Heading in the right direction...

[Y2K5SRT]

I posted this elsewhere and somebody asked me to post it here.

Is there anybody that is excited about the next "special edition" car? No, I am not talking about the VOI white/blue Coupe (which is actually pretty cool), but any special edition in general. Mind you, I really enjoy my own "VCA Edition" convertible, but the "edition" cars kinda lost their luster after the White Mamba. It was intriguing at first, as they held the promise of a unique color scheme. When the ensuing Mamba editions came out (and the VCA editions as well), that unique exterior color wasn't so much so. They became more of an interior package, with the exception of some different stripe colors on the VCA cars and the First Editions. Oh yeah, and different wheels on the Copperhead and first VCA Edition. For the rest of us there were only three flavors of Viper in 2003 & 2004: Red, silver, or black. Only the red failed to show up as a Mamba Edition (different interior). In 2005 they added yellow mid-year and killed off silver towards the end - still leaving you with only three basic Vipers to choose from - outside of "edition" cars.

My, how things are changing: In 2006 they opened the gates and you could actually order your car to spec. Not only different wheels (three different choices, not counting the Copperhead), but a LOT of color variations without any special edition required:

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Have the "edition" cars finally seen the end or just the light? You know, where a "special edition" meant unique colors not to be repeated. Hopefully the upcoming white Coupe will be the last of it's kind. Not because it is a bad color (it looks gorgeous from only the picture I've seen), but because it truly stays "special" if it doesn't appear again with a different interior or different stripes.

The Coupe is a beautiful car, especially when lowered just a smidge. The fact that you now have fifteen color combinations to choose from (plus another eight convertibles) allows you to create your own "special edition". Throw in those wheel options and maybe a couple interior options (similar to what was done with Connolly leather in the later Gen II's) and you get back to some of the fun of owning "1 of 37" or some other strange number. That is where the rarity of the Viper really stands out.

Next issue to look at: Horsepower...

 

[Kaya]

My comment on this...I originally agreed to purchase a black coupe. The dealer decided to order another coupe...so I told him I wanted plain blue..no stripes. After looking around here and other places..it seems to me that if you get a car without stripes that you are in the minority. Stripes seem to be popular on all special edition cars. I know the "classic" viper has these stripes...but I think the plain blue will be gorgeous. I also think that a car without stripes, like the blue, will probably be more rare than even some of the special editions.

I am coming from the Corvette world, where "Special Edition" means that there are more of those than regular vettes.....

 

[Andrew/USPWR]

This is were auto makers are able to make a profit and get full price plus for their cars. By giving people options to personalize there cars from the factory. I think it’s a great idea. And I think they should make an ACR option that for another $10k-$20k you get the Mopar performance packages with functioning roll hoops, 5-point harness etc. etc. It’s smart for dealer to do it for you rather than have you go out and buy it from after market companies. IMO

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

My comment on this...I originally agreed to purchase a black coupe. The dealer decided to order another coupe...so I told him I wanted plain blue..no stripes. After looking around here and other places..it seems to me that if you get a car without stripes that you are in the minority. Stripes seem to be popular on all special edition cars. I know the "classic" viper has these stripes...but I think the plain blue will be gorgeous. I also think that a car without stripes, like the blue, will probably be more rare than even some of the special editions.
I am coming from the Corvette world, where "Special Edition" means that there are more of those than regular vettes.....

Well, maybe, I come from that world too, but most of the special edition Gen 3 Vipers did NOT have stripes. White (200), black (200), and silver mambas (200), Copperhead 300 and the VCA edition yellow 50, no stripes. Although the VCA Yellow had a black hood scoop. The white blue commemorative (100) has blue stripes but they don't go all the way through the bumpers as traditional GEN 2 and gen 3 coupes do. So....that's 1150 special editions WITHOUT stripes. If you just joined the party you are probably thinking of the red/white VCA special edition (50) and the new white/blue VCA special edition. 50 of the former and who knows how many of the latter but probably no more than 100 max. So the count is actually 1150 special editions WITHOUT stripes and 100 or so WITH Additionally the plain coupes are no doubt going to be more plentiful as the stripes cost more. Lot's of dealers ordering them plain with the standard wheel. If you want a rare 06 coupe think Copperhead with silver stripes or yellow with silver stripes. I betcha no more than 10 of each get built. More rare? Take a look at those Convertibles with stripes, how many people knew you could get stripes on a convertible? Ever seen one stock? Not gonna be many of those. Has anybody seen a set of H spoke wheels? Combine some of the above new stripes with the H spoke wheels now you've got rare, maybe under 5 built. So my long winded point is.....No.... stripes are going to be more rare in 06. Now if you are just comparing blue/white, blue/silver and plain blue? Hard to tell....A good comparison is pull up a search on ebay or auto trader, it seems like all 3 of the blue choices are equally represented. Having said all that AND having a striped GTS in the garage....Congratulations on your plain blue, I plan to pick up exactly the same plain blue in a convertible. Stunning color!

 

[RainMaker]

With so many color combinations, it will be interesting to see what will be left during the summer. When I got the GTS Blue Convertible, I was under the impression that it was going to be a rare color for this year. Actually, it's about as common as maybe the rest because we have so many others coming from the pipeline and it will be relative to all the other colors.

2006 is the year the Viper gets a color makeover!

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

Very good post Chris. Having the ability to personalize your Viper from the factory is a good marketing and customer service decision especially for a high dollar vehicle.

I do hope that in the future the Viper returns to LeMans and when it wins, another replica special edition like the GT2 comes out. There can never be enough special edition replicas celebrating wins.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

I really like this idea as well. The happier the customers, the more $ they'll spend, the more $ Dodge makes, the more $ Dodge will be willing to put into future Vipers!

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

With so many color combinations, it will be interesting to see what will be left during the summer. When I got the GTS Blue Convertible, I was under the impression that it was going to be a rare color for this year. Actually, it's about as common as maybe the rest because we have so many others coming from the pipeline and it will be relative to all the other colors.
2006 is the year the Viper gets a color makeover!

Actually I have been told by several of our reputable Viper dealers that after the first 84 blue convertibles rolled off the line that blue was discontinued for the convertible. Surprised to see it stil offered. Anybody know the real story?

 

[Lee00blacksilverGTS]

Well, well. If you go to the www.dodge.com and try to build a yellow or blue convertible you are specifically told coupe only. The site is obviously not completely updated yet as copperhead and slate are not listed to build either, BUT all the stripes are buildable. Having a color not listed tells me site not updated yet, having it there and blocked on one model tells me yellow and blue are no longer available on the convertible and that matches what I have been told by Viper friendly dealers. Maybe Bill P will chime in. I tried to copy and paste the link but no go, if you try and do what I did click on build and price, select convertible, it will show only black and red, then click the bar below that says colors on other models and blue and yellow come up but are blocked for the convertible.

 

[sween]

I think its really cool that dodge lets you customize your car so much

 

[Frank 03SRT]

I think its really cool that dodge lets you costumize your car so much

I know you meant to spell "custom", but costume is pretty funny and accurate.

 

[sween]

I think its really cool that dodge lets you costumize your car so much

I know you meant to spell "custom", but costume is pretty funny and accurate.

Oops, you know what I meant