1997 Viper GTS Coupe
More than a Roadster with a Roof
By Drew Hardin
photographer: Drew Hardin
On May 26, 1996, the public will get its first look at the new Dodge Viper GTS as it paces the 80th Indianapolis 500, with Chrysler President and CEO Bob Lutz at the wheel. But in case that tiny image of the blue and white car just isn’t good enough, let your eyes linger over the photos here.
In fact, to make sure there’s plenty of room for these automotive portraits, we’re keeping our words to a minimum. We’ll have more to say when we climb behind the wheel of one of the new Dodge supercars.
This new Viper is far more than just a reskinned roadster. The car has been reworked front to back. The aluminum 8.0-liter (488ci) V10 now puts out 450 horsepower and nearly 500 lbs-ft of torque. Like the new generation of roadsters, the coupe’s exhaust now exits out the back rather than to the side, improving the car’s rumble (and eliminating the risk of burning your calves as you climb out of the car).
The coupe also inherits the roadster’s new-for-’96 all-aluminum double-wishbone suspension in the front and the rear, though the shocks have been revalved to handle the weight of the coupe’s roof and door glass.
Revisions inside the enclosed cockpit include power windows, a six-speaker CD system and dual air bags. An additional level of driver comfort comes from new adjustable pedals. But the GTS will by no means be sedate. The car is still not available with traction control, ABS or an automatic transmission. To get the most out of the GTS, you will need to know how to really drive.
At the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Chrysler set the base price of the new Viper GTS at $66,700. No options are available (even the color is limited to blue with white stripes for the initial production run), but gas-guzzler and luxury taxes will add more than $6000 to the sticker.
Even at that price, orders for the first run of coupes are piling up extremely fast. Current roadster owners got to put in their orders first, and they’ve done so—with a vengeance. So if you like what you see here, you better see your Dodge dealer right away. And don’t wait until after Indy, or the line will be even longer.