Dodge reportedly has one lowball bidder for Viper franchise... but is it enough?


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According to court documents filed by Chrysler, there is but one lone official offer for the firm's Dodge Viper automotive business, and it is well under the $10 million asking price that the bankrupt automaker has been seeking. If a suitable buyer isn't found, it's likely that the Connor Avenue Assembly plant where the Viper is manufactured will be closed down this December.

The sole $5.5 million bid came from Devon Motor Works, a small boutique coachbuilder based in Grand Rapids, Michigan that has plans to launch a new supercar of its own called the Devon GTX, which we presume is based on the underpinnings of the Dodge Viper. The GTX is scheduled to make a run at the Nürburgring lap record for a car currently in production (currently held by a Dodge Viper ACR) sometime in July, after which it will be officially debuted at the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours.

Chrysler first started putting out feelers for its Viper line last August, and the automaker still claims that it "has been approached by a number of parties interested in purchasing the business," though it's now clear that it's rather short on actual realistic offers. At this point, Chrysler is said to be looking into Devon's offer to verify that the small company has sufficient resources to close the deal.



[Sources: Detroit Free Press, Devon Motor Works, Wall Street Journal]

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