Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cars
  3. News

Updated – Dodge launches five special editions to mark the end of the Viper

By

dodge viper to end production with special editions 25th anniversary limited edition vipers
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has confirmed what enthusiasts have assumed for the past few months. The Dodge Viper is dead or, at least, it will be soon. This is the final year for Viper production (although the last cars will be considered 2017 models), but it also happens to be the 25th anniversary of the model.

Dodge will both celebrate that anniversary and mark the Viper’s passing with five special-edition models, all referencing some tidbit of Viper history. Sporting a sinister black exterior with red stripes, the Viper 1:28 Edition ACR trumpets the single-lap production car record of 1:28.65 set by a Viper ACR at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in October 2015. The white-and-blue Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR nods to the 1998 Viper GTS-R GTS Championship Edition, another special edition that commemorated the car’s 1997 FIA GT2 championship win.

Recommended Videos

Pulling away from motor sport trivia, the Viper VooDoo II Edition ACR replicates the black-and-graphite color scheme of the 2010 Viper VooDoo Edition. Similarly, the Viper Snakeskin Edition GTC borrows its green exterior from the 2010 Snakeskin ACR model. Finally, the Dodge Dealer Edition ACR is reserved for Dodge’s highest volume Viper dealers, Tomball Dodge of Tomball, Texas, and Roanoke Dodge of Roanoke, Illinois.

Read more: 2016 Dodge Viper ACR first drive

None of the special editions get any mechanical alterations. All five stick with the Viper’s stalwart 8.4-liter V10, which produces 645 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque. At least most of them are based on the hardcore ACR model, which boasts uprated suspension, brakes, tires, and some of the most extreme aerodynamic add-ons of any production car. The current Viper is definitely an impressive machine, but ushering out with special editions that, for the most part, just reference other special editions seems a little weak.

At least the Viper final five will be rare. Dodge only plans to build 28 units of the 1:38 Edition ACR, 100 units of the GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR, 31 units of the VooDoo II Edition ACR, 25 units of the Snakeskin Edition GTC, and 33 units of the Dodge Dealer Edition ACR. They’ll be available to order June 24.

There is talk of reviving the Viper at some point, but given the current model’s dismal sales, looming fuel economy standards, and the competitiveness of the Viper’s rivals, it’s not something we’d count on. So long Viper, it’s been a great ride.

Updated on 7-4-16 by Stephen Edelstein: The five special editions sold out so quickly that Dodge is adding another one. It’s the Snakeskin Edition ACR, which combines the ACR track package with the special green paint from the Snakeskin Edition GTC model. Dodge says it will build up to 31 copies.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Stephen Edelstein
Stephen Edelstein
Contributing Editor
Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…
Here’s how Lucid plans to merge into the EV mainstream
Lucid midsize SUV preview.

Lucid has released a dark preview image of a yet-unnamed electric crossover that will be positioned in one of the most competitive segments of the EV market. The model will be positioned below the Gravity as the brand's entry-level offering, and it will cost approximately $50,000.

Posted on X (formerly Twitter), the image shows the outline of a crossover with fluid lines. It doesn't look like a copy of an existing Lucid model but the design seemingly incorporates a handful of familiar styling cues, including an upright front end and an arch-shaped piece of trim on the roof.

Read more
The best level 2 home EV chargers
ChargePoint Home EV charger plugged into car.

When you brought home your shiny new electric vehicle, it came with a home charging cord. But that was likely a Level 1 charger, which can only add 2 or 3 miles of range per hour. Upgrading to a Level 2 home EV charger can triple that speed — or more — plus provide you with a multitude of options to help lower your electricity bill and extend your car battery life.

In other words, it's now easy to keep your car topped up without ever having to drive to a DC fast charging station unless you're on a road-trip — ensuring that in day-to-day use, your car will stay fully charged, basically all the time.

Read more
The state of solid-state batteries: We may be on the cusp of an EV revolution
Factorial solid-state battery

Electric vehicles may have become a whole lot more popular over the past five years or so, but that’s despite some issues they still face regarding things like limited range and slow charging speeds. The result of these issues is that plenty of buyers are unsure about whether an EV might be for them. But there’s one technology that has been hailed as a savior for all of the EV issues related to batteries, and that’s solid-state battery tech.

This technology has been so hyped for so long that, at this point in time, it seems not only almost mythical, but as if we might never actually see it in the real world. So, what’s the state of solid-state batteries right now, and how far are we from finally seeing them and reaping their rewards? Here’s a look.
What are solid-state batteries?
What is a solid-state battery in the first place? Solid-state batteries keep the fundamentals of traditional battery design, offering an anode and a cathode with a porous separator in the middle, and a substance through which electrons flow from one side to the other. This, in turn, creates a circuit. But while a conventional battery is built with a liquid electrolyte solution on the inside, a solid-state battery instead makes the separator between the anode and the cathode the electrolyte itself.

Read more