What's madder than an 8.3-litre V10 in a roadster? The same engine - with a manual - in a pick up...
Despite being launched 35 years ago - and with the third-generation model ceasing production almost a decade ago - there’s really nothing quite like the Dodge Viper. The Corvette and the Mustang may have more heritage and more sales associated with them, but for sheer madness the Dodge really has no equal.
Pitched as a spiritual successor to the AC Cobra, it really was just as extreme. Usually tribute acts are tamed down to some extent - not the Viper. And while its incredible design played a part in its iconic status, the Viper’s USP has to be its engine. Even hailing from a land where there’s never been a replacement for displacement, an 8.0-litre V10 in a two-door sports car remains one of the craziest engineering decisions ever made. Derived from the LA family of V8s with some help from then owners Lamborghini, it was considered loopy even at a time of unfettered fun for the combustion engine. And would only get sillier, of course, growing in size and output as the Viper evolved. By the end, an SRT-10 was rated at 8.4-litre and almost 650hp. With the torque to pull down Mount Rushmore. So captivating was the Viper vibe that Dodge wasn’t the only company to make a V10 sports car using its underpinnings. There was the Bristol Fighter for one, and the Zagato-bodied Alfa TZ3 Stradale. Plus a hundred bonus PH points for those that can recall the Spania GTA Spano, which upped the madness further with supercharged and twin-turbo versions. Even Dodge itself wasn’t content for its monumental V10 to stay nestled in the Viper; after a pair of concept trucks, seemingly the bluff was called and a realthe 700hp+ TRX , but they’re nothing in the crazy commercial vehicle stakes compared to the SRT-10. Because the engine was largely unchanged from its original installation, still at 8.3 litres and 507hp. In a Ram. You could even have the six-speed manual,Now, obviously, sharing an engine with a Viper doesn’t mean a Ram is going to drive like a Viper. It’s a lot heavier and less sophisticated. Indeed, only 10,000 V10-engined Rams ever sold because, to be frank, it was hard to see the point. On its giant shiny wheels, you weren’t going to put it to hard work on the ranch, even with 525lb ft. Rear-drive further limited its usability. And a chassis toughened up to handle the power was pretty unyielding. One review read: ‘I don't want to hyperbolize, but those mono-tube Bilsteins are so unyielding as to blur my vision. The bed shakes and shimmies like a wet hunting dog, and I noticed a nice collection of trim bits vibrating in a paint-shaker dance that's sure to end in tears.’ This was 20-odd years ago, remember. The same review also said: ‘Stuffing a 500hp Viper V10 into a pickup truck is a preposterous idea. So, of course, Dodge did exactly that’. And that’s why the Ram is so lovable. It apparently exists for no other reason than the sheer hell of it, an approach that it’s hard not to admire. The fuel cost will be crippling and left-hand drive has never looked more intimidating, but talk about guaranteed entertainment. This 2005 car has actually been in the UK for the majority of its life, landing here in time for an MOT in 2008. Back then, it was on 5,000 miles and it’s still yet to get past 20k; as discussed, this is hardly a truck for everyday errands. As something to show, however, little could be better. And minimal use means minimal wear, the Ram looking as good as… well, as good as an early 2000s American car could look. But that’s missing the point. The Ram grants access to one of the daftest feats of combustion ever completed, and for that we love it.
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