Competition Coupe settles the questions!

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Wow, has PVO made some great strides with the Competition Coupe. In observing the car run at Mid Ohio this year, it was apparent the car was quick, but it didn't seem alot faster than the current crop of GT1's. What unfolded at VOI-7 eclipsed any fears a few doubters may have had, as Tommy Archer ran away from a very strong field with unbelievable ease. Paul Mumford ( who just won the Ultimate Streetcar Challenge in Sport Compact Car magazine driving his 2001 ACR ), seemed very quick in the Woodhouse GT1- but Tommy left him with his mommy,and Paul was mum about the situation. The Nashville Superspeedway let me announce from high atop the grandstand in the PA booth, and what shocked me about the Comp Coupe was the apparent ease Archer had snaking through the twisty infield. While everyone else crawled through the infield, Tommy slithered past numerous cars in this tight , technical area --- must be an Archer thing , as Bobby was about the only other driver able to make a pass here. Within the first two laps T. Archer had pulled half the front straight over Mumford and current Viper Racing League Points Leader Mike McCann. By the 4th lap Tommy was leading by the entire straight,and if there hadn't been a full course yellow slightly past the halfway mark the PVO speedster would have passed the whole field ---- and frankly I got caught up in so many of the races farther back I may have missed him passing everyone. Needless to say, this is one fast Snake, and props to PVO for wetting the appetites of all those who have a Comp Coupe on order. I believe Dodge has around 50 orders, but rumors are they will build up to 100. I would sure call Fiona at Viper Program Headquarters ( 1-800-998-1110 ) if you are interested ,as it won't take too many more displays like this one and they will be completely sold out.

 

[Chuck 98 RT/10]

Bill, your announcing abilities are alone worth the price of admission. I hope the cc is in production long enough for me to get one.

 

[Marv S]

So, Bill,

Your conclusion is that the CC is a car that is faster than but costs a bunch less than the current Viper Days Race Cars?

 

[LQQK_OUT]

Was the Competition Coupe running the same tires as everyone else?????

 

[1TONY1]

What were the engines and engine rules for that class? Did anyone check the PVO car for a 500lb nitrous bottle. Something was not even besides different bodies. He was strollin!!!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

What you are seeing with the dominate win of the PVO Competition Coupe at VOI-7, is the culmination of a car company that TRULY does listen to it's enthusiasts!!! Racers who initially put down their deposits have come forth with ideas they really wanted on the car ( i.e. an adjustable wing, passenger seat, lighter flywheel ). The PVO gang from Jim Julow ,John Fernandez,Pete Gladyzs,John Wehrly, Eric Petersen on down,have listened to driver concerns, and the car is an evolutionary coup. The reason it looked like Tommy Archer was out on a stroll , is partly due to his fantastic driving ability, yet, not taking anything away from that, the main reason are advances you get when you have a team of Chrysler Engineers,etc. who are all racers/gearheads.The changes may have slowed down the launch a very small amount, but with spec slicks from Michelin and Hoosier, and the myriad of changes ( all for the good ) , it is utterly amazing that DC can sell this purpose built racecar for the price it is. We all understand the following cars may go up slightly in price , but it will then only approach the initial investment it has taken many drivers to convert to the GT1 class. I was stunned at Nashville,as I have had the privilege ( as many Viper Days participants have ) of seeing the car run before. That Tommy was on a stroll,had to have many racers wearing bibs, as the slobbering and recurrent salivation was evident after the win!!
I can only imagine the strides the Comp Coupe will take over the coming years ( as racecars are constantly improved and developed ) and it is destined to go down in history. Can you imagine going to the Glen to watch Sterling, Elliott,and the Dodge boys ,and having the prerace event a Comp Coupe Shootout. The grandstands will be blown away by the likes of Mumford, T.Archer, B. Archer,
Woodhouse, Evil Joe Ellis, Gary Lashinsky, Joe Bliss,and others,and we know the racing will be intimate. I can hardly wait to see these guys competing and the ********** is simply due to the fact that DC has TRUE enthusiasts at the helm from Wolfgang on down --- heck , Dieter got Mercedes back into F1 , so it is from the top of the tower to floor one!! **** , can't you feel the
excitement ...............................................

