Gosh , are we maybe just so passionate we miss what others see?

[Supercharged Vipermad]

All I have to add is.....all of this is speculation until one (either, or both) roll off the showroom floor. Personally...I can wait to see the real thing with my own two eyes before I pass judgement.

Off to sleep!

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

And I will award Joe the dumba$$ award of this thread for his comment....

" Well , that's just BS. The GM V8s make that stupid hemi look like a dog. And yet, that's their selling point, hemi."

Yes Joe, GM has brought some really neat rear wheel drive V8s to market recently....What the GTO?? Or maybe you mean the CTSV? Hmmmmm, $50,000 vs $39,995 for the SRT8 which has 25 more HP? Oh, maybe you mean the STSV for $75K? Gimme a break, Joe!

 

[joe117]

Lee,
Please, think V8s, engines. I said engines.

My mention of the DC hemi was only to point out how DC is trading on the hemi reputation.
DC is not producing a world class V8. The only reason that engine is a hemi is for advertising hype.

They are selling a good V8 to people who think they are getting something special, the hemi.

I didn't say anything about any cars or trucks that were available from DC or GM.

Just a point showing that DC will trade on the past.
They will continue to trade on the reputation of the Viper. They will do this even if the ZO6 is slightly faster.

 

[BobK898]

I'd take the CTS all day long.

 

[Bill Pemberton Woodhouse]

The CTS-V is one cool car, and the STS-V is pretty darn dynamic too. The SRT-8 stands right next to these American sedans ,shoulders broad, head held high and matches them punch for punch. All three are phenomenal moves for the Petrolheads of America, and signal the return of the Fast , American Sedan. The paradox is that since we are in the unique position to take in alot of Vettes in trade, we have established some very good relationships with area GM Dealers ( we frequently wholesale Corvettes to them). Tuesday, thinking I had a hot ticket to trade, I called three of said Dealers to inquire about their interest in a 208 mile CTS-V and was astounded at the reponse I got; "Not interested ,as we have three and can't get rid of them. " "Darn, Bill I was hoping you had a customer for one as I need to move the two I have. " " We would be interested at 38,000 , but no more , as they are not fast sellers." I was pretty floored, as I like the looks of the car, think the six speed is a great idea, but apparently I am out of touch. The customer sold the car for a little under 42,000 ( new was 53,000 ) , and told me he grabbed the money as he was sure I wouldn't get that much. All in all a learning experience for me, as I figured this was one tough competitor, yet after that I am baffled. Maybe , I expected it to be like the SRT-8,when a day doesn't go by that I don't get 2-3 calls with questions, requests or deposits. No real argument here, just a statement about an observation that really opened my eyes.

I do have a bit of confusion though, on why there is even an argument on the use of the Hemi name, as nostalgia is just part of the business, and it is the same with all Manufacturers. Whether we do retro versions of cars to bring back the past ( Mustang for instance ), or reinvent names to try and spark sales ( Malibu and Impala name resurrection ) , poducts of all kinds will use sizzle to reinvent the wheel. Sure DC will promote the Hemi name, since heck, Marketing Mavens have said it has had over a 1.5 Billion dollar impact -don't kid yourself that Ford or GM ,etc. wish they had something that strong to lean on. Plus the motor won tech. design of the year in a couple of magazines, if I remember right , when it came out.

Anyway, rambling now, but just an observation I thought was worth sharing?

 

[BobK898]

Not to say Bill the SRT 8 doesn't look good, but it just looks too much like an old man's car. Must be popular with the Town Car and Big Caddy crowd. I like it, it just isn't me.

 

[Y2K5SRT]

Not to say Bill the SRT 8 doesn't look good, but it just looks too much like an old man's car. Must be popular with the Town Car and Big Caddy crowd. I like it, it just isn't me.

Hey now! I am only 42 and barely use my walker these days... Seriously, I love the SRT-8 and want one in my garage. It seems to have universal appeal and was probably the most displayed car in the Detroit show, including all the customs and tuner versions:

You must be registered for see images

Even my 17 year old son who has driven (and autocrossed) the Viper on several occasions, thinks I should trade off the Snake for the SRT-8. Now the Charger on the other hand...

 

[dirk989]

SnakeEye is right on the money. We've got incredible performance right now.

I also expect DC to leapfrog the competition. With a relatively small number of cars produced, it takes a little longer to make and fund drastic changes in the program.

Comparing the current Viper model to yet to be released cars like the Z06 is a lot like comparing the performance of older Vipers to newer ones. In today's performance driven market, the newest design is going to have an edge. The new coupe is not a new design, it is a new style. A new design, meaning newer engine or performance parts will surely be next.

As I've said before, when 'performance car' meant 250 hp, it was fairly easy for the original Viper to come out and claim King of the Hill status. The original Viper drove other makers to use performance to sell cars. The bar gets higher and higher every year. Nearly every auto maker is now doing something to approach the hp bar.

The current Viper performs similarly to the best out there, even cars at $100k, $200k, $300k and on. Is it the King of the hill? If you only look at performance, then probably not. But who is the King of the Hill???? Look at the number of superperformance cars out there. A lot of them play in the same ballpark. As the performance bar is raised higher and higher it is nearly impossible for any one car to blow everyone else away like the first Viper did. The competition is much, much better nowadays.

I hope the next Viper gets a bump in performance. Will it be the king of the hill??? Again, probably not. With the competition we have today it would take a $500k car to be the undisputed king. If we want the Viper to stay $80k ish, then it is probably impossible to truly claim to be King of the Hill. Do I want a $150k Viper? No. I'll have my butt in something else if that happens. Do I want it to outperform all of the Vettes I pass on the road? Probably, although that is far more important to other people.

The Viper is an incredible car. It's comparable to cars costing 2 and 3 times as much. We have a true convertible. If you want to race or are worried about braggin about horsepower and such then we have a fantastic platform that can handle any mods you throw at it.

The Vette is a great car too, but if I wanted to read 4000 posts about how super it is then I'd go to the Vette forum. I've had many Vettes. Nice cars. The new one looks to be a great one. It still isn't a Viper. I prefer the Viper. If you don't, then go buy a Vette.

Just me rambling on and blowing off a little steam.

Dirk

 

[dirk989]

Sorry double posted.

 

[TacDoc]

Hmm, I look at my Magnum RT AWD and see attitude and aggression. I look at the SRT-8 and get nauseated. Just my opinion but the car is fugly. As for the Viper, I like the looks of the new coupe better than the Z06. But reality is I AM A TRACK RAT! As such I will give on looks and go with what I feel will better serve me on track. I will not part with my GTS or SRT-10. I want to add the new coupe, but unless it sheds some weight and cost I just don't see it being the better choice. There is no doubt my SRT turns more heads than the C6, and it rules as a vert. But I know how heavy my GTS feels on track versus my old 02 Z06. I always wished my Z had more grunt, and now Lutz is adding it. Carve 200# off the new coupe and have an MSRP of $75k. Leave the HP alone. With 200# less momentum the brakes will perform even better. Offer the CC rear diff as an option for us track rats. The choice would not be Z06 for me under those circumstances.

 

[Bugeater]

Hey Greg, give my brain back, or quit copying what my brain would have written down on this thread nearly word-for-word!