Front engine V12 , huge power , sexy... probably like THIS Fiat ..
Posted on 03/06/2014 1:17:21 PM PST by Doogle
The original Dodge Viper revealed in 1992 was a beast of a machine — an attempt by then-Chrysler exec Bob Lutz to revive the spirit of the Shelby Cobra and give Chrysler a world-class sports car. Powered by a massive V-10 with 400 hp, the early Viper's brute force overwhelmed many drivers.
Today, the power that made the Viper a legend appears to be at the heart of an order from Chrysler to dozens of trade schools, demanding the immediate destruction of some 93 early Vipers, including a preproduction model that could likely fetch a couple hundred thousand dollars at auction.
According to The Olympian, the staff of South Puget Sound Community College was told by a Chrysler official that their Viper had to be crushed within two weeks. It's common for automakers to donate cars to automotive shop classes, and in many cases the vehicles in such donations aren't saleable — meaning the company technically still owns the cars. School officials say Chrysler told them two of the 93 early Vipers given to schools had been involved in accidents by joyriding students, creating a major liability for Chrysler.
Of those 93, the Viper at SPSCC stands out. It was the fourth Viper ever built, with a prototype hard top years before Dodge offered a production version. With no emissions controls, and no speed limiter, the V-10 can make 600 hp, and school instructors say it could be worth $250,000 to a museum or private Viper fan.
(Excerpt) Read more at autos.yahoo.com ...
This isn’t quite the same of that, but a friend of mine owned a ‘64 Fairlane back in the day that had finned drums, a 289 K-code engine, and a modified C4 automatic. It was an adventure every time he needed parts for it, especially for the transmission. After blowing up the tranny using standard C4 parts in it, he converted the car to a 4-speed.
He found out some time after he got rid of it that the car was a homologation special for European stage rally.
More corporate weenies taking orders from “counsel” (or the government).
Another one that sort of fits in with what you’re talking about here is “Wildcat.” It sounds pretty cool until you consider the following two things:
1) a wildcat is basically the wild counterpart of an ordinary house cat; and
2) the car the name was applied to is a Buick.
Yeah, but how many other cars can say their engines were used to jump-start SR71 Blackbirds.
Front engine V12 , huge power , sexy... probably like THIS Fiat ..
Chrysler doing a “Mash for clunkers” program
Kill all the lawyers, kill them tonight.
Danger: Lawyers at Work.
That looks like a Ferrari.
All they told us was that the number produced would all be kept by the dealers. in the early years, at least.
I never heard of Carroll Shelby wanting to destroy Cobras. Destroying these cars would be almost the equivalent of destroying Cobras. As a car guy I am not happy.
I had a 64 Fairlane with a 260 CI and three speed on the column. A few of us were building a “drag” racing car and bought a 289 out of a 63 Fairlane. We took the heads off and realized it was a 260. We needed 3 pistons so we ordered them. They were too big. We went to the Ford dealer and learned that it was a 221. We’d never heard of a 221. The “drag” racer ended up not being very fast.
Now that was a fun tour! Love some of those names!
I’m a Ford guy but I would put a Stage 1 in my garage. And I would love to have a Wildcat next to it.
Saw him at the Rock Store a few years ago with his turbine powered motorcycle. It sounded cool, but looked pretty slow.
As I recall, the 221 Windsor engine was not in production for very long.
Then there was the 383 and slant 6. And i forgot the one that was prone to blow “freeze plugs.” But it was not the brand that i sunk completely in a golf course pond, with over 100k on it (bought used for 125.00) already, but went another 40k after its baptism. . That was a Buick special with a V6 and 2 speed automatic.
FIAT owns Ferrari ... has since the 1980’s
Longer than that, actually. Fiat acquired a 50% interest in Ferrari in 1969, which expanded to 85% in 2008.
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