Dodge Viper - Connolly Leather in the All-American
Having been bred on BMWs, tackling the somewhat intimidating Viper RT/10 was a daunting experience. It's not only the 450-hp and 490 lb-ft of earth shaking torque that caused my knees to tremble, as I've been behind the wheel of European brand tuner cars as powerful, but more its lack of electronic aids such as traction and yaw control. With much trepidation I slipped the 6-spd manual into first and tip-toed the massive machine out of my host's long and winding Southern California driveway toward the streets of Santa Barbara.
The Viper has been characterized as the closest thing to a race car you can buy for the road, a superlative I wouldn't discount too quickly. It's a firmly suspended car, capable of feeling tiny pebbles under its huge P275/35ZR18 front and P335/30ZR18 rear tires with the same acumen as Hans Christian Andersen's princess felt peas under her many mattresses. Hit a bump in the road and the entire car gets unsettled quickly, often causing the need for sharp input from the power rack-and-pinion steering, depending on speed and trajectory.
That input is direct and precise, with no slop whatsoever - a description of the driving style necessary to keep its awesome power under control when trying to make time. Truly, if there ever was a car that required a delicate touch the Viper is it. Nervous, haphazard, point and shoot drivers with heavy right feet need not apply. You'll find yourself and your precious car in the ditch before you can say, 'Look Ma, No Hands!'