Bene! Meet the SRT Viper GTS Sons of Italy edition

It seems automakers will badge-engineer anything to create special editions that do little for the benefit of the brand or for society. That's not the case for this uniquely swathed SRT Viper GTS whose color and its reason for being are truly noteworthy.

This bellissima beast was created to benefit the Sons of Italy Foundation, a cause near the heart of parent company Fiat. The car features an extraordinarily rich white coat of paint, dubbed Avorio Perla, as well as other one-off touches. This show car will take a prominent position on the Concept Car Lawn at the Pebble Beach Concours Aug. 18 before it goes up for sale. All proceeds will go to the group.

The Sons of Italy Viper gets a pearlescent coat of white paint.

Leave it to a designer to opt for a white finish, a color that best accentuates sexy lines. “What's cool about this white is that it has a lot of 'travel' in the color,” said Mark Trostle, head of SRT Design. “With it having some of this metallic pearl in it, it really shows off the shapes very well. It catches a lot of light, especially on the hood. In the sunlight, it's beautiful how it lights up. That's one of the big pieces that make the car unique.” Behind the GTS badge near the front wheels is a small tribute to the Italian colors.

Black Vapor Chrome wheels accentuate the Viper GTS Sons of Italy edition.

The black vapor chrome wheels, exclusive to SRT, are available as an option on the Charger, Challenger, 300 and Grand Cherokee -- and are not offered on any Viper, except for this one. “The wheels look fantastic in this finish,” Trostle said.

“It's a really rich, premium exterior with a pearl white and the black vapor wheels and that leads to a great color combination. We were looking for what colors would really make the car special, and this tri-coat white paired with the black vapor chrome wheels really resonated with us.”

Inside the Viper GTS Sons of Italy edition at Pebble Beach.

Inside is a bespoke suite fit for a collectible. A Laguna leather package is done up in warm hues, while a 1-inch stripe in the colors of the Italian flag runs down the center.

A red “Stryker” logo sits on the steering wheel while the gauges get red bezel accents. The GTS badge that traditionally lives above the passenger-side glove box also features Italian flair -- the tri-color flag represented with the “G” in green, the “T” in white and the “S” in red.

Trostle suggests the color combination -- inside and out -- is subtle in its own way. To us, when you use the word “subtle” when speaking about a Viper GTS, it's akin to using the term “velvet sledgehammer.”

For more details about the car to benefit the Sons of Italy Foundation, visit www.osia.org.

By Dutch Mandel