I am blazing into Willow Springs Raceway's turn 1 at almost 150 mph. I have 600 docile horsepower under my right foot, and I'm driving a well-balanced, flagship sports car the size of a school bus. And for as much sweat and talent as I expended to get here - which is to say, not much - I might as well be dead. Quite frankly, it's amazing.
The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (the second acronym is short for American Club Racer) was developed by Chrysler's Street and Racing Technology skunk works, the same division that gave the world such luminaries as the Neon SRT4 (and the dead-on-arrival disappointment, the Caliber SRT4). At its core, the SRT development team consists of a host of former racers and race engineers - men whose sums include everything from SCCA competition to the 24 Hours of Le Mans - and, with the exception of the occasional Caliber, nearly every car they've touched has been a boon to the enthusiast driver.
The Viper ACR is no exception. Happily, at just $12,050 more than the standard Viper, it's also something of a bargain. Although SRT's modifications were handicapped by retail-price goals and by a desire to avoid costly government recertification - the ACR's powertrain is shared with the base Viper for those reasons - the end result of their efforts is still a formidable offering.... Read full article