Relatively affordable
Randy Pobst knows the Laguna Seca circuit like the back of his hand; time and again he set lap records. In a standard Porsche 918 Spyder, he lapped the circuit in 1:29.89 – people thought it was a record for the ages. Then, in 2016, Dodge handed the American the keys to a Dodge Viper ACR, also off the shelf – and Pobst blazed around the circuit in an unbelievable 1:28.65. That’s 1.24 seconds faster than in the Porsche, which costs at least eight times as much – a gap of eleven car lengths. Back in 2016, the Dodge Viper held by far the most lap records for production cars – worldwide. Of course, as ACRs (American Club Racers), these Vipers were already very much designed for top performance on the racetrack, yet they always remained road-legal. Because nothing was changed to the 8.4-litre V10: 640 hp, 813 Nm of maximum torque, manual 6-speed gearbox.
When the Viper was discontinued in 2017, there were six more special editions; here we’re now showcasing the 1:28 Edition. Exactly 28 examples of this were produced in memory of Randy Pobst’s blistering lap, all in Venom Black, all featuring wild spoilers – and all sold within minutes. The selling price at the time was $143,890. The car we’re showing here was sold in 2021, virtually in new condition, for $250,000. Meanwhile, prices for these special editions of the Viper’s final model year have risen slightly, but they are actually still relatively affordable – if they bore the Porsche or Ferrari badge, people would be paying many times that amount for these rarities. You’ve already read above just how fast an ACR Viper is, to the extent that it need not fear any competition from Germany or Maranello. And yes, they’re a lot of fun. At least if you don’t want to rely solely on electronic aids, still turn the steering wheel yourself and also know what can happen coming out of a bend if you handle the car with too little finesse. These Dodge Vipers make a wonderful noise, too.
You can find more rare US cars under: Numbers.
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