Chrysler Orders 93 Rare Vipers Destroyed by Crusher

[Joey D]

Standard practice, I don't see what all the crying it about. It's way cheaper for Chrysler to crush the cars than to payout on any liability claims if someone gets hurts using one. Also in terms of donating them to a museum, that actually costs money for Chrysler. Most museums want an endowment to take care of a donation, especially one that requires upkeep.

The prototype 200C I was driving two weekends back is probably worth nearly as much as those Vipers and Chrysler will probably crush in the next few weeks, I don't see anyone crying over that.

 

[sems4arsenal]

Dear Chrysler I can store 2 in my garage I won't charge you a cent, honest.

 

[BKGlover]

I see a lot of people are going ape for something that could have been avoided had things been left alone. Road & Track are also covering this, and they stated that two of these pre-production cars were driven on public roads. They were then, predictably, crashed, and because Chrysler Corp still owns them by law, they were slapped with lawsuits.

Yes, were. CC is already having to shell out money because the Idiot 1%, as opposed to the Rich 1%, have to make daily life absolute hell for the rest of us. You want to be pissed at someone, go after the morons. I don't like what's being done, but I don't like to think of all those old Motorama show cars that were destroyed eons ago.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Chrysler is doing the SMART thing here. By destroying the cars, they don't have to worry about an instructor going soft and giving into the student's incessant prodding to take one for a spin. Also, lets be clear here, these cars are pre-production models with no smog stuff or a governor, but they are not road legal and are not instrumental in the development of the car like the prototype would be. These cars ARE worthless. You get a Viper, you aren't gonna park it in the garage for 50 years and never drive it like people do Ferarris.

 

[Dan]

But it's still a Viper. I am not a MOPAR fan by any amount, but it breaks my heart to see a Viper getting destroyed. It's a Viper no matter what, even if it isn't road legal or other stuff.

I just wish it would have gone down with a fight. Perhaps damage the claw, or make the crane's hydraulics seize up.

 

[Coxis]

Eh, like others said, standard practice yet I still think it's a little unreasonable to have them all destroyed. I'm pretty sure not all of them are as rare as the one highlighted in the article, so why not preserve 2 or 3 in a museum? If they still legally own the vehicles then pick them up, fix them up and place them in a museum for the people to enjoy.

 

[Joey D]

Eh, like others said, standard practice yet I still think it's a little unreasonable to have them all destroyed. I'm pretty sure not all of them are as rare as the one highlighted in the article, so why not preserve 2 or 3 in a museum? If they still legally own the vehicles then pick them up, fix them up and place them in a museum for the people to enjoy.

Preserving them and fixing them up costs money, and most museums don't exactly have a ton of money.

 

[Coxis]

Preserving them and fixing them up costs money, and most museums don't exactly have a ton of money.

That question wasn't meant to be taken literally, it was more rhetorical. Yes, of course money is everything in the world but since you brought it up, I'm sure that had they donated the one or two rarest ones there, there wouldn't have been a shortage of museums willing to take the expenses. Of course this doesn't change the fact that they legally own the cars and can do with them as they please. It's just for the sake of discussion.

 

[Sage Ages]

I can't believe I'm saying this, but Chrysler is doing the SMART thing here. By destroying the cars, they don't have to worry about an instructor going soft and giving into the student's incessant prodding to take one for a spin. Also, lets be clear here, these cars are pre-production models with no smog stuff or a governor, but they are not road legal and are not instrumental in the development of the car like the prototype would be. These cars ARE worthless. You get a Viper, you aren't gonna park it in the garage for 50 years and never drive it like people do Ferarris.

You can't wait a few years and register it as a historic vehicle or am I missing something? (Which I probably am.)

 

[Ibonibo]

Sorry it's a really stupid excuse, because I don't see Porsche destroying 917. THey are neither road legal nor emission regulated.
Even the car that was chrash so many times, the one that was chrashed in Steve McQueen Lemans is still in the Spa Museum.
And that exemple just came me, I bet there are thousands of "normal" preproductions cars that get not scrapped but restored and conserved.

It's a BS excuse. They could have sold them to Asia, Europe and the rest of the world and not care about "liabitity" claims, which can certainly be excluded by contract legally.

With such idiots, it's no wonder their company is dying.

 

[Joey D]

That question wasn't meant to be taken literally, it was more rhetorical. Yes, of course money is everything in the world but since you brought it up, I'm sure that had they donated the one or two rarest ones there, there wouldn't have been a shortage of museums willing to take the expenses. Of course this doesn't change the fact that they legally own the cars and can do with them as they please. It's just for the sake of discussion.

Most museums don't want to incur the expense of an exhibit since there's more to it than just parking the car somewhere and letting people look at it. Chrysler's own museum even folded because they couldn't afford to keep it going.

With such idiots, it's no wonder their company is dying.

Their company isn't dying.

 

[White & Nerdy]

Is a speed limiter really required for street-legality? Never heard of that except in Japan and Singapore, and I've heard you can take them off in Japan.

 

[Sage Ages]

I believe some countries in Europe have a speed limiter. Germany comes to mind.

