I assume this is the press release:
Believe It Or Not! New Dodge Viper Takes On Air Force F-16
Auburn Hills, Jul 09, 2002
Segment to Air on Ripley's "Believe it or Not!" on July 10th at 8 p.m. EDT
Call it America's Ultimate Sports Car versus America's most agile jet
fighter. Or Viper versus Viper. Either way, it was a breathtaking contest of
500 horsepower against high-flying afterburner thrust, as the new 2003 Dodge
Viper SRT-10 challenged the United States Air Force's Lockheed Martin F-16
"Viper" in acceleration trials at Luke Air Force Base in Glendale, Ariz.
Coverage of the event, held this past spring as part of the annual Luke Days
air show, will air on TBS Superstation's "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" on
Wednesday, July 10. The Ripley's segment will be part of a new TBS
Superstation "Unbelievable Wednesdays" lineup, also debuting on the 10th.
The challenge pitted the all-new Dodge Viper against an F-16 jet in a
side-by-side, standing-start, half-mile drag race on parallel air base
runways, accelerating to the speed at which the jet became airborne:
approximately 150 mph. The Dodge Viper covered the course in around 15
seconds.
"Driving the new Dodge Viper against the Air Force's finest was really an
incredible experience," said Herb Helbig, Senior Manager, Vehicle Synthesis,
Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) at DaimlerChrysler Corp. "There were
almost 140,000 people in attendance, cheering their hearts out for their
favorite Viper. Now, the rest of the population will be able to see the
outcome on 'Ripley's Believe It Or Not!'"
The event featured two battles with pre-production versions of the 2003
Dodge Viper SRT-10 convertible challenging the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting
Falcon, and two more with a prototype 2003 Dodge Viper Competition Coupe
against another F-16 Viper. For the latter, DaimlerChrysler's PVO team
tapped more horsepower and clad their Viper in racing slicks, while the USAF
countered with takeoff runs at full afterburner.
While the F-16 boasts approximately 25,000 pounds of thrust in a compact,
19,000-pound package capable of more than 1,500 mph, the Dodge Viper
showcases 525 pound-feet of torque, a 3,380-pound curb weight and estimated
190 mph top speed earn it the honor of being America's Ultimate Sports Car.
"We're proud of the Dodge Viper's performance capabilities, and this was a
chance to race for bragging rights against one of the few things capable of
matching the Viper's acceleration," said Helbig.
The Dodge Viper first began production in 1992, with more than 14,000 sold
to date. The 2003 Viper SRT-10 is a two-seat convertible with 505-cubic inch
all-aluminum V-10 engine producing no less than 500 horsepower and 525
pound-feet of torque. The 2003 Dodge Viper goes on sale in the Fall of 2002.
The Dodge Viper Competition Coupe is a single-seat racing version of the
SRT-10 convertible, but wrapped in fully enclosed coupe bodywork and
designed exclusively for GT-class racing. Viper Competition Coupe
performance estimates: 0-60 mph in 3.8 sec.; 0-100 mph in 9.2 sec.; 60-0 in
90 ft.; 100-0 mph in 260 ft. and top speed of 193 mph.
The Competition Coupe's predecessor -- called the Dodge Viper GTS-R --
earned five international GT championships including the 1999 and 2000
American Le Mans Series GTS Class titles, and the 1997-1999 FIA GT
Championships. The Viper finished 1-2 in the Le Mans 24 Hours GTS class in
three consecutive years and notched an overall win at the 2000 Rolex 24
Hours of Daytona, the first for an American production-based car.
