Devastatingly powerful. Exceptionally responsive. Sensuously beautiful, with classic lines that pay homage to the magnificent front-engined gran turisimo cars of the past. The Dodge Viper GTS Coupe stirs the soul. It is for the discriminating sports-car lover whose particular devotion is to the ultimate performance road car. This is Chapter Two of the Viper story.
The Viper GTS Coupe is much more than a Viper RT/10 Roadster with a roof. Born of the same uncompromising passion and enthusiasm that created the raucous Viper RT/10, the design is a logical extension of the original Viper Roadster form.
The GTS Coupe stays true to the front-engine, rear-drive layout which excites so many sports car lovers while stretching the shape into what is sure to become a modern classic. Its beauty is in the emotion of shape and proportion. Muscular, big-shouldered, yet graceful, the GTS Coupe is striking from virtually every angle.
Strongly evocative of the greatest GT cars, particularly the 1965 World Championship-winning Daytona Cobra coupes, the Viper GTS's functional, race-inspired details -- the polished alloy quick-release fuel filler, twin helmet blisters in the roofline, and NACA-ducted hood -- draw the eye further into the athletic bodywork while echoing its spiritual forebears.
Inside, the cockpit is pure business. Ample comfort, accommodation and safety are provided by dual airbags, air conditioning, power windows, and the ergonomic practicality of adjustable control pedals. Noise levels are pleasantly subdued, though one stab of the right foot bathes driver and passenger with the uneven-firing rasp of the 450 horsepower Viper V-10.
There is nothing superfluous to the enjoyment of driving hard and fast over long distances. The Viper's well-balanced chassis provides an overwhelming feeling of stability and prodigious grip. During the 24 Hours of Daytona, one Viper GTS-R driver described his car as "built like a battleship."
Even with its fabulous Alpine audio system, the real music of the GTS Coupe is the sound of ten cylinders exhaling hard through twin rear-exit exhausts. This a high-performance thoroughbred GT -- civilized, refined, with the heart of a world-class endurance racer. Its soul is on the open road.
In their first season on the track, factory-backed GTS-Rs finished both the grueling 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. They then confirmed the power and aerodynamic integrity of the basic Viper Coupe platform by qualifying for the 24 Hours of LeMans, at speeds well exceeding 200 miles per hour. Of course, such velocities may not always be necessary on the interstate, autobahn or autostrada, though the GTS Coupe willingly copes with everyday traffic.
This page contents and design are copyrights © of The Viper's Fangs 1996
»Visual Gallery »RT/10 Specs »GTS »GTS-R
»Articles »Viper TV »Links