2016 Dodge Viper

For 2016, the biggest change to the Viper is the return of the American Club Racer (ACR). The $147,995 ACR is a track ready Viper with carbon ceramic brakes, adjustable height and damping in the suspension, and the with the $7,700 Extreme Aero package, you get an adjustable carbon fiber rear wing and front splitter making nearly 1,000 kg of downforce. It also gets special trim, floor mats, and changes the power seat for manual adjustment to save weight.

All Vipers get a 7.0-inch display in the instrument cluster and an 8.4-inch screen with back-up camera for the Uconnect infotainment. Keyless Go proximity locking and push-button start are also standard.

The base model is the $117,995 GTC, and it has the same 8.4L V10 and six-speed manual as the other models. There are a variety of interior and exterior trim and aerodynamic add ons available, starting with the $5,000 matte paint and satin black fuel filler door and sill badge, all the way up to the $31,000 ACR pack that includes all of the wings, diffusers, and appearance features of the ACR model. If you want something in between, there are eleven stages of extras on offer. Interestingly, with the number of options, trim packs and colours, no two Viper GTC's will be built exactly the same in a model year. Every car is "1 of 1".

The $129,995 GTS adds leather sport buckets, navigation and an 18-speaker Harman/Kardon stereo. On the performance end, it adds StopTech two-piece brake rotors.

The 8.4L V10 Viper makes 645 hp, and if you care about that, you probably care less about the 19.2 L/100 km city, 11.3 L/100 km highway fuel economy ratings. The Viper is really in a class by itself, but you might also consider a Z06 Corvette, a paint shaker, or a rocket sled. But none of them will give you the combination of brute force power and traction the Viper can.