Auto Trend: Dodge Viper

Dodge is ready to keep fighting the Mustang Cobra Jet a quarter mile at a time. With its latest Drag Pack, available on the 2011 Challenger, Dodge has decided to ditch the 6.1-liter V8 and drop in the Viper's 8.4-liter V10 backed by a two-speed automatic racing transmission.

The new Dodge will make its debut at the Viper Owner's Invitational taking place in Salt Lake City, followed by a stop at SEMA in November on its way to Orlando.

Mopar CEO and President Pietro Gorlier says, "With the introduction of our new 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak, Mopar will be the only place to get a factory-built V10-powered race-ready drag car. Mopar's new Challenger Drag Pak is a race rocket that will appeal to racers, collectors, dealers, and Dodge Viper owners."

The Drag Pack-equipped Challenger will be available in either Stock Eliminator or Super Stock form. It rides on comp tires and comp wheels attached to a solid rear axle; the car also gets a comp fuel system and fuel cell. Options include a $7,950 competition package (which adds an 8-point cage, 6-spoint harness, and a mesh window net), a $6,800 paint option (instead of the bright white), and a $950 body wrap.

All this V10 drag strip Challenger goodness comes at a price though: an MSRP of $85,512 for each of the 70 examples Mopar will build. That's good for the race teams, but how about give it a street-able powertrain and turn this into a special edition production version of 2009's Challenger SRT10. That was one of the sweetest modern Challengers I've ever seen.

By Phil Alex

_______________________________GALLERY_______________________________

Car buyers in Australia and other RHD countries have long got the short end of the stick in terms of American muscle cars. The reason is quite simple: they drive on the "wrong" side of the road.

Most manufacturers are unwilling to do right-hand-drive conversions on what are essentially specialist models: cars like the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Viper, Ford Mustang and the like. There just aren't enough buyers to rationalize the cost.

Fortunately, a cottage industry (or rather a man-in-a-shed industry) has popped up offering RHD conversions of American muscle cars for eager buyers in countries like Australia, the UK and Japan.

In Australia, for instance, you can get just about anything from a AU$359,990 Corvette ZR-1 (or around three times as much as it does in the U.S.) to a AU$139,000 Chevrolet Camaro (or the same as an Audi S5 Cabrio in Australia).

Want a 2011 Mustang GT convertible? Be prepared to pony up AU$142,500 (the same as brand new Porsche Boxster Spyder) for that Pony. And it becomes even more laughable when you look at the U.S. prices for these same cars:

We do not claim to know the full details involved with importing a car and converting it to RHD, but it can't be so difficult as to demand the of a new entry-level Porsche 911...

So the next time you harrumph at some foreign nobody, whining about, "How good you bleedin' Yanks have got it" – spare a thought for the poor, cash-strapped Aussie... selling his 911 to buy a RHD Corvette ZR-1.

By Tristan Hankins

Here's where we found pricing information for the RHD conversions:

Corvette Clinic - makers of the RHD ZR-1
Mustang Australia - builders of RHD Mustangs
Performax - makers of the RHD Camaro and other cars

And Top Gear Australia magazine's August 2010 issue.