New venom for Viper

It appeared onstage for a few fleeting moments, more phantom than future sheetmetal. But like a ghost that won't go away or a car company that refuses to die, a reborn Viper has been penciled in for Dodge for 2012.

A concept version of the next American supercar was shown in September in Orlando, Fla., by Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne to a convention center filled with thousands of people—most of them notoriously talkative car dealers. But reports of just what exactly the next Viper will be are sketchy. Still, in speaking with numerous sources who were present, AutoWeek was able to construct a composite sketch of what this new supersnake could be.

A common theme emerged: The Viper had a distinct Italian theme with an unmistakable American presence. Descriptions ranged from “beautiful” to “sexy with a lot of muscle” to “different” and, of course, “a classic.” That's high praise from a dealer body starved for new cars and trucks and still reeling from two years of choppy waters for Chrysler.

The car shown in Orlando was painted bright red and had flashy lights, perhaps LEDs. The windows appeared to have a teardrop shape, and the curves and flares were a bit more pronounced. One source compared it to the 1998 Viper. The size and shape were close to that of the current generation, although there were more angles and lines. The Italian sports-car vibe was especially evident stretching back from the A-pillar.

“It looks like it's about to open up and attack you—like a Viper,” one impressed source said.

The fact that any Viper was shown is remarkable in some ways. The supercar business was put up for sale in 2008 and then taken off the market after Chrysler successfully emerged from bankruptcy. The Viper factory in Detroit, dubbed the “Snake Pit,” was the new company's first plant to reopen.

It's “firmly in the product fold,” a spokesman said. “It's going to remain true to its roots.”

Powertrain specifics remain unknown, but a V10 has always been the Viper's signature feature. As Chris Marshall, president of the Viper Club of America, put it: “The main concern for the true Viper purists is the big-displacement engine.”

And considering all that Chrysler has been through in the last two years, that's not the worst problem to have. Viper Nation can rest with some assurance that a new snake is poised to strike in 2012.

By Greg Migliore