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Viper sports car division no longer for sale

By Ben Whitworth Motor Industry 13 July 2009 14:08 Viper’s yo-yoing lifeline looks to be finally secured after ailing parent company Chrysler said the sports car maker was no longer for sale. Rather than killing off its muscle-bound brand, last summer Cerberus-run Chrysler considered selling off the rights to the Viper, hoping to achieve around $10m for the Detroit assembly plant and brand equity to bolster its dwindling cash reserves and stave off imminent bankruptcy. After an initial surge of interest from similar-minded companies like Roush and Saleen, curiosity nosedived along with the global economy.

Concept Car of the Week: DeTomaso Zonda (1971)

Not satisfied in producing one of the most astonishing sports cars of the ‘60s with the Mangusta, Italian carmaker DeTomaso asserted its ambitions in 1970 by presenting an even more striking sports car, the Pantera, alongside the luxurious Deauville four-door sedan, both powered by the same Ford V8 engine. Those new gorgeous models were the work of Dutch-born Tom Tjaarda, then head of design at Ghia. Despite those amazing cars, the styling house was struggling to make a profit and that same year, Alejandro DeTomaso sold Ghia along with a large chunk of his company to Ford, which was looking for that exotic Italian touch.

Tesla Roadster: RHD hits the UK – Tesla Roadster production to end in 2011

Tesla has launched a RHD version of the Tesla Roadster A right hand drive Tesla Roadster is something that should help Tesla shift more cars in the UK – and other RHD markets as well – so it’s welcome news that Tesla has announced you can now order up your Roadster in RHD for £86,950. Tesla has titivated the Roadster a bit for the RHD launch, adding a new sound system and some extra soundproofing. It also looks as if – judging from the picture they sent us – that they thought a picture of the RHD Tesla taken in the rain would make UK buyers feel at home.