Two goals drove the 2003 Dodge Viper to its numerical bragging rights of 500 horsepower, 500 pounds-feet of torque and 505 cubic inches of engine displacement: 1) Getting to 100 mph as fast as possible. And then 2) getting back down to 0 mph even faster.
The previous Viper made the round trip in 14.5 seconds. The new one should do it in 13.2 seconds.
Improvements to the low-volume sportscar didn't stop there: The new Viper is more aerodynamic, more refined, quieter, quicker, and better handling than the original, which went on sale in December 1991. It even has a cup holder. But the Viper has not been transformed into a sissy: Dodge says it tuned this car for the guy who likes to rip huge pieces of pavement out as he goes around a corner. It still makes the raunchy noises that side-exhaust Vipers did from 1991 to 1996.
2003 Dodge Viper is available as one model, the SRT-10 roadster. (A coupe is expected by 2005.) The SRT-10 comes with a manual top with a glass backlight (rear window), a six-speed manual transmission, anti-lock brakes, a viscous limited-slip differential, power windows and mirrors, intermittent wipers, and leather seating surfaces. Also included is an alarm with remote locks.
The only engine available is a 500-horsepower 8.3-liter V10.
There have been Ferraris that don't look as good as the 2003 Viper SRT-10. This roadster is completely restyled, and looks significantly sleeker than the Viper everyone's seen on posters and at car shows from 1989 to 2002. Granted, there are those who think the new Viper looks too refined.
Vipers are tough to spot on the street, simply because there are only about 14,000 in the world. We think the new Viper looks better than the old car, mostly because the front and rear overhangs are smaller, so the car looks better balanced between its wheels. While the new Viper shrinks almost an inch in length, the wheels are moved outward 2.9 inches. The new Viper is wider, too, which adds to its more balanced shape. If you're used to looking at Porsche Boxster and Honda S2000 roadsters, the Viper seems huge. It appears larger than life. Even though a Corvette is almost five inches longer, the new Viper is more than 11 inches wider.
The headlights are slanted wedges similar to the original Viper's. The grille is substantially larger, and the enormous side exhaust pipes make the car look potent. The new convertible top looks like it's supposed to go with the car, versus the ball cap-style removable roof of the previous Viper roadster.
Underneath, the new car retains its backbone frame, and on top is a largely plastic body. The hood is separate from the fenders, and opens from the rear. The previous Viper's whole front body lifted forward for engine access. An aluminum double-A-arm suspension was added to the Viper in 1996, and carries over to the new car. The new frame, although three inches longer and 35 percent more rigid, is 40 pounds lighter. Overall, the '03 Viper is about 100 pounds lighter than the previous car. Chrysler promises production cars will weigh just 3357 pounds. The 8.3-liter all-aluminum pushrod V10 gains 50 horsepower over the previous 8.0-liter, bringing it to 500 horsepower.
Tall folks will still need to work out a method to gracefully enter the 2003 Viper. Our favorite ingress is to plant our left foot on the floor in front of the driver's seat, and then swing and slide our right foot and leg toward the pedals as we lower ourselves into the seat, all in one motion. This has to be done, of course, with the top down. If we try to enter using our right leg first, it gets hung up on the steering wheel. Besides, our maneuver makes us look like Tom Selleck hopping into his Ferrari 308 in reruns of the Magnum P.I. television show.
The seats coddle you more than before. They hold you tighter and at the same time are more comfortable because of their form fit. After you insert and turn on the ignition key, you reach in front of the six-speed shift lever and push a red starter button to start the engine, the same procedure needed for the Honda S2000.
