Next-gen Dodge Viper to remain unique

Dodge boss Ralph Gilles has publicly stated the MY2013 Viper will maintain the coupe's all-American heritage

Dodge CEO Ralph Gilles has reiterated that the next-generation Viper sports car games  due in mid-2012 will retain its unique architecture, rather than pilfering from the parts bin of parent company Fiat.

The new Viper "is not based on anything else," he was recently quoted as saying by Detroit News, quelling speculation it would borrow its underpinnings from Ferrari or the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione.

Some sources had been tipping the next-gen Viper would be based on the 8C, but Gilles says the proportions of the two vehicles are quite different.

"Where the cabin is, relative to the wheels, is unique. The Viper cabin is very rearward and the hood is very long. Few cars in the industry are designed with those proportions anymore."

Gilles said "There won't be a part of the car that's untouched", vis-à-vis its predecessor (which was discontinued five months ago), and it's believed the existing V10 could be upgraded with Fiat's Multiair induction technology.

He suggested Fiat would also help develop the car's dynamic capabilities. "We will use their expertise to open the performance envelope in the Viper," Gilles told Detroit News.

"Fiat has an awesome ability to tune cars. I want the new Viper to be a more forgiving car to drive and accessible to more people. We've never had stability control on a high-performance car, which is about to happen on the new car."

Despite its lack of technical sophistication, the original Viper was an enduring sportscar, with a lifespan that stretched from 1991 to 2010, albeit with four generational evolutions along the way.

Its straight-line credentials remained almost unparalleled (certainly in its price segment) and the series-ending Viper ACR lapped the Nurburgring in 7min 22.1sec, quicker than the likes of the Porsche 911 GT2 RS (7min 24sec), 2011 Nissan GT-R (7min 24.1sec) and Chevy Corvette ZR1 (7min 26.4sec).

The last Viper rolled off the production line at Chrysler's Conner Avenue plant in Detroit on July 2 this year.

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