IT'S OFFICIAL!!... bye bye VIPER :(

[Bobpantax]

Hi Paul. The ME4/12 never reached the point of being a streetable car. The car you rode in used high octane race gas. It may have even been aviation fuel. If I remember correctly, a Chrysler engineer told me it was either 108 or 116 octane to achieve the power level. But, with that said, with the improvement in materials science since then and a slightly bumped up Hellcat engine, a sub 3100 pound car with 800 HP using 93 octane fuel is certainly possible. Such a car would do a sub three second 0 to 60 and a high nine or low ten quarter.

 

[SharpMan]

I have to say I was never very impressed with the ME 4/12. For a mainstream manufacturer to make a supercar concept that will never be built show's me they really don't have their eye on the ball. They need innovative, affordable and efficient solutions for day-to-day transportation for millions of average consumers. The Viper already serves as an over-the-top halo vehicle for the brand.

To dream up a full-carbon, mega-power, supercar is almost literally child's play especially considering they are seldom built to a price point. The engineering, supply chain, design and manufacturing challenge of making a $15,000 car that seats 4-5 people in comfort, is reliable for years and gets 40mpg is more impressive to me.

And is is coming from a guy that's owned plenty of performance cars and has an ACR on order.

 

[Paul Hawker]

Much of the technology enableing low priced, mass produced, efficient day to day transportation econoboxes were first developed on high performance, limited production performance cars.

Fuel injection, turbos, twin turbos, superchargers, combination supercharger/turbo rigs. Radial ply tires, variable cam shaft timing, direct fuel injection, automatic air conditioning, alternators instead of generators, disk brakes, hydraulic brakes, aerodynamic design, automatic transmissions, cruise control, air bags, back up cameras, automatic door locks, ABS brakes, hydraulic brakes, and many other items were mostly first developed for high end and more expensive cars, and then trickled down to the less expensive, and higher production vehicles.

Econoboxes need super efficient motors and drivelines, light weight body construction, efficient and safe functioning suspensions, crumple zones, quiet interiors, thinner and stronger glass, lighter body panels, unibody construction, and tons of other design advances that can only be developed by their first production in more expensive vehicles.

High end, limited production car owners are the ones that spend the high dollar amounts necessary to prove out and develop many of the newest technology, that will later be refined and cost effective enought to show up on vehicles for the masses.

Some day the full aerodynamic belly pan with straked air extractors from your ACR will show up on econoboxes. Ideas developed by highly paid, leading edge engineers, will be picked up by less well paid econobox designers.

Consider our exotic car excercises to be just the developing ground for successful vehicle designs well into the future.

 

[SharpMan]

I agree but most of this came from racing...which I think is a good development platform.

I meant as more of a brand statement. The MP4 didn't advance anything particularly new (that I can remember) and would have been a costly endeavour that didn't really show Dodge had their eye on the future of their business IMHO.

Much of the technology enableing low priced, mass produced, efficient day to day transportation econoboxes were first developed on high performance, limited production performance cars.

Fuel injection, turbos, twin turbos, superchargers, combination supercharger/turbo rigs. Radial ply tires, variable cam shaft timing, direct fuel injection, automatic air conditioning, alternators instead of generators, disk brakes, hydraulic brakes, aerodynamic design, automatic transmissions, cruise control, air bags, back up cameras, automatic door locks, ABS brakes, hydraulic brakes, and many other items were mostly first developed for high end and more expensive cars, and then trickled down to the less expensive, and higher production vehicles.

Econoboxes need super efficient motors and drivelines, light weight body construction, efficient and safe functioning suspensions, crumple zones, quiet interiors, thinner and stronger glass, lighter body panels, unibody construction, and tons of other design advances that can only be developed by their first production in more expensive vehicles.

High end, limited production car owners are the ones that spend the high dollar amounts necessary to prove out and develop many of the newest technology, that will later be refined and cost effective enought to show up on vehicles for the masses.

Some day the full aerodynamic belly pan with straked air extractors from your ACR will show up on econoboxes. Ideas developed by highly paid, leading edge engineers, will be picked up by less well paid econobox designers.

Consider our exotic car excercises to be just the developing ground for successful vehicle designs well into the future.

 

[BLUEVIPER]

It seems the Alfa is also selling very slowly.. February totals, year totals and year over year totals...

Alfa 4C	49	47	4%	116	144	-19%
ALFA BRAND	49	47	4%	116	144	-19%

...maybe its the niche the vipers are in (like the Alpha's) and the economy...it seems cars in the low 100's have a smaller market share compared to those in the 200+ to $1m where disposable income is seems to be greater...???

 

[Paul Hawker]

It may be that some of the people purchasing very expensive sports cars are doing so because the cars are known to be expensive.

The feeling of driving a ultra expensive car may be more appealing than driving a less expensive car that is even better performing.

Kind of like leather seats. Many don't want cloth seats in their vehicles, even though they are cooler, more comfortable and better wearing. They want the leather because they are perceived as being more expensive.

 

[MerlinsGarage]

Don't forget about brand loyalty. Porsche had their best year ever.