Will The C7 Z06 Finally Put The SRT Viper To Rest?

[Bucks]

Will the C7 Z06 Finally Put the SRT Viper to Rest?


The SRT Viper makes its presence known but has yet to have a break-out month of sales ....


For years, diehard enthusiasts have passionately been either Viper fans or Corvette fans in the battle of who will reign supreme as North America

 

[Black 03 Z06]

Just a couple of phone calls away from having both in my garage as a long term test program. I will let you know how they compare. Oh wait are you talking full scale or 1:18? Sorry for the confusion.

I did drive an early (1993 I believe) Viper and it was quite a thrill. It will be interesting how the two horsepower monsters compare on the track. Pretty neat that they are still building these cars in this day and age. Well done.

Thanks for the comparative information.

 

[Riley P]

I don't think the Corvette Z06 put the Viper to rest. I think Chrysler and their dealer network did that themselves which is really too bad.

As for on track performance. The Corvette is going to send Viper back to the drawing board! (Assuming same driver, conditions, etc. )

 

[Bucks]

You Might Be Right Riley ....

2013 SRT Viper front three quarter ...


The Viper has always been a difficult car. Now it seems it's especially difficult for, as more than half of the 2013 Vipers remain unsold ...


Strangely enough, it appears there are fewer people in the American-built supercar market than Chrysler had thought. Accordingly, Chrysler has cut SRT Viper production by a third ....

The company

 

[Bucks]

You Hit The Nail Right On The Head Riley ...

After slowing production of the SRT Viper from nine units per day to six last fall, Chrysler is temporarily halting Viper production altogether for two months, apparently to relieve a glut in unsold cars. The Connor Avenue Assembly plant where the hand-built, $100K-plus Viper is made will stop production beginning the week of April 14th. The plant

 

[Riley P]

My statements in red below are not fact, but just some of the stuff I heard around the rumor-mill and are more meant for entertainment

So, they state this:
Only 91 Vipers were sold in January and February of this year, hardly on pace to meet Chrysler’s initial 1600-unit annual sales projection.

Then this:
Customer and dealer demand for the SRT Viper continues “at expected levels,” he said. “The Viper was never intended to sell like a Corvette.”

And Lastly:
Jodi Tinson offered a silver lining to the production stoppage. “We’re trying to satisfy our customers’ desire to keep their vehicles exclusive,” she said. “We didn’t want to make too many of them. This will help us manage our production to keep that level of exclusivity.”

Hahahahaha. So they are trying to keep the sales low? So low that they have to slow production and then shut it down for two months? What's the point of targeting for 2000 Vipers a year for production? This is about as rediculous of a statment as Pfadt saying they had to close down because they had too many orders. (Which sucks because I really like Pfadt)

But could it also be that—somebody’s gotta say it—there’s just not that much demand for such an expensive sports car offered by the young SRT brand, which has virtually no equity yet?

I don't think the above statement is true at all. From what I hear, the dealers kept delaying customer orders or didn't even accept customer orders, then applied "market adjustments" to the final price and that is why so many Vipers are sitting. They screwed around with and then pissed off their own clientele. As the market is not huge for the Viper, those that were going to get one don't feel like getting gouged and now the Corvette offers a better product, so here we are.

But perhaps a little soul-searching might be in order for the Viper’s product planners if it hopes to stay around much longer

Unfortunate, but most likely the most truthful statement.