What happens when you take a massive displacement engine and delicately insert it between the front wheels of a sports car, sending drive to the rear wheels and not giving it any driver aids? The result is the Dodge Viper, which sported a massive 8.4L V10 engine that had development assistance from Lamborghini, driving the rear wheels and no driver aids. The Viper was meant to be a sort of modern version of the raw Sixties AC Cobra. Becoming an American automotive icon on its own, the Viper saw production from 1992 until 2017, with five generations in the bloodline. If a Viper strikes your fancy, this 2016 Dodge Viper SRT from the fifth generation could be your venom. Hailing from Texas, it’s got 43,500 miles on it and awaits its next owner and tamer.

Exterior and Interior

The overall design of the Viper has changed little since 1992, save for a few visual enhancements and on some variants, a ludicrous rear wing. This 2016 Dodge Viper SRT wears an attractive blue paint job with black badging. The iconic side-exit exhausts are present and enclosed, unlike in earlier generations when they could burn your shins if you weren’t careful exiting the car after a spirited drive. All those air intakes on the SRT hood and along the sides are functional, as they aid in cooling that massive engine as well as the brakes that bring it to a halt. The Viper graphic in black on the center of the hood looks stunning, especially when the front-hinged hood is opened. This car rolls on a set of black Rattler polished wheels wearing Pirelli PZero high-performance tires. The interior features a black color scheme and seats just two. Driver and passenger perch on half-leather bolstered bucket seats. Whilst earlier Vipers were spartan, this one is rather better appointed with power windows, climate control, touchscreen infotainment system, multifunction steering, metal pedal covers, digital instrument cluster, phone charging, and USB/AUX ports for the infotainment, and Alpine sound system. There’s also a reasonably sized (for a sports car) boot behind the cabin.

Engine

The monster lurks beneath that SRT hood and perfectly personifies the statement “there ain’t no replacement for displacement”. The V10 engine in this 2016 Dodge Viper SRT displaces 8.4L (that’s 512.5ci) and is an odd-firing all-aluminum unit. The power output is an eye-watering 645hp, whilst torque peaks at 600lb-ft. All this is done, whilst putting out a soundtrack that will raise the hairs on the backs of the necks of everyone within hearing distance. Putting that power to the massive rear wheels is done via a six-speed Tremec TR-6060 manual transmission. Whilst earlier Vipers would send you spinning down a hedge if you so much as looked at the gas pedal the wrong way, this fifth-generation car has anti-lock brakes, traction control, and electronic stability control. Of course, the latter two can be switched off if you’re feeling brave. The performance figures are a zero to sixty run in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 206mph.