1BADBITE
Enthusiast
Wednesday, September 19, 2012 The Southpoint Sun -
By Bryan Jessop
Viper club coming to Leamington
A group of Motor City Viper Owners cars, led by John and Deb Guyitt of Ridgetown’s 2000RT,
stops at a Lake Erie destination during the first-ever Fall Colours Cruise and Dinner
in 2011. The tour was mapped out through the Port Stanley area and for 2012, will travel
through Essex County attractions including Point Pelee National Park.
Normally, when just over 20 Vipers arrive in the Leamington area, a Junior ‘B’ hockey
game is about to take place between the Western Conference’s Essex County rivals.
On Saturday, Oct. 13, however, it will mark the second time ever for the Motor City Viper
Owners Club to cross the Detroit River and make a Canadian day trip. Members of the
group are owners of the rare and sought-after Dodge Viper, a limited-production super car
produced by Chrysler starting in 1992.
The MCVO, a division of the Viper Club of America, made its first official voyage into
Canada last year with a tour to and around the Port Stanley area. One of the MCVO’s
few Canadian members, John Guyitt of Ridgetown, suggested a shorter journey to Essex
County destinations for 2012. The club, represented by 167 members, accepted the idea
and mapped out a day-long itinerary that will include stops at Point Pelee National Park at
10 a.m. and Freddy’s Restaurant at noon on Oct.13. The group will also visit the Heritage
Village Transportation Museum and Pelee Island Winery before continuing on a westward
trek that will return them to the Ambassador Bridge and back into Michigan. The tour has
been dubbed The Fall Colours Cruise and Dinner.
Guyitt explained that he isn’t certain how many Vipers and their owners will participate
in this year’s Canadian tour, as MCVO members will have until either the last week of September
or the first week of October to register. For last year’s trip to Port Stanley, the club’s
leading members expected about half a dozen entries. Instead, exotic car enthusiasts of the
Elgin County region were treated to 28 visiting Vipers.
“It was a year in the making,” Guyitt explained. “A lot of members had to get their passports.
Then I was being asked ‘where in Canada are we going this year?’ We’ve mapped
out a wonderful area to make stops — we’re (Canadians) proud of what we’ve got there.”
Guyitt and his wife Deb are hoping to match or exceed last year’s Canadian tour numbers.
“They’re pretty thrilled about it,” John said of his fellow MCVO members who hail from
Michigan. “They had a great time last year and we expect to do so again this year.”
With an average of only 1,200 Vipers produced each year, sighting such a vehicle is a
rare occasion. Guyitt noted that when several MCVO members embark upon tours, it often
becomes quite the spectator event. “These tours tend to turn a lot of heads,” John explained.
The Guyitt’s Viper is a 2000 RT hardtop, carrying the infamous 500 horsepower V10,
displacing 8.0L (488 cubic inches) and mated to a six-speed manual transmission. They
purchased the car in 2003 and joined the MCVO about a year later. The Guyitts are joined
by fellow Canadian MCVO members from Thamesville and Windsor.
The Guyitts were once members of a Toronto based Viper owners group, but found the three-hour drive to attend meetings and
events far less convenient than the shorter trip across the Ambassador Bridge.
They attend an average of two to three MCVO events per year and to mark the Viper’s 20th anniversary,
were asked to participate in a celebration at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.
The Viper was discontinued for model years 2011 and 2012, but will be reintroduced
for model year 2013 with an 8.4L (512 cubic inch) V10 sporting 640 horsepower.
“A lot of members are pretty excited about it,” Guyitt said. “It was a street legal race car. It didn’t have traction control systems till now.
It won in Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring because it was built to race and win.
By Bryan Jessop
Viper club coming to Leamington
You must be registered for see images attach
A group of Motor City Viper Owners cars, led by John and Deb Guyitt of Ridgetown’s 2000RT,
stops at a Lake Erie destination during the first-ever Fall Colours Cruise and Dinner
in 2011. The tour was mapped out through the Port Stanley area and for 2012, will travel
through Essex County attractions including Point Pelee National Park.
Normally, when just over 20 Vipers arrive in the Leamington area, a Junior ‘B’ hockey
game is about to take place between the Western Conference’s Essex County rivals.
On Saturday, Oct. 13, however, it will mark the second time ever for the Motor City Viper
Owners Club to cross the Detroit River and make a Canadian day trip. Members of the
group are owners of the rare and sought-after Dodge Viper, a limited-production super car
produced by Chrysler starting in 1992.
The MCVO, a division of the Viper Club of America, made its first official voyage into
Canada last year with a tour to and around the Port Stanley area. One of the MCVO’s
few Canadian members, John Guyitt of Ridgetown, suggested a shorter journey to Essex
County destinations for 2012. The club, represented by 167 members, accepted the idea
and mapped out a day-long itinerary that will include stops at Point Pelee National Park at
10 a.m. and Freddy’s Restaurant at noon on Oct.13. The group will also visit the Heritage
Village Transportation Museum and Pelee Island Winery before continuing on a westward
trek that will return them to the Ambassador Bridge and back into Michigan. The tour has
been dubbed The Fall Colours Cruise and Dinner.
Guyitt explained that he isn’t certain how many Vipers and their owners will participate
in this year’s Canadian tour, as MCVO members will have until either the last week of September
or the first week of October to register. For last year’s trip to Port Stanley, the club’s
leading members expected about half a dozen entries. Instead, exotic car enthusiasts of the
Elgin County region were treated to 28 visiting Vipers.
“It was a year in the making,” Guyitt explained. “A lot of members had to get their passports.
Then I was being asked ‘where in Canada are we going this year?’ We’ve mapped
out a wonderful area to make stops — we’re (Canadians) proud of what we’ve got there.”
Guyitt and his wife Deb are hoping to match or exceed last year’s Canadian tour numbers.
“They’re pretty thrilled about it,” John said of his fellow MCVO members who hail from
Michigan. “They had a great time last year and we expect to do so again this year.”
With an average of only 1,200 Vipers produced each year, sighting such a vehicle is a
rare occasion. Guyitt noted that when several MCVO members embark upon tours, it often
becomes quite the spectator event. “These tours tend to turn a lot of heads,” John explained.
The Guyitt’s Viper is a 2000 RT hardtop, carrying the infamous 500 horsepower V10,
displacing 8.0L (488 cubic inches) and mated to a six-speed manual transmission. They
purchased the car in 2003 and joined the MCVO about a year later. The Guyitts are joined
by fellow Canadian MCVO members from Thamesville and Windsor.
The Guyitts were once members of a Toronto based Viper owners group, but found the three-hour drive to attend meetings and
events far less convenient than the shorter trip across the Ambassador Bridge.
They attend an average of two to three MCVO events per year and to mark the Viper’s 20th anniversary,
were asked to participate in a celebration at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum.
The Viper was discontinued for model years 2011 and 2012, but will be reintroduced
for model year 2013 with an 8.4L (512 cubic inch) V10 sporting 640 horsepower.
“A lot of members are pretty excited about it,” Guyitt said. “It was a street legal race car. It didn’t have traction control systems till now.
It won in Le Mans, Daytona and Sebring because it was built to race and win.
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Great event :2tu