DODGE...DIFFERENT.....DOMINANT!!!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Wow,the interest is out there!!!!!!

I have gotten 4 calls on the Comp. Coupe today, and I need to relay two bits of info to assist you guys/gals:

1.Check out www.vipercompetitioncoupe.com
2.Call Fiona and Kim ( 1-800-998-1110 ) if you need further info.

Dateline: Sears Point 2003

The rousing race through the hills of Wine Country will cause the hills to reverberate with the howl of thunderous V8's , but Dodge has announced that there will an exciting opening race prior to the door-slamming Nascar event. With 45 hissing PVO Snakes on the grid on the Saturday prior to the Winston Cup dance, Viper lovers will get to experience the banshee wail of 4500 cylinders spitting forth their venom. The Competition Coupe, a purpose built Viper racecar , will ignite the weekend of racing , with 45 slithering beasts that will pit drivers against each other in equal 200mph vehicles. Spectators should expect to see extremely close racing,with excitement around every bend,doubled when these Vipers snake through the chicanes.................


It can happen!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Frank 03SRT]

Bill, ah, are you excited, or what? Try to hold back a little. hehe

 

[Mark Young]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Bill Pemberton:
With 45 hissing PVO Snakes on the grid on the Saturday prior to the Winston Cup dance, Viper lovers will get to experience the banshee wail of 4500 cylinders spitting forth their venom.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

All right Bill, keep your pants on. I for one will be there to see that race (I'll likely leave after the cc's get done). But there'll only be 450 cylinders spitting venom!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Sorry, I was using NEW math, but I am correct, as I was counting the consumtion of cylinders by all the excited spectators seeing that many Snakes going down the straight at 180mph!! Hssssssss!

 

[onerareviper]

Bill P.,

I feel your excitement. Although, the real excitement will happen when DC decides to produce a 'street-legal' version for us 'peons'. Now that is excitement.

 

[2charmed]

I'm with him ^


2Charmed

 

[Jeff Torrey]

Bill- That was one of the major things I got out of VOI 7. The Comp. Coupe is going to dominate the racing circuit. I can't wait to see this baby run. Hope I can catch a few races on the tele.
Dodge is really starting to shake things up. Last night I was out with a bunch of old hot rod friends of mine. All they wanted to talk about was how Dodge was puttin' a Hemi in the trucks, How people are going to be buying crate engines and putting them in there hot rods. These are die-hard Chevy guys.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Whadda you think will happen to those old Chebby guys when there is a HEMI in a rear wheel drive car? I am not trying to be clarvoiyant,but with the trade magazines stating that DC is going to make there big cars rear wheel drive , ala Mercedes Benz,BMW, Lexus, etc., can a HEMI powered Charger ( or the equivalent ) be far behind. I can't sleep at night because someone gave me the keys to the candy store and I get to let all my friends ( gearheads ) come in for a sample. I think we are going to have to sell all new DC products with a box of DEPENDS ,because after VOI-7 , half of us wet our pants in anticipation. The Comp Coupe is just a start, and I think the new Dodge slogan will , " **********, by Dodge!!"

 

[1TONY1]

How did the engine in the coup at Nashville compare with the older cars.....was it the new 505 compared to the 488. Are there any restrictions on the engines. That car was 3-4 car lengths faster in what little straight there was....then again exit speed plays a big part.

 

[Bad Asp]

Bill P,

I think you're right about DC going rear drive V-8 on their medium and large domestic cars. Consider the fact that Ford has cornered the cop car market for years and thats a BIG market.I think we are gonna see some Hemi powered Interpid type cars from Dodge and soon.

Bob W

 

[PMUM]

That Comp Coupe was extremely well sorted. On Monday, Mike McCann, Bobby Archer and Rob Foster were allowed to drive it around the track and all 3 of them thought it was amazingly well sorted (I wasn't allowed to drive it...I guess they thought I'd drop in a cheater motor on the back straight when nobody was looking) and FAST.

The car isn't designed to run against the current GT1 Viper Days cars. It's clearly got more motor, runs true racing slicks (opposed to DOT Hoosier that we run) and weighs at least 200 pounds less than our cars. Nobody is really sure how much the tires affected the lap times, but there doesn't seem to be any weakness to the car. Everyone raved about the brakes, it's lighter, aero is more efficient, and clearly more motor.

