also need to thank my wife for being very understanding of my Viper obsession. We purchased the car only six weeks after tying the knot. And one final thanks goes out to the Viper community. Many people have helped to answer all kinds of questions before and after I made the purchase. I am very grateful for the help and hope that I can give back to the community to show my thanks.