2014 Dodge SRT Viper

My boyhood shelves were packed with all sorts of toys, but my favorites were miniature diecast cars. Even though I'd spend hours building challenging gravity tracks for the smallest and sleekest of the bunch, my prized vehicles were not scaled-down production models. Instead, I preferred to daydream about the fascinating showcars and fictitious models with their radical styling, giant wheels and oversized engines. They were the standouts that didn't need to roll down a plastic road, as they could shoot across the carpet, launch over a book and drive up the walls with impunity. Understandably, then, I was recently compelled to shake off a flood of youthful memories when a 2014 SRT Viper GTS was dropped off in my driveway, complete with bright-red paint, black racing stripes, massive tires and the biggest engine in the land. It was exaggerated and outrageous – nothing short of a life-size version of my favorite childhood Matchbox car. Only this time, I was handed a real key. The 90-degree engine is now rated at 640 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 600 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. After skipping a few model years, the fifth-generation Viper returned at the 2012 New York Auto Show. It debuted not wearing its traditional Dodge badges, instead arriving as part of Chrysler Group's new performance-oriented SRT (Street and Racing Technology) brand. Previously, the latter was an in-house performance skunkworks for Chrysler products, but the Viper marked SRT's debut as a standalone marque. And while the new car wasn't a complete clean-sheet design, it had received major upgrades and lots of lightweight materials, including a cast-magnesium firewall, an aluminum cross-brace under the hood, aluminum doors, and plenty of carbon fiber, including its clamshell hood, roof and decklid. The lighter materials not only made the revised vehicle stronger, it cut nearly 100 pounds off its weight. Returning under the hood, of course, is the Viper's signature V10. The all-aluminum, naturally aspirated 8.4-liter engine still features only two valves-per-cylinder and sequential fuel injection – old school – but it uses race-bred forged aluminum pistons, a forged steel crankshaft and a lightweight composite intake. To preserve its on-track performance, engineers fitted it with a swinging pickup in the oil sump to ensure lubrication under racing conditions. Feasting on premium unleaded, the 90-degree engine is now rated at 640 horsepower at 6,200 rpm and 600 pound-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm. An improved Tremec TR6060 six-speed manual gearbox and a GKN ViscoLok speed-sensing limited-slip rear differential sends the power the rear wheels. Premium GTS models come fitted with two-mode Bilstein DampTronic shock absorbers. The balance of the Viper's mechanical specifications includes a suspension setup with cast-aluminum, unequal-length upper and lower control A-arms fitted front and rear, with fixed damping on the standard model. Premium GTS models, however, come fitted with two-mode Bilstein DampTronic shock absorbers as standard equipment. The rack-and-pinion steering continues to use traditional hydraulic assist for maximum feel. Standard brakes include oversized 14-inch ventilated iron brake rotors with four-piston monobloc …
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