Seems too be exactly like the 360 Challenge cars, only half the price and 3-5 seconds a lap quicker! I can't wait to get mine.

 

[SlowCreamPuff]

I need one.

 

[Vic]

So, if you bought this great car, you would race it, no?

Of course!

And if you race it, you would like to win prize money, no?

So what type of events could you enter this car in, and win prize/sponsor money?

Or is the point just to have fun, and maybe get some tax write offs as a business expense?

Whatever the case, it sure is exciting to see DC, Deiter, Dodge, et al, turn up the heat and create something wild and outrageous.

When I was growing up in the sixties, I remember all the muscle cars showing off down main street, boy, that was the day!

Then the 70s malaise came, oil embargo, 55 MPH speed limits, "smog dogs", and the end of an era. I thought all hope was lost, and cars would henceforth just be for going from "point A to point B", with only some fancy commemorative badging and decals to amuse us.

Then the manufacturer of the unremarkable "K" car comes out with something to knock my socks off-

A balls to the wall, full-on, drop dead gorgeous, and very fast roadster, called Viper. No apologies, no comprimise, all brutal looks and performance, with none of that political correctness malaise that permeates the fabric of corporate Detroit.

And if the RT10 and GTS weren't enough, the SRT Viper is now faster, better handling, better brakes, and better built.

Now with the crowning acheivement of the competition coupe, it looks like PVO is showing no signs of letting up.

Things are getting a little out of hand here, don't you think?

Maybe we should get a bi-partisan committee to study this phenomena, and draw up some plan for rolling back the excitement to just decals and rally wheels.


<FONT size="6">NOT!</FONT s>

Three cheers for PVO! Never stop doing what you're doing! God, I love it!

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Mumdodge said alot and how about a few other items.............

240% greater tortional rigidity
2 1/2 inches longer chassis
ABS
Lightened Flywheel
Dana 44-S ( new rear end that has been described to us non-technical dudes as a vicous coupled, upgraded rear end that is kinda like a quiaffe, gleason-torsen blend -- say what!! Technical term is da **** thing hooks up lotzzz better!!

The PVO ,moniker is changed to Performance Vehicles - OUTRAGEOUS!
Again,those that were at Mid-Ohio have seen a dedicated staff of Dodge Racing Wackos (term of endearment,trust me ,we love yous guyz ) turn a competent racecar into one that meets alot of folks dreams and is coming together very well. The reason the car is so much faster now is PVO listened,they have been ardously working on the new car in all areas, and the task has taken all the parts and it is now almost whole. Engine, tires, etc. are not the reason the car is so much quicker, it is a combination of race evolution and more. I can't imagine how wild it could be in the future to see 35-45 Comp Coupes on the track at a time, but it will happen!!

 

[Y2K5SRT]

BTW, here is the car that ran at VOI:

You must be registered for see images

INCREDIBLE car indeed. My only regret is that I had no idea PMUM was there, especially when I was over at the Woodhouse trailer. Now there are a lot of beers I would have been happy to buy!

Chris

 

[Rich Wesorick]

I spoke with Bobby Archer following his four-lap stint in the Comp Coupe, and he was pleasantly surprised at how well the car ran. Bobby is a perfectionist and always jumps out of a car with comments about how/where the car was less than perfect. He said the CC was "easy to drive"! Not a phrase most people use about racing a Viper. Bobby was glowingly about how good the brakes were, and said the car handled the turns so well it felt like a Trans-Am car. He said the car was very confidence-inspiring, and promptly laid down lap times that were within 0.1 to 0.2 second of his brother's in just four laps. Needless to say, Bobby was very thankful to get to drive the car, and can't wait to do so again...

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

Dear LoCal,

I would say start the petition, but I don't know if it will be at the Viper Days Finals. I would wager a guess of a 50% chance, and I know alot more drivers/buyers would love to see it in action.

Archer and Archer ---- 2 tenths apart!! Who wouldn't love to see that next year!!?

 

[SoCal Rebell]

Herr Pemberton, do you know if the Comp Coupe is gonna be at the Viperdays finals at TWS??????