2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe Preview

Zero to sixty in less than four seconds. Sixty miles per hour to zero in less than 100 feet. 500 horsepower. 525 lb.-ft. of torque. Ten cylinders. Wow. That's pretty much the story when it comes to the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe - it goes fast, it stops fast, and now it does so with a hardtop.

Details

There's more to the story of the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe than simply a regular old hardtop. True, the most obvious of the changes is the aerodynamic "double-bubble" roof. The unique shape of the roof not only allows for smooth airflow over the vehicle, but also accommodates helmeted heads and a beefy roll cage inside. And, since Dodge executives expect a decent percentage of the new coupes to be spending time at the track, room for that added safety equipment is a good thing. As an added bonus, the headliner is removable, providing even more headroom when needed. Besides the fixed roof, what's also different from the convertible are the Coupe's door glass, rear quarter panels, integrated rear spoiler, and wraparound taillights. The overall look resembles the original Viper GTS coupe, albeit with a more contemporary flair. Unlike most other coupe/convertible vehicles, this generation of the Viper was developed as a convertible first; therefore, the already impressive torsional rigidity of the convertible has been improved by about 30 percent with the addition of the solid roof. Finishing off the list of changes are unique alloy wheels - 18's in the front and 19's in the back, all of which wear Michelin run-flat tires. What hasn't changed is that beast under the hood - an 8.3-liter, ten-cylinder all-aluminum motor that cranks out 500 horsepower and 525 lb.-ft. of torque. Managing all of that grunt is a six-speed manual transmission. Also carried over from the Viper SRT-10 Convertible is most of the front-end design, though the front fascia differs slightly.

Wrap-Up

Shoppers interested in one of the few domestic supercars can look for the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 Coupe starting in the fall of 2005. That's just about the same time as the new Chevrolet Corvette Z06 will be landing at your neighborhood bowtie dealer. Needless to say, it's looking to be a good year for those interested in brute American muscle.Pricing has not been released, but the 2006 Dodge Viper SRT-10 is expected to start between $85-90,000. Photos courtesy of DaimlerChrysler