Viper ACR: Dodge Continues Its Track Tradition

It seems these days that every sports car manufacturer is taking things to an entirely new level by improving performance and stripping out weight. From Honda, with their S2000 CR, to the big boys like Porsche, Ferrari and Lamborghini, performance engineers are pulling out all the stops in order to create the most honed variants to date. Dodge appears to be following the same path too, a trend it actually fostered a number of years ago with its previous generation Viper, and will present the ACR version of the reworked 2008 coupe at the LA auto show next week.

The redesigned Viper might not look drastically different from last year’s car, but it reportedly drives differently. Tweaking the suspension and fine tuning the damping and springs have created the effect of years in finishing school; the Viper has become a much more docile machine that can be better exploited by its drivers. And what does the ACR do? Take it one step further by raising the performance bar. The redesigned 8.4-liter V10 hasn’t been fettled with, but the rest of the car has. Under the Coupe-only skin you’ll find KW race suspension components that can be adjusted as per conditions, as well as a thicker front anti-roll bar.

A host of exterior modifications ensure that the front wheels can still do the turning. Up front there’s a big three-way splitter that’s made from lightweight carbon fiber, while there’s an equally large and equally impressive rear spoiler to keep the back end glued down. Dodge says that the Viper ACR will generate 1,000 pounds worth of downforce at 150 mph, and thanks to its super-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup tires it can generate 1.5 Gs worth of cornering force.

In addition to these changes, the ACR model also receives new slotted rotors that are more capable of dealing with the intense heat generated during track use, and work in conjunction with the standard Viper’s Brembo brakes. The added weight of these performance modifications is offset by the deletion of various luxury items resulting in a net loss of 40 pounds. For those who wish to have the purest form of Viper, Dodge also offers the “Hard Core” package which sees the removal of the stereo and its speakers, noise insulation, and even the carpets. This reduces the weight of the car by a further 40 pounds.

Racing isn’t cheap, but the good thing about the Viper ACR is that it is … relatively speaking. One of these puppies will set you back no more than $100,000, which isn’t all that much. Consider that the Viper ACR is a car that you can drive to the race track, drive as hard as you like while competing alongside the world’s most expensive sports cars, and then drive the car home again might put things into perspective. Then consider how much Porsche’s 911 GT3 RS, Ferrari F430 Scuderia or Lamborghini’s Gallardo Superleggera will cost, and we think that Dodge’s new Viper ACR makes a pretty good statement.