COURTESY OF MOTOR TREND
Planet Earth’s Biggest BruteIt has the greatest displacement of any engine currently found in a production passenger car. Remember that first sentence and everything else about the GTS is kept in perspective.
As if you don’t already know, the GTS is the new coupe variant of the Viper, following up on the roadster introduced with such fanfare in 1992. But the GTS is more than just a Viper with a roof. The updated chassis has significantly tamed the notorious handling treachery of the original, and such creature comforts as roll-up windows and air conditioning make the GTS a nearly plausible daily commuter. The GTS also arguably is the most visually stunning modern automobile in the world. There ought to be a law requiring an onboard cardiac defibrillator for reviving unwary pedestrians who catch a glimpse of the GTS.
Although the Viper is a big car, the doors are relatively small and, like a ’84-96-era Vette, the GTS is a bit difficult to climb into. Once inside, the seriousness of the job at hand becomes obvious. The interior is stark, done up in black plastic and leather with bits and pieces lifted from other products. Finding a comfortable driving position is easy, thanks to generous legroom and adjustable pedals, but this car’s performance is so intimidating that the driver never feels totally at ease.
Start the engine and 10 cylinders burst to life within an all-aluminum block. With 8.0 liters of displacement, the fact that there are only two valves per cylinder is irrelevant. This thing cranks out 450 horsepower and an earth-quaking 490 pound-feet of torque-enough to pry Editor C. Van Tune away from a celebrity photo opportunity. Power screams through a Borg-Warner T56 six-speed manual transmission and out to monstrous 335/35ZR17 rear tires to dig trenches in anything less robust than reinforced concrete.
The Viper GTS isn’t just the quickest American car now in production; it’s the quickest purely American production car. (Some classic musclecars conceivably could have been as quick with today’s tire technology.) Only the Turbo can match or beat the GTS’ 4.1-second 0-60-mph clocking, 12.4-second/117.3-mph quarter-mile performance, 72.1-mph speed through the slalom, and 1.00g skidpad whirl.
The Viper GTS is big in a very big way; everything about it is overblown, oversize, and overwhelming. It’s a car without subtlety, without too much high technology, and, ultimately, without pity.
Body type: 2-door, 2-passengerDrivetrain: Front engine, rear driveEngine: 90 8.0-liter V-10, OHV, 2 valves/cylinderHorsepower, hp @ rpm: 450 @ 5200Torque, lb-ft @ rpm: 490 @ 3700Transmission: 6-speed manualWheelbase, in./mm: 96.2/2444Base curb weight, lb: 3375Brakes: Vented discs/vented discsAcceleration, 0-60 mph, sec: 4.1Quarter mile, sec/mph: 12.4/117.3Braking, 60-0 mph, ft: 129Slalom, 600-ft, mph: 72.1Skidpad, 200-ft, lateral g: 1.00Base price: $66,000