RIP viper?

[JACKS0NESP]

Hopefully this isin't true...I never read the article, but took a quick glance.

http://jalopnik.com/354292/the-dodge-viper-is-dead-in-lieu-of-flowers-please-send-rd-funds

[nhspike]

I would be upset if I could fit into one.

[mr426]

I am a die-hard MOPAR fan. I have heard about this awhile ago. I would be more upset if the car was anywhere near my price rance, but $100,000 is a bit out. The bigger picture is around 2011 all cars are supposed to have at least 35MPG. That kills all V8's then. I am on the fece now about getting the new Challenger in 3 years when my car is payed off, or next year, then get rid of the car for the Challenger. Damn Vipers are cool too. I bet they do kill off Chrysler too. I hear most of the Jeeps are done as well.

[cdwillis]

I didn't even realize they were still manufacturing vipers.

[CharvelRocker]

I am a die-hard MOPAR fan. I have heard about this awhile ago. I would be more upset if the car was anywhere near my price rance, but $100,000 is a bit out. The bigger picture is around 2011 all cars are supposed to have at least 35MPG. That kills all V8's then. I am on the fece now about getting the new Challenger in 3 years when my car is payed off, or next year, then get rid of the car for the Challenger. Damn Vipers are cool too. I bet they do kill off Chrysler too. I hear most of the Jeeps are done as well.

Is that requirement a bill or something they would like to see? If so, I figure it will just take the EPA some creative ways to get 35MPH on them, as most EPA estimates are horrible anyway.

[Cygnus X1]

Red Barchetta.
It's coming true. Except my Red Barchetta is a Monte Carlo SS.
Take that, "gleaming alloy air car"...

[AdRock]

Is that requirement a bill or something they would like to see? If so, I figure it will just take the EPA some creative ways to get 35MPH on them, as most EPA estimates are horrible anyway.

As far as I know that requirement is now set in stone. We'll start seeing more V6 turbo's. As long as your driving normally you'll stay out of boost most of the time and get the mileage the govt. wants you to get. There's rumor/info floating around that Mustangs will eventually be a twin turbo V6 putting out over 400hp. I'll believe that when Ford puts out an official press release.

[sonicsamurai]

thats a shame i like that car, i was gonna get one if i was famous one day...

[Firebird V]

I am a die-hard MOPAR fan. I have heard about this awhile ago. I would be more upset if the car was anywhere near my price rance, but $100,000 is a bit out. The bigger picture is around 2011 all cars are supposed to have at least 35MPG. That kills all V8's then. I am on the fece now about getting the new Challenger in 3 years when my car is payed off, or next year, then get rid of the car for the Challenger. Damn Vipers are cool too. I bet they do kill off Chrysler too. I hear most of the Jeeps are done as well.

Wrong. It is 2019. But The Big three are not doing much more if any R and D on V8 motors. GM just scrapped a whole new engine plan to replace the Northstar V8. They are putting the money into the V6's now and looking at turbos and Superchargers. With power addrres the v6 will reach the hp numbers and be more efficient.

Read here.

http://www.caranddriver.com/dailyautoinsider/12966/35-mpg-mandate-clears-senate-committee.html

[thetroy]

If they put a V6 in the Corvette I will be sad.

[Jason1212]

Chrysler is hitting hard times and are narrowing down their offerings across the boards. They are also looking at consolidating Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler dealers under one roof. Then cutting the number of dealerships they have.

[442w30]

25 years ago the hottest cars had 210HP with a pumped up V8 and they were HOT! corvette, Camaro, Mustang, just about everything including exotics.

The next gen camaro and mustang brought us up to and beyond the wonder years of the 1960s-70 of muscle cars, we are living in a utopia of power and performance. As a child of the poor performing smog machines, we will never be back as bad as those performed.

Even in 1987, the highest performing car was the Buick GNx - I believe it was 245HP with a twin turbo intercooled V6 - it was smoking~! even by today's standards it was a top performer.

Now, take the GNx, shave off 500lbs and add an electric motor to get you to 35MPH (or first gear only and you have a 4 sec 0-60 car that gets 40MPG. The performance wonder years may be over, but it isn't over yet.

4X4's may have it rough, but you can rebuild old one's all day or they'll get smaller, or better yet, the best true 4wd vehicles aren't street legal anyway.

The viper was one of the great slingshots to bring MoPar back from the KCar grave, though the KCar is what allowed it to live long enough to get there. Maybe the 35MPG viper could be called the K-Viper and usher in a new era of 4second 35MPG supercar hybrids. Check out the tesla roadster

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Roadster

[CharvelRocker]

Turbo/Super Charging V6s and I4s is not the answer imo, as you pretty much need premium in those by default. Even the higher efficiency V6s seem to require premium.

[Spivonious]

Just to clarify a bit more on the whole MPG legislation:

The average MPG of all cars in a company's line must be 35 by 2019, so the Viper could still exist as long as Chrysler puts out a 50-60mpg car to balance things out. I think they should take the Neon and make it a plug-in hybrid to compete with the upcoming Chevy Volt. Then they could make all the V8s they want to.

And CR: I read that with the turbos they're using, the compression will still be low enough to run fine on regular fuel (87 octane).

[fuel0707]

As far as I know that requirement is now set in stone. We'll start seeing more V6 turbo's. As long as your driving normally you'll stay out of boost most of the time and get the mileage the govt. wants you to get. There's rumor/info floating around that Mustangs will eventually be a twin turbo V6 putting out over 400hp. I'll believe that when Ford puts out an official press release.

A few months after I got my Mustang GT in the second half of 2006, J.D. Powers asked me to take a survey at Ford's request. There were several questions about Mustang owners accepting the viability of turbocharged 6-cylinders. They seemed to indicate that Ford is going for 350-400 hp with the blown 6 and that they recognize it has to have the throaty exhaust tone of V8. I just hope that they realize that as important as horsepower is to buyers, that drivers also want lots of torque with those ponies.

Will it happen? I think it will sadly have to in this day and age of $100+ per barrel of petroleum. But it does make me wonder if I should hang onto my GT the next time I buy a car, which will be after 2011.