Dodge is determined to let the Viper go out with a bang as the company is planning to introduced several limited edition versions of the sports car before production comes to an end in 2010. The third special Viper SRT10 is the ACR-X, a track ready racer boasting a modified V10 with 640 ponies, suspension and aerodynamic improvements as well as all a bevy of safety equipment. Hit the break to watch the video and don't forget to turn up the volume of your speakers to get a taste of the wonderful sounds of Dodge's new limited run 2010 Viper ACR-X.
The subtly revised 2010 Dodge Viper ACR, which is set to make its world premiere at next month's Los Angeles Auto Show, has set a new lap record at the Laguna Seca with a time of 1:33.915 as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder (1:33.944'' as unofficially recorded by trackside clock) breaking the previous lap record of 1.35.117 set by a Devon GTX this past August. The 2010 Dodge Viper ACR was piloted by SRT vehicle dynamics engineer, Chris Winkler.
"It was definitely exciting but a somewhat uneventful lap overall from behind the steering wheel," said Winkler. "The Dodge Viper ACR has amazing power and handles like a dream, so following my first practice here last month, I came away pretty confident that we'd be able to set a new record."
In the final year of the Viper's production, the hardcore ACR, (first introduced in 2008), receives a series of upgrades including a shorter fifth gear ratio that changes from 0.74 to 0.80 for improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speed, a new short-throw shifter and a redesigned rear wing to further optimize aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce.
Dodge says that these improvements result in an increase in top speed of 4 mph, to 184 mph (296 km/h) for the 2010 model.
There are no other changes for the Viper ACR that is powered by an 8.4-liter V10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, for a 0-60 mph (96km/h) acceleration in under 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat.
Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President, Product Design Office, Chrysler Group LLC, said that the company plans to release several special edition models during the last year of the Viper including a Laguna Seca edition to commemorate the record lap. All in all, around 500 Vipers will be produced in 2010.
Now here's a nice educational video for all those annoyingly edgy drivers that weave in-and-out of traffic as if the road is an obstacle course. For whatever reasons, a Subaru driver in Chile was tailing / filming a bright-red Dodge Viper GTS on the freeway. The driver of the American sports car was swooping right and left to avoid the traffic when all of a sudden he exited a tunnel only to see that cars in front of him had come to a halt... Watch the video after the jump.
Dodge's motorsport division has launched a new series of online ads featuring the company's 'big-bad' NASCAR bus that will be making an 88-stop tour across the country to promote the Dodge product lineup. Nicely done commercials, too bad that Chrysler's PR department (ha, that's a good one...) hasn't taken the time to promote the ads as we stumbled upon them by chance, but we guess we'll get the word around...
