Sigh...
This was the first VOI I didn't register for (as a Viper owner) because:
A. My car is still at Doug Levin's, which knocks down the "fun factor" considerably for me as I wouldn't have a Viper to drive.
B. It was scheduled during a work week and I simply can't take a week off when I save those vacation days for family trips.
C. As it was also a school week, my wife had to stay home with our son. I enjoy sharing the Viper ownership and Club experience with her.
Regardless, several of our second-time attendees (Dallas was their first), said it was even BETTER in Vegas. The parking was better, the track events were better, the cruises were better (despite some gravel), and everything seemed to flow smoothly. People got to meet and hang out with hundreds of fellow Viper owners and that is what truly makes these things special.
VOI's are NOT about big announcements nor have they ever been. People got spoiled in Dallas when they unveiled the SRT Coupe. And guess what?
That was a disaster. What? It was GREAT - or wasn't it? As an owner, sure, it was fantastic getting the early "inside scoop" on the new car. But for DC it was a mistake and they apparently learned from it. But I will get to that in a minute.
First off, how many manufacturers underwrite a huge party for their ownership group? Let's see, counting Ferrari, Lamborghini, AMG, Porsche, Chevy, and every other marquee out there:
NONE. Does anybody besides Warfang (who I am not sure even attended) honestly think that their $850 covered the actual cost of this event? Try renting a full NASCAR facility for four days (or more). Then throw in 20-30 factory cars to drive. Bring in just about every Skip Barber instructor they have (paying them, their transportation, plus room & food). Hire security for your garage 24/7 - not to mention the cost and logistics of clearing out two full floors of parking well in advance of the event. Transport buses for those without cars. Food for everybody. Open bars (where many can easily drink half of their entry fee). Goody bags with lots of customized stuff. Viper hoods to sign (and transport). SRT & JRT personnel all over the place. Meeting rooms, giant ballrooms, stages, lighting, professional comedians (Jon Reep will set you back $10K alone for an appearance), expensive centerpieces, concept cars on display, etc, etc, etc. The $850 didn't begin to cover the cost, of that I guarantee you.
So who paid the difference? It wasn't the VCA and it wasn't JRT, so it must have been those folks at DC and SRT. And what did they get out of their generosity besides some disgruntled attendees? The opportunity to push some other product and keep the division alive. Make no mistake, with
over a 1.5 billion dollar loss in the last quarter alone things like VOI have probably come under scrutiny. Do you think the bean counters are saying, "Hey, let's go throw a
huge party for a bunch of people that aren't necessarily even buying our cars right now!"? Probably not.
Was the lack of a new product announcement a disappointment to many? You betcha! Does DC or SRT "owe" it to us? Don't be absurd. No other manufacturer does this for their buyers. And they sure don't cater to folks that didn't even buy them new - never spending a dime with the actual company. Hell, if I were Bonkers I would be sending SRT a thank you note once a week for the rest of my life: They created a one-off Competition Coupe that he won in a VCA raffle. I wouldn't be telling them that they owe me because I bought a salvaged Viper long after it was out of DC's hands - and profits.
So that brings us full circle to the "announcements" and that thing called "profits". Neither DaimlerChrysler or SRT is a charity. They have to be profitable to stay in business. Have they made a few missteps with the Viper? Sure. The design has been questioned by some (mostly a handful of "purists") while over-production has undoubtedly caused other problems. The Z06 didn't help matters. But what
really slowed down Viper sales was their generosity: Unveiling the Viper Coupe at VOI 9 in 2004. Don't believe me? Then consider this:
Besides the 1994 RT/10, the SRT-10 outsold every single model year of each model Viper ever made. That's right, more 2003 Vipers sold than any '96 or '97 GTS, etc. Even 2004, with a much-publicized recall history (and probably more than a few buybacks) was a decent seller - until the Coupe was announced at VOI 9. Oh, the factory kept producing the roadsters, but speculation about a Coupe was slowing down sales considerably. By announcing the Coupe at VOI 9 - a full 16 months before they started shipping - it slowed those new orders to a crawl. And it wasn't just the "new" bodystyle, but more speculation on the horsepower, weight, etc. As a direct result, remaining 2004 units were unsold and 2005 sales were far below expectations.
So why weren't people knocking down the door to buy the new Coupes? Well, some people started floating rumors of a 550-750 HP Viper for 2008 - about the same time the Coupes started coming off the line. "Inside information" from SEMA, unnamed moles within the DC or SRT organizations (depending on the rumor), or local dealers from Nowhere, USA that supposedly had the inside scoop. All indirectly told potential buyers to wait for a better mousetrap. One that may not even exist and was NEVER officially confirmed by the manufacturer.
So with an unknown number of unsold Vipers out there currently, why would a company that is losing BILLIONS of dollars tell a group of potential buyers that they may (or may not) be changing the formula? And more importantly, why would a group of owners, many of which haven't bought a new DC/SRT product
ever, feel that they are entitled to the inside scoop from a manufacturer when no other marquee does it for ANYBODY?
Bottom line: Even though I didn't attend this year's VOI I am grateful that our manufacturer takes the time and money to offer an event like this to Viper owners. That they send their staff and engineers to personally meet and greet us. If we happen to get a hint of things to come that is just a dollop of icing on a very large cake. To diss the entire thing because that little icing rosette wasn't on there seems pretty ungrateful. Is that really the message we want to send?