A widebody design is displayed in this concept rendering, suggesting a return of the legendary V10 or the exploration of alternative powertrains such as a twin-turbo V6 or a hybrid system.
Futuristic concept of the new Dodge Viper
The Dodge Viper, is known around the world as a great muscular icon of American automotive engineering, which has left a decidedly indelible mark on the hearts of enthusiasts globally. Its very raw power characteristics, a design that would be recognizable even among a thousand other cars, and the way of driving that it made available to those who sat behind the wheel, made it a legend in its time, which still lives on today. Although production of this car was discontinued in the year 2017, the style of the Vper continues to be much loved. Recently, a conceptual render was made public, which would show the new styling of a widebody Viper, which would possibly be designed to rival the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. A remote possibility that has nonetheless rekindled speculation of a possible revival of the car.
The concept of the new Dodge Viper with the wide-body look obviously pays homage to its predecessors, while focusing in a decidedly contemporary, modernized style. Its signature features, such as its elongated hood, short rear deck, and side fins remain present in its new styling. All put into much sharper condition, giving the car bold, aggressive proportions. The widebody stance not only improves the car in people’s eyes, but also very clearly hints at greater stability and high performance.
The V10’s past and modern engineering
Of course, the centerpiece of every Viper model is always found under the hood. The V10 certainly remains a fan favorite, although the sharp rise in demand for fuel efficiency and increasingly stringent current regulations affecting emissions make its return to the car quite unlikely. What modern engineering could make available is a twin-turbo V6 or a hybrid propulsion system that could provide the right torque and power to meet both the car’s performance and emissions standards. This would be one of the possible configurations that would allow the Viper to maintain its high level of performance while also offering a marked improvement in fuel economy.
This concept that has been used for the interior of the vehicle has as its probable basic thought that of the very Spartan Viper cabins we knew years ago. It is envisioned that there could be many modern conveniences such as an all-digitized instrument panel, an infotainment system, and details involving very advanced safety. Of course, all placed in a context where the raw driving that has always characterized the car would not be left out.
To make a small timing overview in numbers of the Dodge Viper, we can say that it was originally equipped with an 8-liter V10 that was based on the Chrysler LA V8 block family. Originally then, the car was capable of delivering 400 hp, with time the performance improved to even an 8.4-liter engine with 640 hp. To top it off, as we anticipated, it will eventually be unlikely that the car will come back with a V10.
Modern market obstacles to the return of a Dodge Viper
Bringing the Viper back into the modern car world in which we find ourselves would certainly mean finding a number of obstacles. The first, could almost certainly be that the segment of naturally aspirated high-performance sports cars has shrunk very significantly over the years. This relates proportionately to the fact that starting production of vehicles like this in particularly small numbers would entail a very high set of costs. To top it off, the other major obstacle is that of electric cars, which are continuously advancing nowadays, which could hurt the demand and market for traditional gasoline-powered sports cars. On the other hand, we know that the return of a Dodge Viper to the market, would make many enthusiasts happy. This would result in a rather balanced pursuit of tradition and modernity by the Dodge brand.
The Dodge Viper, because of its features, has always met the needs of a very narrow niche of the public. Now, the mass market with time seems to have become more focused on crossovers and SUVs that are much better suited to the generic needs of families, but the demand for these unique vehicles still remains active, albeit in a strong minority.