Autoblog

Click above for high-res gallery of Autoblog autocrossing

Yesterday at Chrysler's annual media gathering to show off new products at the its proving grounds in Chelsea, MI, the struggling automaker wanted to demonstrate the performance capabilities of its SRT branded vehicles. SRT staff set up an autocross course on the vehicle dynamics pad and brought out examples of every SRT vehicle from the Caliber SRT-4 to the mighty Dodge Viper ACR. Before we were allowed to hop in the cars, we had listen to a short briefing that described the course and some safety rules. And before being allowed to climb into the big snake, we had to complete at least a couple of laps in one of the five Challenger SRT-8s to get familiarized with the course. For a big 4,140-lb coupe, the Challenger proved surprisingly nimble. We learned that with the electronic stability control enabled, it's almost impossible to get the back end to swing wide. The stability control has two alternative modes. The first is engaged by a momentary stab of ESP button and allows some extra slip before intervening, while pressing and holding the ESP button for five seconds completely disables the stability and traction control leaving only the ABS. Read what happens (and watch the tire-burning videos) after the jump.

click above to view the video

The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is a racing machine, that's what the three letter suffix denotes (American Club Racer), of course. You don't even have to be within 100 feet of the Viper ACR to know what it is, that wing on the back clues you in. Somewhere, a 737 is missing an elevator flap. If you were to somehow miss the gigantic horizontal stabilizer, the ACR's paint scheme with its wicked-looking asymmetrical stripes announce what it is from a mile away.

The current Viper enjoys a reputation as a natural at the track, though it needs to be handled with a steady, heavy hand. The ACR strips a lot of equipment away in the name of weight savings, and some componentry is swapped out to bring unsprung mass down, as well. The result is a car with even sharper responses than the already born-to-run "regular" Viper. PentastarVideo has supplied us with a very entertaining video, apparently from Chrysler Design Veep Ralph Gilles, of some ACRs ripping it up at No Problem Raceway in Belle Rose, Louisiana. Here we sit, using a corporate high-speed internet connection to live vicariously through a heavily compressed piece of video media. Oh cruel world, why can't we just have a Viper and a road course at our disposal?

Follow the jump to watch the action

Gallery: 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

click above image for more live shots of the 2008 Dodge Viper ACR

Seeing the 2008 Dodge Viper ACR in person makes you wonder even more how this thing is legal to drive on public streets. The carbon fiber front spoiler and winglets have more of a visual effect up close, and the rear wing would be absolutely ridiculous if it weren't functional... but it is. The asymmetrical paint scheme back up the race car look even more, although it looks a little goofy from straight on. We've added another 18 live shots to the 2008 Viper ACR's gallery for you to closely inspect the car, as well.

click above image for 20 high-res pics of the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

AutoWeek may have broken the story on the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, but we're now allowed to bring you the full gamut of pics and info straight from the horse's mouth. As Drew mentioned earlier, we haven't had an ACR version of the Viper since 1999, so the return of Dodge's street-legal track car is significant news. The ACR is built around the standard Viper's stout 8.4L aluminum V10 that remains essentially unchanged – not that a 600-hp, 560 lb-ft motor needs much improvement. Instead, Dodge focused on other areas of the car to transform the Viper into a run-what-you-brung bonafide track special racer.

Since Drew hit the high points in our previous post, we won't reiterate them here. If you want more, you can read about every detail that makes this Viper SRT10 ACR special in Dodge's official press release after the jump and check out the gallery of high-res pics below. We'll be at the LA Auto Show next week to bring you live shots of the car after it debuts, as well.

[Source: Dodge]