2001 Dodge Viper

The 2001 car belongs to the second generation of Viper, which was produced from ’96 to ’02. In fact, there is some confusion about the Viper generations, some people believe that these cars are a continuation of the first generation produced from ’92 to ’96. But in fact, despite a very significant similarity in appearance, the second Viper became more powerful, lighter, safer and more comfortable. So the new car received ABS as an option, and in 2001, the system became basic equipment. This could be called a small thing, but next to the most Spartan Viper ’92, the car of ’96 received very good equipment. The second generation of supercar consists of 90% of new parts, so, in my opinion, the car in ’96 exactly can be called a new model.

2001 Dodge Viper like the first generation car was used as a Pace Car in the Indianapolis 500 mile race. As before, the car was equipped with 8.0L V10, but the engine was increased to 50 horsepower and torque. Using aluminum, the chassis was made lighter by 27kg, and at the same time it became 25% stiffer. In this generation the Viper was available in a coupe body, which was designated as GTS, and the roadster received side door windows and a hardtop. Let me remind you – these elementary attributes were not present on the previous model.

Sales and Price 2001 Dodge Viper.

The base Viper was priced at $66,000. Today, a car with not too much mileage, about 40,000 to 50,000 miles sells for a comparable amount. Of course, it is worth taking into account inflation, but in any case, 50,000 dollars for an exotic car in good condition and with not much mileage can be considered not a high price.
Viper has always been considered a difficult in driving and even wild car. Many reviewers note the fact that the second-generation Viper is not as crazy as the last-generation car. They note the suitability of this car for daily use. I even saw a video of Doug DeMuro driving this coupe in the winter when the road was covered with water and snow. Let me remind you, – unlike the previous generation, the ’96 got a lot of options that increase comfort and convenience. Now, leaving the car, you can simply close it). Who doesn’t know – the first generation Viper didn’t even have door locks. The doors could be closed from inside, but nothing prevented to slip the hand back inside and open the car again.

Exterior and photo.
The easiest way to distinguish Viper from the first generation is the air intake on the central part of the hood. Also on the hood you can see the heat exhaust holes above the front wheels.
Examining the photos of the coupe (which appeared in ’96), you can pay attention to the shape of the roof – it has a convex shape above the heads of the driver and passenger. On the one hand it reminds the shape of a snake’s head, and on the other hand it allows wearing helmets in the cabin. Even the roadster received a hard roof, but unlike many cars with this type of body, the Viper’s roof just won’t fit in the trunk.

From the photo you can see that the second Viper is devoid of one of the main features of the first generation car – the exhaust system outlets are now under the rear bumper, not through the sills. But in fact, the exhaust is still running through the sills, and they are quite significantly heated.
The same designer who did the previous model – Tom Gale – worked on the exterior of the second Viper. The same man created the appearance for PT Cruiser and Prowler. You can notice from the photo that the door opening lever appeared on the doors – it’s an incomplete handle, but in the first generation, to open the door, you had to stick your hand into the cabin and pull the cabin handle.
As before, the plastic body panels were dressed on a metal frame. The curb weight of 1,375kg seems incredibly low for a car with a huge V10, especially since the Viper has no carbon fiber body elements. With a body length of 4490mm, the wheelbase is 2440mm. The last 360s produced in 2002 were painted in red and trimmed with white stripes. The second generation Viper received a new logo, and the rear emblem serves as an additional stoplight. The wheels were cast instead of forged, as was the case with the previous model. Rear wheels have 335/30 ZR18 tires. From the photo, you can see the GTS has a race-inspired aluminum gas tank mounted on the rear roof pillar. The coupes were equipped with a built-in spoiler, which added personality to the car.

Interior and equipment.
The second Viper’s basic equipment includes two airbags, while the previous model did not even offer an airbag for the driver as an option. As in the second generation, the Viper offers pure roadster-like seating, with driver and passenger seating above the rear wheels.

As we said above, the new Viper has side windows, but they are also equipped with power windows! Side mirrors are also equipped with the electric drive. The owners of the first generation could only dream about such equipment. The range of longitudinal adjustment of the seats has been increased by 2d. The Viper has mechanical pedal adjustment. If desired, you can remove the rear window, behind the backs of the seats. The music system is equipped with a CD player, whereas the previous Viper had a cassette player.

Plastic keychain of the Viper is decorated with the logo of the model, while the previous generation received conventional keys, without any labels. As in the first generation, there is a very wide transmission tunnel. In general, the interior of the new car is better equipped and more comfortable, which made the Viper more comfortable for normal driving.
What is unusual is that the coupe has no trunk lid. To put any cargo, you have to raise the window. Opening the lower section – under the glass, is not provided. All loading / unloading in the GTS is made through the glass.

Engine and specs of the 2001 Dodge Viper.

The 8.0L aluminum V10 has an updated cooling system, new camshaft, new injection system and clutch. With a manual, six-speed transmission, the Viper can reach 100 miles per hour in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 296 miles per hour. The fuel tank holds 70L, not much for a car with such a big engine. The engine itself weighs 290kg.

The Dodge supercar has independent double wishbone suspension on all wheels.
At first glance, the second Viper became just a little bit more dynamic than the first model. But we should understand that figures are not able to show the whole picture. In fact, besides the fact that the car accelerates better from a place, it became better to drive on the move. This is the merit of not only a more powerful engine, but also the reduced weight of the whole car.

Some say that Viper has lost some of its charisma when it lost the exhaust pipes, taken out through the sills. But in general, the second generation was faster while featuring much better equipment and convenience. Such a car can be used for leisurely rides during which you will collect the eyes of all others behind the wheel of his Viper. Of course, by today’s standards, 450 horsepower is not much, but for the ’96 it was an indicator worthy of the best supercars in the world. There is a saying – “nothing feels like volume”. It’s 100% true of a Dodge supercar. The engine is not so revving, but it has phenomenal traction already from 2000 rpm and it is stunningly reliable. Many Viper’s don’t have great, real-world mileage, which, along with the tremendous life of this V10, makes sense to buy such a car today.