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2005 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Road Test

The Stuff of Dreams, At Least for a Night

Following a long period of foul weather, the clouds parted, the sun shone and the outdoors took on a freshness that only follows a heavy rain. After a tough day in the office trenches I arrived home fatigued yet charged to know that a Viper ragtop would soon rumble down my quiet street and position itself at my front door - not my neighbors front door, but my front door.

For this is the stuff of dreams, and this afternoon, it was my dream that was coming true; at least thats how it felt when I awoke from my catnap to the resonance of the Vipers side-outlet, dual exhaust getting ever nearer.

After

This is the stuff of dreams, and this afternoon it was my dream that was coming true. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

a moment of silence, there was a knock at the front door whereupon the DaimlerChrysler rep smiled and dropped the key to happiness into my hand. A quick unlatching of the roof opened the Vipers aggressive, all-business cockpit to the solar rays I had been so desperately seeking. In we climbed. I slid the key into the ignition and gave it a turn

I put my index finger on the red dash-mounted engine start button and, like setting off a panic alarm, fired-up 500 of the meanest horses Dodge has ever corralled under a hood. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

to energize the Vipers electrical system. Then came the moment of elation as I put my index finger on the red dash-mounted engine start button and, like setting off a panic alarm, fired-up 500 of the meanest horses Dodge has ever corralled under a hood.

The Viper is essentially an out-of-the-box racecar wearing street legal clothes that has been comfortized with a nicely appointed,

I find the Vipers cockpit to be more exciting and better assembled than that of the 05 Corvette. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

fully-finished interior. In fact, I find the Vipers cockpit to be more exciting and better assembled than that of the 05 Corvette, although the Vette dishes-up much more in the way of comfort and convenience accoutrements.

The very snugly fitting, hugely bolstered seats in the Viper are a good example of what I mean. They are manually adjusted, moving only fore-and-aft and reclining. In the Corvette, multiple power seat adjustments exist, including power side bolstering. The all-business Viper does away with the extra weight

Many high-performance cars are equipped with grabby, fast-locking clutches - not so the Viper. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

of servomotors and additional hardware needed to match the Corvettes cab full of spoils.

Adding to the Vipers no-nonsense approach to performance are power adjustable, drilled aluminum pedals set very closely together in a long, narrow foot well. Some care is needed to not catch the edge of the accelerator when applying the brakes; however, for race-trained drivers, the pedal setup is perfect for heel-and-toe downshifting.

While on the subject of pedals, I must comment on how effectively they functioned. The throttle had a tremendous amount of travel and added horsepower in a very progressive manner, making it easy

Although I have driven numerous performance cars in my life, I was stunned by the explosive power under the Vipers long, double gilled hood. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, American Auto Press)

to drive the monster with professional-like smoothness. The brake pedal exhibited some over-sensitivity at slow speed, related no doubt to the massive binders at all four-corners. Otherwise, braking was perfectly predictable and linear. And finally, the clutch; many high-performance cars are equipped with grabby, fast-locking clutches - not so the Viper. Whether pulling away from a stop or swapping cogs, hooking-up the mighty V10 was always smooth and fluid.

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