AUTOMOTIVE - AUTOS: 2013 Viper Joins SRT Brand

AUTOS: 2013 Viper Joins SRT Brand

V10-powered sports car will shed Dodge name to become a product of Chrysler's standalone performance division.

As we twist in the wind over the 2013 SRT Viper's debut venue ? it could be Detroit but New York is looking more likely ? the SRT brand has announced it is re-opening the Viper's Conner Avenue production facility, and along the way confirmed it won't be a Dodge product any more but an SRT.

A slightly bigger 8.7-liter V10 engine is expected to provide around 600 horsepower in the next Viper, with a test mule shown undergoing tests. (Photo: Motor Authority) The brand change makes perfect sense given SRT's repositioning as a standalone division. Although the upcoming Viper is expected to include more safety-oriented driver aids and creature comforts, the SRT control gives us hope that the Viper will remain a serious, performance-focused driver's car without the dilution of more practical, mundane concerns.

Announcements about the plant's re-opening have re-stimulated the idea that the new Viper could make its auto-show debut in Detroit in January rather than New York in April. But whichever show gets it, we'll have to wait until "late 2012" to see the car on the street, according to Ralph Gilles, president and CEO of SRT.

Though production isn't set to start for almost another year, employees are already reporting to the Conner plant, and have been since sometime this fall. Why? "Training and orientation," Chrysler says. Given the need for test vehicles, the possibility of a pre-production show car rolling off the line as well is a definite maybe.

The 2013 SRT Viper is expected to sport a massive 8.7-liter V10 engine, 300cc bigger than the previous and sure to produce in excess of 600 horsepower. Yes, it sounds like fun.

Source: http://automotive.speedtv.com/article/autos-2013-viper-joins-srt-brand/

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