Dave Kavanagh, of Ridley Park, Pa., proud member of the W. Virginia/Pennsylvania chapter of the VCA had a rewarding trip to the Chryslers at Carlisle event this year. He ended up with the top bid at a charity auction for the Children’s Miracle Network and for his generosity; he walked away with one of the two mini-Vipers that were on display.

Kavanagh purchased the mini for his grandson Josh, but he needed to make one more adjustment before making the presentation. Prior to giving the mini to Josh, Kavanagh took it to his local body shop to have it painted to match grandpa’s Viper.

By Michael Brett

Several VCA Minnesota members made the trek to the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant (CAAP) to visit with our friends at the Viper plant. The entire staff could not have been more hospitable and informative and they assisted in making our trip a total success. Thank you one and all.

Our route to CAAP and then back home provided several interesting and unique opportunities for ourselves and our Snakes—including traveling across Lake Michigan aboard the SS Badger ferry boat. It was very interesting watching the staff load the ferry with what we thought to be far too many vehicles. Barely enough space was reserved for our Vipers as we were the last to load.

Beyond the semi trailers, we were the only ones given permission to personally drive our vehicles on board. Following a four-hour cruise, we docked in Ludington, Mich., and once again were allowed to drive our Vipers from the ship. Then it was onto Detroit for a visit to CAAP, or as we called it, Viper heaven.

We chose to follow a lengthy route home that took us across the impressive Mackinac Bridge into Michigan’s UP and eventually a visit to Copper Harbor. Just outside Copper Harbor we made the drive up Brockway Mountain for an elevated panoramic view of Lake Superior and the surrounding area.

While setting up for this photo op our Vipers received almost as much attention as the view itself—maybe more. It’s incredible driving machines that generate unimaginable interest and compliments regardless of the destination.

When developing the ACR, the experts at SRT® added an aero system for the vehicle that would produce more than 1,000 lbs. of downforce at 150 mph. Leave it to Maurice Liang in California to come up with a way to add an optional 100 lbs. of downforce to the package.

Roger Paim, from Wareham, Mass., is new to this whole Viper thing, so he was understandably thrilled to find out how much fun it is to be a member of the Viper Nation. He explained, “I’m very excited to be in the Viper Club of America. I’ve only been a member for three months and the people I’ve met so far have been incredible.”

He continued, “I attended the Pocono event and I got to meet Ralph Gilles (Vice President of Design for Chrysler). He was so down to earth and even walked outside with me to look at my Gen 1 Viper. We talked for awhile and he even posed for a picture with me. It was a great experience for me and I can’t wait until the next event.”

By Scott Hirko

Here is an image I shot in my studio of my 2000 GTS. When I bought the car a few years ago I decided I need a nice shot to make a print for my wall. As a commercial photographer, I had all the tools I needed. I spent a day in my studio lighting the Viper and shooting various angles and detail shots for the image. Then I spent several hours in Photoshop® working on the image and adding the background. The finished image is pretty close to what I envisioned in my head. I call it “Seeing Red.”

Scott Hirko Photography Inc. is located in Newbury Park, Calif., and you can see more images on www.hirkophoto.com.

Everyone came away from VOI.10 in Detroit with something, even if it was just some great memories. However, Dan Mishler, son of WV/PA VCA club member Tom Mishler of Hollsopple, Pa., walked off with something a little more tangible.  Dan won the Viper hood through the random drawing at the Invitational. Now all he needs is the rest of the car to go with it.

The graduation photos of high school seniors have certainly come a long way from the old days of posing in front of a white backdrop in the school cafeteria. Linda Thomas, of Sarasota, Fla., is a photographer who has been doing these photos for years, but when her granddaughter was in town from Effingham, Ill., she wanted to do something special.

She said, “We’re Viper people and I wanted to share this photograph. Her name is Macy Koester and as I was doing her senior pictures, this was the photo that she chose.
I know you have a section that prints photographs of people and their Vipers and I thought you might want to use this one. She’ll freak when she sees it.”

Just think how much more often grandchildren would visit if grandma and grandpa owned a Viper.

By Alex Ristanovic

If only every event had weather like this. Under blue skies, 78 degrees, and a cool breeze, you couldn’t have a better setting for one of our biggest racing events of the year. This was Viper War XIII—an annual event held by the Illinois VCA.

The setting for this Viper War was the famed Autobahn Country Club. It’s one of the best tracks in the area! Speeds are moderate, the venue is safe and the asphalt is great. While experienced drivers hit the track, novices attended the class at the very beginning of the day.

The day was absolutely magnificent and without a single incident. There were three run groups total and members had quite a few sessions to run the track. Folks certainly got their fill. At the end of the day all the members got together under the tents to present the awards and say their goodbyes.

And last but not least, we crowned our newest Triple Crown winner who went home with a large glass award and the coveted traveling winner’s cup! Our 2008 Triple Crown winner is Howie Frank!

The Alabama/Tennessee VCA chapter took a Smoky Mountain run one weekend with a combined 30 Vipers from seven states. Things went smoothly along the cruise until a weird coincidence gave everyone pause.

Brett Boyer described the scene: “Along the cruise, we encountered several biker groups on overlook stops. At a meeting point near Clingman’s Dome, the highest point in Tennessee, we noticed that one of the bikers had a custom-painted Harley that matched the Viper my wife Tammy and I were driving. Considering we’re from Huntsville, Ala., and he was from Indianapolis, what are the chances of this color combination meeting on this trip?

At a recent tech session, Viper ACR Program Manager Mike Shinedling, presented the engineering developments of the new Dodge Viper ACR to VCA Northern California members.  The event was held at Hartzheim Dodge in San Jose, and also included seminars on installing a clear bra, how to remove scratches from your Viper and, of course, Viper tech tips.