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.
Chrysler Chairman and CEO Bob Nardelli presented the keys to Kurt Busch after the vehicle rolled off the 
assembly line. Nardelli was formerly chief executive of HOME DEPOT, until he was ousted by his own board of directors when the company's stock tanked during his tenure. NASCAR Sprint Cup's Tony Stewart, driver of the NASCAR #20 HOME DEPOT Toyota Camry, might have also been a suitable receiver of the Viper, at least when considering the Nardelli-HOME DEPOT connection. Then again, Chrysler's new vice-chairman and president, Jim Press, formerly the highest-ranking American at Toyota North America, where he was the Chief Operating Officer, would also have made a somewhat fitting presenter, considering the Toyota-HOME DEPOT-Chrysler connection ... Whoever said the auto industry isn't incestuous, huh?
“Members of UAW Local 212 take enormous pride in every hand-built Viper we deliver to our customers,” said General Holiefield, UAW Vice President who directs the UAW’s Chrysler Department. “We’re very proud to team up with a proven winner like Kurt Busch. He knows world-class quality and craftsmanship when he sees it, and that’s exactly what he’s going to see in his new UAW-built Dodge Viper." (Photo - Bob Nardelli, unidentified woman, Kurt Busch, UAW Vice President General Holiefield).
Since its introduction as a concept car at the 1989 Detroit Auto Show, the Dodge Viper has captured the imagination and passion of performance enthusiasts around the world. The new 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 offers consumers bold exterior styling, a race-inspired interior, world-class ride and handling, a standout powertrain and benchmark braking.
Dodge Viper production began in May 1992 at the New Mack Assembly Plant and was moved to Conner Avenue in October 1995. Viper V-10 engine production transferred from Mound Road Engine to Conner Avenue Assembly in May 2001. In 2008, Dodge introduced the all-new, fourth generation Dodge Viper SRT10. With more horsepower, more torque and more than 30 exterior and interior color combinations, the latest Viper gives enthusiasts the performance they expect on the track and off, with more factory customization options than before.
At Conner Avenue Assembly Plant, craftpersons hand-build the Dodge Viper SRT10 and its 600-horsepower 8.4-liter V-10 engine. Using 26 work stations on a 705-foot-long assembly line, 48 workers assemble each vehicle. Eight craftpersons build the 600-horsepower 8.4-liter SRT V-10 engine in the same facility using a 24-station circular line that is next to the vehicle assembly line.
For the pure performance enthusiast, Dodge recently introduced the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, the
ultimate, purpose-built, street-legal track car. With its 8.4-liter, 600 hp V-10 engine, the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR offers customers aerodynamic improvements, reduced weight, a racing suspension, race-ready hardware and competition tuning for optimal on-track performance — all for less than $100,000 .
The 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is hand-built on the same Conner Avenue assembly line as the 2008 Dodge Viper SRT10 coupe and roadster (pictured).
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