Dodge Is Still Selling New Vipers, Even Though They've Been Discontinued For Years
American automaker Dodge conceived the Viper sports car as a barebones performance machine bereft of side windows, air conditioning, anti-lock brakes, and traction control. It didn't even come with cupholders, but the Viper has all the necessary ingredients for a banging good time behind the wheel — provided you are leisurely with your right foot.
What matters is a stomping naturally aspirated V10 engine in the front, a manual transmission in the middle, a rear-wheel drivetrain, and a grinning human behind the wheel. Unfortunately, Dodge Viper production ended in 2017 after 25 solid years of V10-powered madness, but it doesn't mean certain enthusiasts have forgotten about one of the most iconic American sports cars to grace showrooms.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) — now a part of auto giant Stellantis — recently unveiled its first quarter 2024 U.S. sales results, and one number stood out: It sold one Dodge Viper, despite the vehicle being discontinued.
The Dodge Viper refuses to die
It's not surprising that Dodge managed to sell a Viper in 2024, a solid seven years after officially ending production. The carmaker sold two Viper units in Q4 2023, and a few more Vipers found new homes in 2020 and 2021. One of the last Vipers ever produced went to auction in 2023: A track-ready Viper ACR with a 645-horsepower, 8.4-liter aluminum V10 engine, along with a Bilstein suspension, carbon-ceramic brakes, a limited-slip differential, and downforce-inducing body appendages like wings, flaps, and gurneys.
The more modern Vipers were a far cry from their modest first-gen predecessors. It gained a lightweight carbon fiber and aluminum body, an upgraded six-speed manual gearbox, climate control, and stability & traction control to better use that glorious V10 engine.
Dodge never sold a lot of Vipers during its 25-year production run. It only sold 285 units when it debuted in 1992, and less than 32,000 units left the factory when production ended in 2017. All signs point to Vipers being future classics, and it's perhaps the reason why it continues to appear in sales charts long after the final curtain call.