2003 Dodge Viper Competition Coupe - Gentlemen, Start Drooling
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| This Viper GTS/R concept car was introduced to accolades at the 2000 Detroit Auto Show. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler) |
When a radically redesigned Viper GTS/R concept car was put on display at the 2000 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, a lot of people got extremely excited. Since it came onto the scene in the spring of 1996 the GTS coupe has been the ultimate object of desire for Viper fans, so an updated version naturally got the home fires burning.
While few were dismayed when the full convertible Viper SRT-10, sporting most of the redesigned concept coupe's styling cues entered production, motorsport fans especially were disappointed to hear a production coupe wasn't to be in the cards - at least not yet.
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| This ACR, or American Club Racer, a mild race spec version of the Viper GTS, was a handful compared to the driver friendly 2003 SRT-10. Still, what a glorious handful it was. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
Why all the fuss? Not only was the original GTS a styling statement of extreme proportions but it improved on almost every aspect of the RT/10's driving dynamics. The race spec 700 horsepower, carbon fiber and Kevlar composite bodied GTS-R, later called the GTS-R/T, went on to score GTS class victories from 1998 through 2000 at Le Mans and GT2 championships from 1997 through 1999. Among its crowning glories was an outright win at the Daytona 24 Hours in 2000. Not a bad heritage for a car less than a decade old.