Italian technology to debut in the new Viper… again
Fate has a way of turning the tables. What used to be Chrysler helping out Lamborghini in times of financial trouble, it’s now the Italians coming to the rescue of what was once Chrysler’s.
The Dodge Viper, now owned by Fiat, is set to get an engine upgrade. The burden of developing its new engine, however, won’t be on Chrysler’s shoulders anymore. Fiat has taken responsibility for its promising sub-brand.
According to Fiat CEO Sergio Marchionne himself, the Viper will be sporting a new engine which has roots from Ferrari and Maserati.
Reports reveal that the new 90-degree engine will have a modular design all throughout. Ferrari’s V8 version of it will have a flat-plane crank while Maserati will instead feature the usual cross-plane crank. The Viper, sticking to its American roots, will have pushrods in its V10 version.
The exact specifications of the Italian-sourced engine are still unknown, but one thing’s for sure – the new Viper will serve as Dodge’s flagship model in line with Marchionne’s plans. The CEO says Viper will be like what Miate is to Mazda.
Take note, however, that although Lamborghini was once under Chrysler, the Italians already played a big role in the Viper’s development. It was them who helped create the Viper’s former aluminum V10 engine. Thus, the Viper truly has Italian roots.
Its latest version is probably going to be a lot easier to drive than the old models, which were as tricky and peaky as the old Ferrari’s. It sure as hell, though, won’t lack in sheer muscle. All seems well and good.
With the 2009 Dodge Viper ACR holding the unofficial production car record of the Nurburgring race track in
One question still remains though. Will the new Viper be able to defend its predecessor’s Green Hell record, especially with Nissan’s R35 Skyline GT-R coming ever closer to shattering it?
Stay tuned folks. Dodge may be back lapping the ‘Ring sooner than everyone expected, with Nissan and Porsche hot on its heels.
Source: Car and Driver, Jalopnik