The Original 1992 Dodge Viper Was a Ridiculously Basic, Dangerous Sports Car

Manual transmission, best anti-theft system in the US

"I present to you an engine, a steering wheel, and some brakes. Whatever you do is up to you."

At age 19 I rented a 1994 RT/10, nearly identical to the car Doug's featuring here. I wasn't reckless in the car, but I drove it hard and had blast for the six hours I had it. Looking back after hearing about how dangerous these are considered to be, I'm grateful I didn't push it too much and get myself into trouble. I did get the car sideways in a corner and felt the monster rear tires grab, momentarily launching me forward in a direction I didn't want to go. Straight line it was easy to drive and the brakes were quite good as I remember. It was all I could think about for months afterward.

My late father owned a 1993 Viper. I sold the car for my mother after dad died. I drove it a few times and I immediately noticed the quirks with the access to the car. It was the strangest thing I had ever seen on a vehicle! I showed my wife and we laughed about it. This car could do 60+ in 2nd gear. What a beast! RIP, Dad!

sniffs a massive line “Here’s my idea. 5000 dollar car, 60000 dollar engine.”

To quote Mr. Regular: "It's only safety feature is FEAR OF DYING."

It’s crazy how little those cars changed aesthetically over the next decade. I remember walking through dodge dealerships in 2002 as a senior in high school and drooling over cars that looked nearly identical to this.

I was born in ‘92 and I still keep one of my very first toys which was this exact viper red and everything in a die cast scale model. I always thought it was pretty basic and lacked a lot of real details, now I realize how detailed it was made.

"What were Dodge engineers doing the early 1990s?" "Probably a lot of cocaine."

"I present to you an engine, a steering wheel, and some brakes. Whatever you do is up to you." -Mr. Regular

Can you imagine being a young automotive engineer/designer and going to the bosses and pitching this car? Also, the rust on the steering wheel bolts is a nice touch.

Viper Engineer: No door handles, they create negative pressure zones. Other Engineer: But what about the windows? Or the roof? Viper Engineer: Shut up.

This viper is so barren it doesn’t even come with a background

To all people who've ever driven a 90s viper, congrats on reaching 2021 alive, all 6 of you

I remember the first time I saw this car and I totally disagree giving a 7 for styling. I was mesmerized. Her style was everything back in 1992. It deserves 11 out of 10 for style.

I remember in the early 90's the Vipers became really popular. Especially after the Viper tv series became a hit. I seem to remember they were about 88 to 100 grand for the car depending on which magazine you read. They were built at a time when Chrysler was on the verge of bankruptcy, so the lack of features and the cheap interior is not surprising.

Doug: "Yes the interior might be really f'n bad but that's by intentional design" Viper Interior designer: "yep, that was definitely the point" sniffles

It’s weird just how popular the Corvette is but the Viper is SUPER rare. I’ve only seen a Viper once on the road before. To put that into perspective I’ve seen McLarens and Rolls Royce more often.

The Original Viper is one of my all-time favorite Cars. Thanks for the review Doug.

I worked at a dealership and this was the only car that we could never drive. It happened more than once that they were crashed between taking delivery and the customer making it home.