This was the letter that I sent off to Autoweek's editor yesterday in reference to that article:
Mr. Mandel,
I just had to comment on the comments presented in the Ford GT article:
Published Date: 8/29/05.
With no bi-line I couldn't address this to the culprit author (or tester)
in question, so I figured a letter to the editor would have to do.
The comments show an ignorance about the Viper, it's design and purpose.
“This car (the Ford GT) is crude in a good way, in the way a good race car
is crude. Unlike the Dodge Viper. The Viper is just nasty from a quality
standpoint; crude to be cheap and quick to make, not crude (perhaps
‘uncomplicated’ would be a kinder word) to be fast on the track. The Viper
is a poseur’s car. The GT is a racing icon.”
Only an uninformed person could ever call the Viper a "poseur's car".
You won't hear me make any foul comments about the Ford GT because I love
the car, but the new GT has ZERO racing history, as opposed to the Viper
and Corvette which have scores of racing victories in many different
classes.
Plus the majority of Viper owners actually take their cars out to race, as
opposed to most Ferrari or Lamborghini owners who rarely even drive their
cars (as shown by the average mileage on used models). Even minimal
research would show that more Viper owners buy their cars for speed than
for status.
If you have $150K-$300K to spend on a performance car then having top
notch materials and build quality is to be expected, but the important
value of the Viper is achieving a Lamborghini Murcielago/Porsche GT2 level
of balanced performance (in a convertible) for $85K!
The Viper is not meant to produce high HP/L or have super complex
technology, or provide luxury/commuter amenities.
It's built for wild, untamed enjoyment! Out on the track or on the street.
Whoever wrote this previous Autoweek article on the Viper could at least
put the Viper's flaws into perspective along with it's amazing performance
attributes.
http://www.autoweek.com/article.cms?articleId=7110
But the tester in question was obviously unable to understand this, and
spewed his biased views forth with the typical ignorance of someone who
would never own a Viper in the first place.
