The Gen V is what it is. The Gen I is a relic of the past which can never be built again due to massive regulatory changes beyond SRT's control. The same applies to the Gen II, the Gen III; and, to a lessor extent, to the Gen IV.
For those who are patient, which these days seems more and more rare, the aftermarket will eventually produce an affordable forced induction application for the Gen V that those who are more interested in using the car for drag racing can purchase. That happened with the Gen II and Gen III after a number of years. ( It did not happen quickly. Just ask Doug Levin and Dan Craigin. People tend to forget that it took a number of years and how difficult it was to "break the code" even then.)
The Viper has always been a limited production, exclusive car. The Gen V is much faster than many cars that cost far more that represent themselves as performance vehicles. It is much better looking than many, if not all, of those cars. Its current level of fit and finish is as good as any other brand in or above its price class.
If the car had the long history and tradition of Porsche or Ferrari and the enlightened, knowledgable skilled dealer network that both brands have, it would have sold out. But that has nothing to do with the car. The base model SRT and the TA are screaming bargains for what you get and people, at least down here in Miami, go absolutely nuts about it like no other car on the road. As an example of that, yesterday when I was having it cleaned, a brand new Mercedes SLS AMG was there at the same time. It was also black. My Viper got the attention and it was all positive. That says something about the car.
I hope you get a chance to drive one for a few miles. You will then more likely understand, on an emotional level, why many of us who have bought the car are such fervant supporters of the car.
