Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (New GTS-R)

[bmagni]

Dodge's V-10 powered Viper has always been the personification of big, bad, loud, and frighteningly fast modern Detroit iron. It got even faster for the 2008 model year thanks to a thorough revamping that elevated it into the ultra-exclusive, 600 horsepower club.

But Chrysler's Street Racing and Technology crew apparently couldn't leave well enough alone and have taken the already super snake up another notch in the form of the 2008 Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) -- which will hit the LA auto show stand next week.

Essentially a track car that's just barely street-legal, the Viper ACR features a raft of improvements all designed with the local circuit in mind.

A number of aero elements have been designed for the ACR in an effort to maximize downforce, reduce drag and increase lateral grip. The front "dive planes" on either side of the front fascia, a variable geometry "fanged" front spoiler, and the adjustable rear wing are all made of carbon fiber in order to reduce weight. The base Viper's front fog lamps have also been deleted from the ACR in another weight-saving measure.

The ACR's front spoiler is supported by tension cables and features three removable rub strips that help to protect it during impacts. A track extension is also included in the ACR package that replaces the center rub strip and fills out the spoiler's scallop, further reducing ground clearance and increasing front downforce by a third to a reported 1,000 pounds at 150 mph for serious high-speed racing.

Suspension-wise, two way adjustable KW Suspensions coil-overs have been fitted at all four corners of the car, along with an upgraded stabilizer bar up front. Both ride height and damping settings can be changed without removing the lightweight forged aluminum gloss black Sidewinder wheels, which are shod with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup street-legal race rubber. Brakes are upgraded as well, with slotted two-piece StopTech 14-inch rotors providing enough stopping power to bring the Viper ACR to a halt from 60 mph in less than 100 feet, according to Dodge.

All told, the wheels, tires, rotors, and carbon fiber components conspire to reduce weight by 40 pounds over the base Viper, which tips the scales at 3450 pounds. Another 40 pounds can be removed by opting for the "Hard Core" package, which deletes the audio system (replacing the door speakers with carbon fiber panels), underhood silencer pad, trunk carpet, and tire inflator.

Powering the ACR is the same aluminum, 8.4-liter V-10 found in the 2008 Viper that pumps out a sick 600 horsepower and 560 lb-ft of torque, mated to a Tremec six-speed manual. It's safe to assume with all the improvements to the ACR that our base 2008 Viper's test 0-60 times of 3.7 seconds and the quarter mile of 11.7 seconds at 124.4 mph are in jeopardy. But of course, this car isn't as much about the drag strip as it is the multi-turn circuit - a place where the ACR will most certainly be a regular.

In its signature two-tone red and black livery, the ACR looks nothing short of menacing, and a red leather accent to the top of the steering wheel adds an extra touch of class. An optional driver's side racing stripe is available on the red or black sprayed car and the package includes a red stripe at the top of the steering wheel to indicate straight ahead. Standard Viper monotone and twin-stripe schemes are also available, including violet, bright blue metallic, and very orange -- with a body-color wing and dual stripes.

Dodge says the ACR will cost "under $100,000" -- which could very well end up translating to $99,995 - when it arrives in the second quarter of 2008. With a base Viper coupe running about $87,000, a $10-12,000 track pack is not horribly unreasonable for a car on which racing stripes alone are a $3000 option.

[Skaala]

sweeeeet, give me one in white with blue stripes like the original GTS-R. Front shots of Vipers (like no 4) witht that syle wing is just so damn cool.

[bmagni]

Hi-res

[Nick6]

I wouldn't call it another GTS-R. I think this one is just going to be another club racer, similar to the CC.

[bmagni]

Originally Posted by Nick6 I wouldn't call it another GTS-R. I think this one is just going to be another club racer, similar to the CC.

The CC is not road legal

[nthfinity]

http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/...viper-acr.html

Case in point: the Dodge Viper SRT10, a beast with an innate piss-on-the-world brashness we needn’t explicate any further. And so, when we heard that Dodge had readied “the ultimate Viper for road and track,” did we expect Dodge to use exotic materials and strip the big coupe of needless weight, à la Ferrari Scuderia or Porsche 911 GT2, or simply add massive aero appendages and buckets of horsepower? The latter. Duh. Indeed, the standard Viper’s 600-hp, 8.4-liter V-10 with 560 pound-feet of torque produces as much raw output as most hyper-tuned, track-only racers, and thus SRT left it alone and kept other mods simple but effective. This also helped Dodge keep the car at an as-yet-unannounced target price point of less than $100,000. Now, 40 pounds might not seem like a lot, but beneath that figure are two important considerations. That amount is the net weight saving after some 20 or so pounds of aero bits and other minor hardware additions were tacked on, and then you subtract some 60 pounds of weight loss of the unsprung rotating variety, i.e., tires, wheels, brake discs. This is not an insignificant sum and a measure that promises terrific braking and suspension reflexes. Specifically, the ACR swaps the Viper’s standard wheels for lighter, sexier, glossy black forged-aluminum Sidewinder wheels. Behind them are Brembo brake calipers like those on the stock Viper, only they clamp down hard on two-piece, slotted lightweight rotors. KW Suspensions provides the revised, two-way racing dampers that can be adjusted for damping level and ride height without removing the wheels, and a stiffer front anti-roll bar increases roll stiffness. Tires are the track-spec but street-legal Michelin Pilot Sport Cup race rubber. The interior is largely stock Viper, but for those who wan tto add even more lightness, an optional “Hard Core” package deletes the audio system, the underhood silencer pad, the trunk carpeting, and the tire inflator. In the radio’s place is a panel where one can mount a lap timer, which Dodge throws in for free. The end result: another 40 pounds lopped off, bringing the weight reduction to a total of 80 pounds. And there’s still plenty to shock and awe on the exterior. The ACR’s signature paint scheme is a wicked two-tone featuring a black hood, trunk, roof, and wheels, with a choice of bright red, blue, violet, or orange fenders. A driver stripe in fender color is available as an option, but we think it’s absolutely necessary. The front splitter has a swappable front aero-track extension and a pair of dive vanes rendered in exposed carbon fiber. Together, they are said to help increase front downforce by nearly a third. And of course no track-day special would be complete without a rear wing that could have come from a Cessna, also rendered in carbon fiber. The Viper ACR is scheduled to begin terrorizing U.S. streets in the second quarter of 2008. It will make its public debut at this month’s L.A. auto show.

[nthfinity]

Originally Posted by dani_d_mas http://www.motorworld.net/forum/show...ighlight=viper

Yeh, just noticed.. merging, and moving to the correct section