2013 Dodge Viper Spied!

Freshly-minted SRT chief and avowed Dodge Viper aficionado Ralph Gilles has said there are Vipers running around testing a variety of components. And now, spy shooters appear to have caught one in the (snake) skin.

Yes, this is a previous-generation car being used as a mule. But, is there a better test-bed to use for future Viper technology? These photos also showcase the interior, which has a Bilstein sport button.

Dodge has been coy about the next iteration of its supercar, though the company has said the new Viper will have stability control and remains on track for the 2012 calendar year.

“We're in development,” Gilles said. “I think it's clear that it's on the way,” he told AutoWeek in June at Chrysler's proving grounds. He said that everything, from sound systems to stress braces, is undergoing testing (“Supercar Olympics,” July 11). Watch our exclusive interview here.

Meanwhile, the next generation Viper is expected to be run in international GT racing, and Chrysler has signed Riley Technologies to analyze the potential.

The future Viper is expected to incorporate technology from Chrysler partner Fiat, and dealers have said a prototype shown last year had Italian styling cues. A V10 powerplant was perhaps the signature trait of the old Viper, but Chrysler has not spoken publicly as to what the car will employ under the hood.

Dodge sold 392 Vipers in 2010--a fitting number for the brand, no?--its last year of production, which featured a slew of special models. The company moved 482 units in 2009.

The Viper, a halo car for Dodge since then-president Bob Lutz showed a concept at the 1989 Detroit auto show, has been on a bit of a roller-coaster ride since Chrysler's historic 2009 bankruptcy. Initially, Chrysler planned to sell the division, though a deal never came to fruition, and Viper was taken off the market shortly after Chrysler emerged from reorganization. In fact, the Viper plant in Detroit was the first to restart production after bankruptcy.

Clearly, Dodge's iconic snake has nine lives--or at least more than one.

By Greg Migliore