Despite the husky appearance, the Viper actually lost 100 pounds and gained 50 horsepower, making 500 horses at the crank. From 2003 to 2005, the Viper was once again only available as a convertible. The GTS coupe returned in 2006 but only for one year, because in 2007 the Viper disappeared from the showroom.

Let me show this Viper, it's right here in the... Dan!! What happened to the Viper? No I'm in the showroom! Dan, I'm in the showroom, it's not here! Well I think I would see it if it were in here Dan! Dan why-- Dan why don't you know where it is?!

By 2007, Chrysler once again found itself in dire straights. Sales had plummeted and the company was operating at a loss. Chrysler’s parent company Daimler Benz saw the writing on the wall, and sold off Chrysler to an investment fund at a huge loss. Daimler had purchased

Thankfully the Viper was only on hiatus for a single year. The Viper returned in 2008 with a fresh face featuring a bigger mouth and headlights, as well as more horsepower. 600 of them to be exact. The ACR was back too, with new aero bits that generated one thousand pounds of downforce.

The Viper was still the real deal. But like all good things, including every single one of my beautiful hamsters, The Viper’s return was to be short-lived. I mean is it the food? I clean their cages..I try not to handle them too much, just enough so that they know that they're loved..uh, if you guys know why my hamsters keep dying, please let me know in the comments..

When Fiat bought Chrysler in 2009, there was some speculation that the Viper might get some tech from Fiat’s crown jewel, Ferrari. But this rumor stayed a rumor, because on one morning in July 2009, Dodge announced the end of Viper production. Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles stated that Dodge wanted to “preserve the value” of the current cars by not building them indefinitely. THAT’S NOT A REAL REASON, RALPH.

That's like saying, oh, I wanna break up with you because I like dating you so much.. Luckily for Viper fans, Gilles also announced that the Viper would return with an all new platform. Kinda like yeah, we're breaking up, but we can do it one last time..

The Viper returned in 2013. The so-called Phase 15 Viper had a more aggressive face, 640 horsepower, and somehow became sleeker and more dignified than the previous generation. The sweeping curves and long hood stayed true to the spirit of the original Viper and other driving legends before it. In an age when throwbacks manage to ignore everything that made the original great, Dodge deserves credit for keeping true to the original vision set forth by Bob Lutz and Tom Gale.

With this second revival of the Viper came the familiar trims, the GTS was back, and Dodge introduced a new Time Attack edition featuring track-tuned suspension, lots of carbon fiber bits, and an exclusive Orange color option. Dodge also had something very special in store, the return of the ACR.

And just like Chris Christie on Thanksgiving, Dodge left nothing on the table The new ACR produced one thousand and seven hundred pounds of downforce thanks to the carbon fiber body kit. The rear wing is exactly 1776 millimeters across because, America was founded in 1776. That’s a little history lesson for you, ya fkn Philistine!

The Viper was now the sixth fastest production car ever around the ‘Ring, putting foreign supercars to shame with nothing but a manual transmission and a really, really big wing.

It was a fitting send off for one of the greatest American cars in recent memory. A Send off? Yeah, the Viper was killed off. AGAIN.

Sure, it isn’t a recent development, Fiat Chrysler told us they were gonna do this back in 2015. BUT IT STILL HURTS, OKAY?

The last Viper rolled off the assembly line on August 16th, 2017, wearing the same red paint as the very first Viper 25 years ago.

As we say goodbye to the Viper, we have to remember that not all hope is lost. The Viper has come back from retirement two times now, proving that its spirit can’t be killed forever. I wouldn’t be surprised if it returns to us once again when we need it most.

WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enIt embarrassed exotics from all over the world,while beinghandbuilt in the good ol’ U S of A, baby.This is everything you need to know to getUp to Speed on the Dodge Viper.The year is 1988, and Chrysler is in trouble.Despite surviving near bankruptcy a few yearsprior, Chrysler was still trailing in salesbehind their rivals Ford and Chevrolet.What they came up with was the mosthardcore sports car since the Shelby Cobra.Chrysler Executive Vice President Bob Lutzknew what he wanted: A two seat sportscarin the spirit of the Jaguar E-Type and thelegendary Shelby Cobra. He wanted a big engine,manual transmission and no fancy electronicaids like traction control or anti-lock brakesto get in the way.He met up with Chrysler’shead of design, Tom Gale, and let him in onthe plan. There would be no focus groups,no Chrysler suits telling Gale what to do.He had free reign to do whatever possibleto bring Lutz’ vision to life, and Galedid just that. Gale had started his careerworking on the Plymouth Barracuda and Challenger,so, uhhh, I think he knew a thing or two about designing bad-ass cars.Their car took tons of inspiration from thesports cars of the sixties. A long hood,short deckAnd no roof. The Shelby Cobrawas a huge influence on the design, and CarrollShelby himself was attached to the project.Even the name was taken from the Cobra. Theycouldn’t call it the Cobra, obviously, andAnaconda meant Sir Mixalot's wiener...Now Viper sounded good. It took Gale and his team lessthan a year to build a running prototype,just in time for the 1989 North American InternationalAuto Show.Before Chrysler President Lee Iacocca hadintroduced the car, Down payments were beingmailed to Chrysler. People were going crazyfor the new Viper. Celebrities even triedto bribe Bob Lutz to get their way onto thewaiting list; which frankly wasn’t a badidea because Dodge only produced 285 Vipersin 1992.Like the Shelby Cobra, The first Viper lackedany feature that wasn’t essential in makingit go faster. Like the Cobra, There was noair conditioning, no power locks, no doorhandles, and no roof or windows. The onlytraction control on board were your own twofeet. A lot of sports cars are marketed as“A race car for the street” but the Vipertruly meant it. It did not have words like‘compromise’ or ‘subtlety’ in itsvocabulary. All it wanted was to go reallyfast.The Viper was notoriously difficultto drive quickly and wasn’t afraid to bruiseyour ego. The viper didn’t hesitate to hurtyour physically either. The side exhaust waslocated right under the door, leading to manycomplaints of people burning themselves asthey got out of the car.That wouldn't be a problem for mebecause if I owned a Viper, I'd just wear cowboy boots.Chrysler owned Lamborghini until 1994, whichmeant they had access to the engineering know-howof one of the most radical car companies inthe world. The same people who came up withthe Muira, Countach and Diablo would now behelping out with the Viper. Chrysler had Lamborghiniconvert Dodge’s iron-block V10, originallymeant for trucks, into an aluminum designbetter suited to the lightweight Viper. This8 liter V10 design was two liters bigger thanthe engine in the Diablo! At a quarter ofthe price! And the Lambo connection doesn’tend there, as the same guy designed the Diablo’s exterior.Diablo and Viper--if there were royalty checks for bedroom posters,Tom Gale would be a f*ckin billionaire!This combination of low weight and high powermeant that that the Viper could hold it’sown against competitors like Ferrari and Lamborghinifor a fraction of the cost.The Viper was proof that Chryslerstill had some brilliance left in them after all.The Viper lost a bit of it’s edge in 1994,when Air Conditioning became an option. Whichis cool I guess, if you’re a b*tch!I’m just kidding-I get really sweaty.The Viper got a few minor updates including Door handles and a real roof in 1996 with the introductionof the GTS Coupe; The GTS was intended tobe a Viper that was a little easier to livewith day to day. Then in 1999, Dodge gavethe Viper it’s first serious upgrade: TheViper ACR. ACR stood for American Club Racer,and it WAS a racer. The ACR was equipped withone piece BBS racing wheels, Koni shocks tunedfor the track, and five-point racing harnesses.It freakin’ ripped.The ACR had a 0-60 of4 and half seconds with a top speed of 180miles per hour.You could drive 180 miles, in AN HOURThat is faster than any animal on Earth.The ACR wasn’t the only Viper Dodge cookedup for the track. The Viper