The Dodge Viper, in its two previous incarnations, was a love it or hate it kind of sports car; which is probably what Bob Lutz, Chrysler’s president at the time, intended when he green-lighted the project in 1989.
Lutz intended for the first Viper to be a modern-day Shelby Cobra. When the car became available in 1992, it was clear that the “Team Viper” had achieved its objective.
When the second-generation model arrived in 2003, it sported more modern looks and 500HP, 100 more than the original. The hairy-chested character remained intact: the Viper, which subsequently was revised and gained another 100HP, was not for the faint-hearted.
Fast-forward 10 years and the third-generation model that goes under the SRT brand is supposed to be a more polished machine, featuring a higher quality interior and modern-day gadgets including an infotainment system and traction and stability control.
In Edmunds’ tests, it accelerated from standstill to 60 mph (96 km/h) in 3.7 seconds and pulled 1.03 g of lateral acceleration in the skid pad.
One could argue that the last thing the Viper probably needed was more horsepower but it got it anyway, with the 8.4-liter V10 putting out 640HP and 600 lb-ft (810Nm) of torque.
Those are the official figures touted by the company. Edmunds decided to find out the true power that heads to the wheels so it strapped a yellow Viper GTS onto a dyno. What it came up with is 558hp and 528 lb-ft (715Nm) of torque.
You can watch the Viper dyno tested in the video after the break and voice your opinion in the comments below.
By Andrew Tsaousis
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