The American Exotic Why the Viper Legacy Will Continue

Change, change and more change. As I write this gas prices are plummeting, the Big Three auto manufacturers are in a financial turmoil, the economy is on a roller coaster (which part remains to be seen) and a new U.S. president will soon be in office. Closer to home, the Viper Club of America has a new roster of National Officers and the entire Viper platform is up for sale by Chrysler. The Viper faithful and America as a whole seem to be holding their collective breath.

I let my breath out a while back—at VOI.10 in Detroit to be exact. Along with the other VCA officers, we met with everybody from the craftspeople at CAAP to the SRT® marketing folks to the executive ranks of Chrysler itself. In a time of turmoil you could not find a more dedicated group of people committed to the preservation of the Viper platform as a whole.

Like all of these groups, the VCA is firmly committed to seeing the Viper legacy continue for many years to come. To that end the VCA has teamed with Viper Marketing to offer a special referral program exclusively for VCA members—you can read more about it in this issue. The idea is to clearly demonstrate just how strong the Viper platform really is, even in times of turmoil. There is certainly no better time to get your hands on the latest and greatest Viper built to date.

The simple fact is that the Viper is America’s one true exotic muscle car: A hand-built, limited production, federally-certified supercar capable of speeds around 200 mph straight from the factory. Far smaller countries like Italy can support two such manufacturers. The UK and Germany have their own as well. America has only one that truly fits all the criteria and that is the Viper. It demands respect in every automotive circle and doesn’t blush when tracking with the Italians and their counterparts.

The legacy is for sale. With proper nurturing and expanded marketing efforts, the platform will exceed the wildest dreams of even its new owner. America is the birthplace of the muscle car and the Viper represents the pinnacle of the breed. Hundreds of thousands of potential Viper owners are out there just waiting to be found. Many, like most of us did, will take that obvious next step up to the Viper from the mass produced sports cars built in Dearborn and Bowling Green.

One thing is for certain: The Viper legacy will continue regardless of who owns it or what they choose to do with it. And the Viper Club of America will always be there to support that legacy for decades to come. You can count on it.

Chris Marshall

President

Viper Club of America