After rolling around in an Aston Martin V8 Vantage for a whole year and discovering its quirks, Doug DeMuro reckoned it was time to add another beast in the garage.
About a month ago, he challenged his followers to help him find the ideal #DougCar utilizing a few guidelines. The car he was looking for needed to be usable on a regular basis, priced around $40,000 – $60,000, suffer relatively little depreciation, be interesting and bizarre, and different from the V8 Vantage; and somehow a Phase II Dodge Viper ticked all the boxes.
Due to its 8.0-litre V10 powering the rear wheels, and the lack of driver aids, the American sports car was always considered a full-fat widow-maker, but, as it turns out, the intimidating Viper isn’t that dangerous, especially if the person behind the wheel doesn’t antagonize it.
It’s even quite comfortable, in Doug’s own words, offering a pretty good air conditioning system, comfortable seats and a usable clutch – contrary to many myths. However, don’t let the vehicle’s good side get the better of you because it will bite back once the accelerator is fully pressed.
Its 450 horsepower V10 isn’t very forgiving, with DeMuro saying that professional racing drivers warned him about the Viper’s attitude before purchasing it. But then again, as long as it’s driven in a straight line at 60 mph, it’s also harmless.