Better with Age

Although it's darn near unpatriotic to admit it, I've never found much to love in the Viper. Once you drove one for 10 or 15 minutes, the point-and-shoot audacity of it all soon wore thin, and you realized DaimlerChrysler AG's V-10 muscle car was just that: a muscle car too ridiculous even for muscle-car devotees.

In exchange for wowing the clerks at 7-Eleven, you were subjected to ride quality and ergonomics on par with Spanish Inquisition torture chambers, antediluvian handling — don't even think about nailing the throttle on wet pavement — and a generally bold interpretation of “build quality.”

So when the Dodge crowd drew me for the assignment to drive the all-new '03 Viper SRT-10 here, they weren't getting someone exactly predisposed to come away with a favorable review. That context, then, makes it all the more remarkable that I say the new Viper is a genuinely good car. Maybe even “great,” given the narrow context of what this car is: a no-frills, limited-purpose 2-seat convertible that's got more power than is healthy, a Porsche price ($79,995 base. Gulp.) — and a Dodge badge.

Yes, the second-generation Viper — the first all-new model since the original's launch in 1992 — now comes only as a convertible. That eliminates one of the old car's most vexing bugaboos: the difficult, Targa-style roof setup that simulated topless driving with none of the allure. Later, fixed-roof coupes came along, but they only accentuated the impossibly tight ergonomics. The resin injection-molded and sheet molded composite bodywork remains, freshly updated yet familiar. Included is a return to stylish side exhaust, with a new crossover pipe to deliver a more palatable sound quality.

True Viposi (Ferrari has tifosi, right?) will gravitate to the stunning upgrade of the previous all-aluminum, 8L OHV V-10. The new bored-and-stroked 8.3L version, which incorporates plenty of internal makeover and other improvements, is all about unadulterated twist, serving up an outlandish 500 hp at 5,600 rpm and 525 lb.-ft. (712 Nm) of torque at 4,200 rpm. That's because the previous model's 450 hp wasn't anywhere near enough.

Raw power remains the Viper's calling card, obviously, but the revelation comes from the new car's welcome 2.6-in. (6.6-cm) longer wheelbase, 2-in. (5-cm) wider front track and a major reworking of the 4-wheel independent suspension's calibration. The fettling from Jim Ori, senior manager-chassis, and his team makes for a Viper in which it's actually rewarding to channel all that thrust.

The new chassis, including a totally new frame that's 31% stiffer torsionally, combines with the delicious long-travel throttle (no electronic control here, thanks very much) to enable glorious, remarkably controllable power slides just about any time you like. Third gear, a 50 mph (80 km/h) corner; all it takes is a small sampling of right pedal to rotate the rear end in a fashion that's completely progressive and completely non-threatening. Back out and the tail comes right back on line, without any snappishness. Such shenanigans were not in the old Viper's repertoire. Most satisfying.

The '03 Viper's dimensions (dictated largely to accommodate the convertible top) also alleviate the original car's driver-footwell torment: the pedals are more properly aligned with the steering column, and there's now even enough room for a proper dead pedal. And our pre-production cars' build quality evinced tight dimensions, inside and out, although materials could've been better, and the inclusion of the corporate cheeseball radio and climate controls, as well as other minor switchgear, hardly is persuasive in an $80,000 car.

But listen: Overall, there's not much to criticize here. The '03 Viper finally can be considered a high-performance grand touring car competitive with the world's best. Its interpretation of “GT” is slanted toward the American muscle-car idiom, as always. But that's okay, because the Viper has never been ashamed of its orientation — and considering the new Viper's vastly improved dynamics, combined with power unmatched by anything this side of Ferrari, it no longer has to be.

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