1993 Dodge Viper RT/10 Roadster (RHD)

Description

Regularly referred to as a modern-day Shelby Cobra- indeed Carrol piloted a pre-production version used as a pace car for the 1991 Indy 500- the Viper RT/10 stepped beyond regular American Muscle Car tradition and stepped into the supercar league. Powered by an 8.0-litre V10 based on a cast-iron Chrysler truck engine, the design was sent to then-Chrysler owned Lamborghini to recast the block and head in aluminium in order to save weight, but was still operated via pushrods controlling two valves per cylinder. The engine initially produced 400bhp and 465lb-ft torque and was mated solely to a tall-ratio six-speed manual transmission with 3.07 final drive and a sixth gear ratio of 0.5. The large capacity unit only needed 4600rpm to produce peak power and provided a long-legged driving experience when compared to more highly-stressed Italian supercars of similar performance.The body was made from fibreglass for a kerb weight of just under 1500kg, and it could dispatch the quarter mile in under 13 seconds. Handling was taken care of coil sprung wishbones all 'round with massive 275/40/17 front and 335/35/17 rear tyres. Steering was sharp, with only 2.4 turns lock-to-lock, and braking was taken care of by four-wheel discs. Distinctively styled and with performance to match anything from Europe at the time, the Viper remains the ultimate American supercar to this day. With the re-release of the Viper under the SRT brand, interest has again been sparked in well-kept examples of the original car.