GTS-R debutedin 1999, and was an immediate success on thetrack. Dodge had teamed up with the frenchTeam Orecato develop the Viper into a seriousGT contender, and they succeeded. In two years,the GTS-R won 16 out of the 18 races it entered.That is pret-ty good.They entered 18, won 16. Only lost twice.The Viper underwent it’s first major facelift in 2003. *just like my dad*The headlights got a little angrier *just like my dad*And the Viper itself got a bit bulkier. *just like my dad*But just because it was bigger doesn’t meanit was slower. *just like my dad*Despite the husky appearance, the Viper actually lost 100 pounds and gained50 horsepower, making 500 horses at the crank.From 2003 to 2005, the Viper was onceagain only available as a convertible. TheGTS coupe returned in 2006 but only for oneyear, because in 2007 the Viper disappearedfrom the showroom.Let me show this Viper, it's right here in the...Dan!!What happened to the Viper?No I'm in the showroom!Dan, I'm in the showroom, it's not here!Well I think I would see it if it were in here Dan!Dan why--Dan why dont---By 2007, Chrysler once again found itselfin dire straights. Sales had plummeted andthe company was operating at a loss. Chrysler’sparent company Daimler Benz saw the writingon the wall, and sold off Chrysler to an investmentfund at a huge loss. Daimler had purchasedThankfully the Viper was only on hiatus fora single year. The Viper returned in 2008with a fresh face featuring a bigger mouthand headlights, as well as MORE horsepower.600 of them to be exact. The ACR was backtoo, with new aero bits that generated oneTHOUSAND pounds of downforce.The Viper was still the real deal.But like all good things, including every single one of my beautiful hamsters, The Viper’s return was to be short-lived.I mean is it the food? I clean their cages..I try not to handle them too much, just enough so that they know that they're loved..uh, if you guys know why my hamsters keep dying, please let me know in the comments..When Fiat bought Chrysler in 2009, there wassome speculation that the Viper might getsome tech from Fiat’s crown jewel, Ferrari.But this rumor stayed a rumor, because onemorning in July 2009, Dodge announced theend of Viper production.Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles stated that Dodge wanted to “preserve the value” of the current cars by not buildingthem indefinitely. THAT’S NOT A REAL REASON,RALPH.That's like saying, oh, I wanna break up with you because I like dating you so much..Luckily for Viper fans, Gilles also announced that the Viper would return with an all new platform.Kinda like yeah, we're breaking up, but we can do it one last time..The Viper returned in 2013The so-called Phase 15 Viper had a more aggressiveface, 640 horsepower, and somehow became sleekerand more dignified than the previous generation.The sweeping curves and long hood stayed trueto the spirit of the original Viper and otherdriving legends before it. In an age whenthrowbacks manage to ignore everything thatmade the original great, Dodge deserves creditfor keeping true to the original vision setforth by Bob Lutz and Tom Gale.With this second revival of the Viper camethe familiar trims, the GTS was back, andDodge introduced a new Time Attack editionfeaturing track tuned suspension, lots ofcarbon fiber bits, and an exclusive Orangecolor option. Dodge also had something veryspecial in store, the return of the ACR.And just like Chris Christie on Thanksgiving, Dodge left nothing on the tableThe new ACR produced one thousand and sevenhundred pounds of downforce thanks to thecarbon fiber body kit. The rear wing is exactly1776 millimeters across because, Americawas founded in 1776. That’s a little history lesson for you, ya fkn Philistine!The Viper was now the sixth fastest productioncar ever around the ‘Ring, putting foreignsupercars to shame with nothing but a manualtransmission and a really, really big wing.It was a fitting send off for one of the greatestAmerican cars in recent memory.A Send off? Yeah, the Viper was killed off.AGAIN.Sure, it isn’ta recent development, Fiat Chrysler told usthey were gonna do this back in 2015. BUTIT STILL HURTS, OKAY?The last Viper rolled off the assembly lineon August 16th, 2017, wearing the same redpaint as the very first Viper 25 years ago.As we say goodbye to the Viper, we have toremember thatnot all hope is lost. The Viper has come backfrom retirement two times now, proving thatit’s spirit can’t be killed forever. Iwouldn’t be surprised if it returns to usonce again when we need it most.