Steve Parker, Motoring Journalist

KURT BUSCH COPS DODGE VIPER #25,000

Kurt Busch got a pretty cool gift this week --- The 25,000th Dodge Viper. He got it right off the assembly line, with the company chief handing him the keys.

When you drive as many different cars and trucks as we do in order to be able to speak and write reasonably authoritatively and accurately about them all, readers and viewers might think that it gets to be a rather blasé' occurrence, driving all these vehicles and changing into another one every week or so. But, if you're doing your job right, in fact, doing any job right, it never gets old, never gets unexciting and/or uninteresting and one never becomes jaded or blasé'.  And if you do, no matter the job, it's time to find a new profession. (Photo - Bob Nardelli (literally, "the suit") hands the keys to Kurt Busch; and is it me, or does Nardelli looks like one of the sleaziest used car salesmen you've ever seen? Let us know! Remember to click on the photos to see them in a much larger format).

Over the years of getting into and out of so many cars and trucks (a minimum of about 50 annually ... Now multiply that by 35 ... And it's no wonder my back is bad!), you develop, in addition to all the objective testing criteria which must be understood and translated into understandable English, one also develops some other methods of judging a vehicle. And one of the most-important of these subjective areas of vehicle testing is: Other people's reactions. And without a doubt, with absolutely no question any part of the equation, the very first Dodge Viper I ever drove was, and remains, the single most-admired car I've ever driven on public roads (some of  the cars I've driven on race tracks would have brought even more attention, but often they weren't street-legal). Judging by the number of horn honks, thumbs-up, waves, "ok" signs, smiles, shouts and more, from every kind of person of every age, was overwhelming. Dodge, it was obvious, had hit on something remarkable. Even if it was terribly uncomfortable to drive!

I even remember the day ... it must have been in the summer of 1992 (thanks to the PR release below for helping me remember), and I was headed south on the 405 (San Diego) Freeway, top down, driving from Santa Monica to somewhere in Orange County in the late afternoon. It was what some people call "a moment in time" and today, some 26 years later, I remember it as clearly and completely as if it were still happening.

But Viper's end is soon to come, so when we got the following PR release this week, we decided to run with it, because Dodge still builds the beast, faster and definitely better in almost every way than that car I drove in '92, which, while they said it was a production car, felt barely more comfortable (and legal) than some of the worst prototypes I've driven, before and since. So here, with a few of our own observations, the latest on the Viper.

2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 - 25000 Vipers Loose on the Streets

Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, was awarded the 25,000th Dodge Viper to roll off the line. Viper has been produced at Chrysler's Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, hand-built by Dodge craftpersons since 1992. Busch's all-new 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 is powered by an 8.4-liter V-10 engine producing a ground-shaking 600-hp and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. (Photo - The 25,000th Dodge Viper comes off the line at Chrysler's Conner Avenue plant).

Yessir, THAT'S what we need more of in America! No doubt about it! Chrysler is also busy throwing their gas-guzzling V8 Hemi engine into as many products as possible, because "Hemi equals money" in the world of Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep. And with the company having just raised customer incentives to a record-setting $3,579 per vehicle (some races need to be lost), when you're giving away that much money, on average, every time the company actually manages to sell a car or truck, it's crucial to use every trick possible (and still legal) to raise the sticker price.

HYUNDAI: IN AGAIN, OUT AGAIN IN SUPER BOWL --- NOW THEY'RE BACK 'IN'

Hyundai has decided to place spots on the Super Bowl telecast, after all. We reported here recently that the gigantic Korean 'chaebol' was considering skipping their Super Bowl ads altogether this year due to the faltering American economy. But, discretion still being the better part of valor, Hyundai has decided to spend the bucks ... and big bucks they are ... to again put their name in front of what is usually the single most-watched American TV program of the year. (Photos --- 2008 Hyundai Genesis sedan; looks very much like a BMW 5-series, especially from the high rear 3/4 shot, no?)

Automotive News reports: "Earlier this week, Hyundai said the weakening economy was giving it the jitters about using millions of dollars to buy Super Bowl ads, and it was unsure if it would keep the two :30 second spots in the second half of the Feb. 3 game that it had purchased from Fox. But a spokesman today said the carmaker would air ads in the game after all.

Getting in the Super Bowl isn't for everyone. Super Bowl spots typically go for some of the highest prices  for 30-second ads on network TV; Fox, which is broadcasting the game this year, has sought as much as $2.7 million to $3 million for a 30-second ad.

Marketers often use Super Bowl ads for to talk about a new product, a new brand, a significant product change, or a complete change in image." (end of Auto News story)