Even if you’d never buy one, you have to admit the original Dodge Viper RT/10 was an awesome car. V10 engine. No luxury features or driver aids. High risk of death if you make even the smallest mistake. It was absolutely incredible. The only downside was that if you wanted to risk the life of more than one friend, you were out of luck. At least you were before someone built this Viper limo.
It initially looks like it only has four seats and honestly, that would have been hilarious. Imagine building a 7.62 m-long Viper limo and only adding two additional seats. But the original builder went the sensible, practical route and added bench seating along the sides.
So how many people can you actually fit in your new Viper limo? The seller says 12, but the catch is that there are only enough seatbelts for 10. So not 12. Call me a coward, but I’m pretty sure no one should be riding in an open-roof Viper limo without seatbelt. I guess my youth really is behind me now.
Now for the bad news: Back when this thing first popped up for sale a little over a year ago, a Road & Track article suggested it still had the original V10 that made the Viper so great. But either that was incorrect, or the engine blew up between then and now, because the current listing says it has a V8. At least whoever gave the Viper limo a new engine kept it in the family. The seller says it’s a 360 Magnum crate motor that makes 390 hp.
Even more disappointing than the engine swap, though, is the fact that it has an automatic transmission. That’s probably convenient for driving 10 people around in Vegas traffic or in a parade, but still. Vipers should have manuals, dammit.
Is a Viper with a V8 and an auto even a Viper anymore? I’ve never taken a philosophy class, so I can’t say. But if you’ve got $US160k burning a hole in your pocket and want something truly unique, it’s hard to think of something more unique than a V8 automatic Viper limo.
