R.I.P. Snake: Dodge's Final Viper Rolled Down the Assembly Line Yesterday

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

It’s a wrap on the Dodge Viper. FCA’s flagship supercar just rolled down the assembly line for the last time. In production from 1992 to 2010 and from 2013 through 2017, we’re hoping this is just another three-year hiatus for the snake. But, as production is ending indefinitely, we have no way of knowing if that will be the case.

What is assured is that the Viper’s current incarnation is over. Ralph Gilles, FCA’s head of design, posted a series of photos on social media documenting the vehicle’s last two production models as they made their way out of Detroit’s Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, the Dodge Viper’s home since 1995.

In the photos, Gilles posed with Dodge/SRT design chief Mark Trostle in front of the penultimate Viper’s open hood. There are also shots of the the unwashed 2014 Brickyard Grand Prix winning Viper GTS-R race car and a model that looked suspiciously like the vehicle that delighted crowds at the 1992 North American International Auto Show.


These were followed by a series of stills where the final production unit progresses further down the line until almost out of sight. Gilles confirmed the red Viper was the last one, specifying that Dodge would be holding onto it for the company’s heritage collection.

The comments section of the Instagram post was loaded with questions as to why FCA’s supercar wouldn’t persist like the Corvette (and why Dodge decided to discontinue it in the first place). Some argue the Viper’s hard-edged, almost brutally retro take on sports cars made the public less willing to adopt it. Automotive grandpa Bob Lutz even speculated that the vehicle’s no-frills approach to motoring allowed it to be outclassed by Dodge’s own Challenger and Charger Hellcat variants.

However, the practical reason is that it cannot adhere to domestic safety standards. The Viper’s tight cabin doesn’t provide enough room for federally mandated side curtain airbags — a point Gilles reiterated on social media.

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne hinted at this year’s Detroit auto show that the Viper could return eventually, but made no promises. Instead, he indicated he wasn’t fond of the supercar possessing a dedicated platform and suggested a future model might share its framework with a preexisting model — which is an absolute bummer. But, with FCA keen on streamlining itself for sale, any hope of seeing a new Viper soon would be a prayer wasted.

It isn’t fiscally sound for Dodge to continue production on the snake. But that doesn’t make the loss of an American icon any less tragic. The Viper never made for a good daily driver, but it made for a phenomenal supercar and was one of the few you could purchase for under six figures. Gauche, rowdy, and unlike any other car on the planet, Dodge made something exceptional. It lacked the sophistication and subtle elegance of a Porsche 911 but was more than willing to bloody its nose at the track — especially the ACR version.

Sure, it may have had side exhaust pipes that baked the sills to a point where it required a plaque warning occupants not to touch them when exiting the vehicle. It may have also had a comically large and prehistoric V10 engine devoid of electronic assistance and a punishingly stiff suspension. But it was still a remarkable car and we may never again see anything quite like it.

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Ricky Spanish Ricky Spanish on Aug 18, 2017

    Maybe it can share a platform with a front-engined Ferrari, replacing the V12 with a 'Murican V10?

  • Dukeisduke Dukeisduke on Aug 22, 2017

    Exactly 40 years after The King died. Yeah, Elvis would have owned one. He would have parked it next to his Stutz Blackhawk.

  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
  • Carson D The UAW has succeeded in organizing a US VW plant before. There's a reason they don't teach history in the schools any longer. People wouldn't make the same mistakes.
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