It may not have been a household name on this side of the planet but those familiar with the Dodge Viper should be well acclimatised with its fearsome nature and its stature as one of the most exhilarating high-performance vehicle to come out of the US.
But as they say, all good things have to come to an end and we’re afraid, the finish line has arrived for the Viper. It has ceased production with the last unit rolled out in red while the final customer-destined Viper is a Yellow ACR with black racing stripes.
Its been reported that low sales volumes and new federal safety standards for side-curtain airbags have contributed to the extinction of the American icon. It prospered through five different generations, striking fear as the tyre slayer since it first saw the light of day back in 1992.
Cost was an issue as well as the current Viper was mostly hand-built, it could never be as cost-efficient and competitive as the Corvettes. Following the announcement, it also marks the end of the Detroit plant that had churned out some of the most frightening wheels the world has ever seen.
While there are rumours of a comeback, for now, a moment of silence in celebration of iconic Viper is in order.
Source: Autoblog / Road & Track / Instagram
Image credit: Dodge.com