 

[Turbotwin01]

Well, I guess I'll just go find another car company to embrace now since I'm trying to figure out why I like Chrysler. What the hell is wrong with you? Do do you even like cars for the reasons that car enthusiasts like them for? Or do you just not care about cars at all and want billions of dollars in your pockets? Why the hell are they destroying probably the best thing that company has ever done during that decade (and perhaps in their entire existence) and throwing it away? Is it because some how Fiat Group thinks that destroying these is saying "That will show you, Lambo/Shelby/Other Companies we want to stick it too." Seriously, now I'm ashamed I have a damn Viper as my avatar. Wake up Fiat-Chrysler, look at your self, say "We were wrong" and fix everything that you've done not only in this situation, but all the other things your screwing up in recent years. I'm tired of your bull:censored:. Give me a damn reason to like you guys, I'm starting to wonder why I have at all.

 

[Doog]

Or do you just not care about cars at all and want billions of dollars in your pockets?

This is the point of a business, no?

 

[Furinkazen]

http://jalopnik.com/no-historical-s...source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

 

[Zenith]

http://jalopnik.com/no-historical-s...source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

Yes, what this conversation needs is more ignorant teenagers in hysterics.

 

[Turbotwin01]

This is the point of a business, no?

The stuffing billions in your pocket? Of course. But why run a company based around something you don't care about?

http://jalopnik.com/no-historical-s...source=jalopnik_twitter&utm_medium=socialflow

So according to this, they HAVE to destroy them? I guess letting people tinker with them makes them near worthless. My high school could replace the piece of junk V-TEC Civic we have in our shop (but then again, I wouldn't trust the idiots in my auto class with a Viper. Thus more liability issues.)

But seriously, why not just "donate" the tinkered ones to people? Better then wasting a Viper.

 

[Zenith]

But seriously, why not just "donate" the tinkered ones to people? Better then wasting a Viper.

Because all of the reasons previously stated in this thread that you seem to be ignoring...

 

[Furinkazen]

Yes, what this conversation needs is more ignorant teenagers in hysterics.

^I'm just posting an article...

 

[Zenith]

^I'm just posting an article...

I'm just pulling your leg. It's too difficult to resist a jab at Jalopnik's... lively user base.

 

[Furinkazen]

I'm just pulling your leg. It's too difficult to resist a jab at Jalopnik's... lively user base.

Ahh well I'm not sure how credible a source they are.

 

[Joel]

Standard practice, I don't see what all the crying it about. It's way cheaper for Chrysler to crush the cars than to payout on any liability claims if someone gets hurts using one. Also in terms of donating them to a museum, that actually costs money for Chrysler. Most museums want an endowment to take care of a donation, especially one that requires upkeep.

So what you're saying is that it's not appropriate to be outraged?

Because I was outraged!

 

[Turbotwin01]

Because all of the reasons previously stated in this thread that you seem to be ignoring...

But can't they just give it to them and make them sign a waiver or something so they don't have liability issues?

 

[Slash]

It's not that easy.

 

[Cano]

I wonder how many of these will surface 25 years from now as the typical "this thing was slated for the crusher but this guy that works at Chrysler saved it by cutting it in pieces and taking it to his garage where he reassembled it".

I've never cared tooo much for Vipers, and I absolutely agree that this is the easiest and smartest thing to do from Mopar's point of view, but I still feel angry at this stuff.

 

[MoLiEG]

My god, I can't watch this... (I stopped it after 6 seconds)... I don't want to cry

 

[CodeRedR51]

Standard practice, I don't see what all the crying it about. It's way cheaper for Chrysler to crush the cars than to payout on any liability claims if someone gets hurts using one. Also in terms of donating them to a museum, that actually costs money for Chrysler. Most museums want an endowment to take care of a donation, especially one that requires upkeep.

The prototype 200C I was driving two weekends back is probably worth nearly as much as those Vipers and Chrysler will probably crush in the next few weeks, I don't see anyone crying over that.

On the flip side, they could have made these places sign a waver that says they are not to be driven on the street and that Chrysler is not liable for any accidents. Problem solved.

 

[Ibonibo]

I believe some countries in Europe have a speed limiter. Germany comes to mind.

What ? He? WHat ? In no country in Europe you need a speed limiter :haha:

Still nobody answered on the following :

Why no Export them?

And the whole they've been thinkered with...

THis is a prosche 917 from the lemans crash :

This is the same car:

Just BS.
Yeah it's their right, it's their car. The management can piss in them if they want. Still not the best PR you can get.

And all the defenders, any other arguments than the officially stated?

 

[Zenith]

Snip

The word "liability" comes to mind. Suing companies over personal harm or faulty products is much different now compared to 40 years ago.

 

[Northstar]

On the flip side, they could have made these places sign a waver that says they are not to be driven on the street and that Chrysler is not liable for any accidents. Problem solved.

Which would likely have the same outcome as I doubt your average technical school(or whatever other schools have one)wants to front the bill to insure a non-street legal sports car.

What ? He? WHat ? In no country in Europe you need a speed limiter :haha:

Still nobody answered on the following :

Why no Export them?

And the whole they've been thinkered with...

THis is a prosche 917 from the lemans crash :

This is the same car:

Just BS.
Yeah it's their right, it's their car. The management can piss in them if they want. Still not the best PR you can get.

And all the defenders, any other arguments than the officially stated?

Not sure the situations are comparable considering a race car that was featured in a movie will be worth considerably more than a street Viper of any sort so there is more incentive to keep it in good shape (real 917's can easily get into 7 figures, whereas most of these vipers would be in the 5 digit range).