Diamondback project isn't dead.

[McLaren]

Apparently the Diamondback project isn't dead.
Read here.

This is one group of prototypes that all our sources are stumped on. And there wasn't just one powertrain prototype here - there were at least four of these red-hot Vipers with a vinyl-covered camouflage hood and various wires and test gauges - but nothing could hide the huge vents on the hood, and we managed to get excellent views.

Sources are telling us NOT to expect a 2007 Viper - that model-year will be "skipped" and the '08 models will make an early appearance within the first quarter of 2007. And we do know that Dodge wants to expand the horsepower in the Vipers, but the 'what' and 'how' are currently just rumours. One rumour is that McLaren is involved with the Viper project and is tweaking a V10 to put out nearly 650-horsepower!

Source=AutoExpress
http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/spyshots/200283/mclaren_viper.html

650 horses?! Dodge appears to be serious now that Chevrolet will be bringing out the C6 Stingray.
Now, where is Ford going to fall into this?
Pics in the Attachments.

 

[JCE]

Now, where is Ford going to fall into this?

Hopefully with a new supercar or 600bhp Mustang.

And I don't care how many horses the Viper has...it's still FUGLY. [/opinion]

 

[YSSMAN]

The last of the reasonings I have read with the car is that they think it is going to be a "bridge" model to the next-gen Viper that is due at the end of the decade.

Granted, I'm all for more power, but how much more do they need to top the Corvette Z06? How about they cut the weight just a bit, and maybe sell a few cars. Wait? They still want to sell it for almost $90,000 US? And I can get the Z06 for how much?

...Thanks Dodge, but I'll save my $20,000 and go out and buy a VW Rabbit...

 

[JCE]

Granted, I'm all for more power, but how much more do they need to top the Corvette Z06? How about they cut the weight just a bit, and maybe sell a few cars. Wait? They still want to sell it for almost $90,000 US? And I can get the Z06 for how much?

...Thanks Dodge, but I'll save my $20,000 and go out and buy a VW Rabbit...

Well said...this is exactly correct. Dodge can NEVER beat the ZO6--even with 650bhp I still think the current gen ZO6 can still out perform it around not only a track but in a straight line. And $20k should get you a fully loaded Rabbit yes?

 

[McLaren]

True, but with the Z06 at around $67,000, and the Vipers at around $83,000, how can we not say that the 650Hp Viper won't be a bargain?

If they keep it under $100,000, I think it'll easily be worth price, as long as it can perform on the track.

 

[JCE]

True, but with the Z06 at around $67,000, and the Vipers at around $83,000, how can we not say that the 650Hp Viper won't be a bargain?

If they keep it under $100,000, I think it'll easily be worth price, as long as it can perform on the track.

Problem is...spend the $70k for the ZO6 and add $10k in performance mods and still be lightyears faster...I meant the ZO6 is real close to Enzo/CGT/Zonda numbers as it is. It's only a bit slower.

 

[McLaren]

But the Viper Coupe now has been proven to be on par with the Z06. Tests do show that each car has its ups and downs, but the lap times aren't that far apart.

 

[YSSMAN]

No, they aren't that far apart, but I look at it on the scale as a whole. The Viper may be easier to drive around a racetrack, but the overall driveability of the car suffers because of it. The crappy interior plastics combined with an extremely tight fit on the inside, the rather harsh ride, and not to mention the convection oven that is the interior, well, I'm not about to go spend the extra $20K on a Viper.

Not to say that it is a bad car, which is most certainly isnt, but not what I'm looking to spend $90K on. For that money, I can get a Noble M400 here in the US.

---

But if Dodge can do it, why the hell not? I'm sure that they were a bit pissed after the Ford GT and later Z06 knocked it off the top spot as the fastest American mass-produced car, and even with a roof on it, it still cannot keep up with the Vette.

...To answer the question about what Ford is going to do about it, I really don't have an answer. The situation with the Shelby Cobra and Shelby GR-1 concepts to production models have been in an on again, off again relationship over the past few years. They would have used the same baisic structure as the GT, but with the addition of the new V10, it would have more power and do without that "horrible" supercharger whine.

But with the problems the GT has had, I don't know if Ford is looking to build a supercar again for a while. Granted, a 600 BHP GT500KR seems possible, the dissapointing performance of the regular model leaves me saying, "Why?"

---

Maybe that is why so many analists are upset at what Ford is doing. They continue to dance around so many options that would seem so obvious to GM and DCX, but they just cannot make up their minds about anything. I really do not know why Ford isn't investing heavily in RWD sedans and coupes, and continuing to look for another halo car to replace the GT.

 

[JCE]

that "horrible" supercharger whine.

BLASPHEMY!!!

You can't be serious, in no way can a FI boost sound bad...ever. I'm madly in love with the supercharger whine that the 2003/2004 SVT Cobra has...I love it so much I recorded it for a voicemail alert for my cell phone. NOW THAT'S DEDICATION TO LOVED ONES! 👍

 

[McLaren]

I do agree with everything you say besides the Harsh ride.
A few magazines said the Viper is pleasent to drive on the streets, and do comment that the Vette is twitchy and has discovered many unknown surfaces in the ground.

But I'm not trying to start another Vette Vs. Viper argument, espcially since this Viper hasn't been confirmed for production and are just test mules.

 

[YSSMAN]

BLASPHEMY!!!

You can't be serious, in no way can a FI boost sound bad...ever. I'm madly in love with the supercharger whine that the 2003/2004 SVT Cobra has...I love it so much I recorded it for a voicemail alert for my cell phone. NOW THAT'S DEDICATION TO LOVED ONES! 👍

...Well, I quoted "horrible" as some people like it, and others don't. Quite frankly, I like it on some cars, and others I do not. The Mustang was an okay car with the whine, but if I was to say hear it on a SL55, I'd be pissed...

 

[JCE]

...Well, I quoted "horrible" as some people like it, and others don't. Quite frankly, I like it on some cars, and others I do not. The Mustang was an okay car with the whine, but if I was to say hear it on a SL55, I'd be pissed...

The top whine for me of all time is infact that SVT Cobra whine...second was the whine my VR4 put out. I was ADDICTED to driving with my foot to the floor to here my turbos spool and at idle you could here the whine...I miss that car.

 

[Jay]

What was causing the whine on your VR4 at idle?

 

[YSSMAN]

Turbos and supercharger sounds are very different, and I actually don't have a preference for either I suppose. On the Vee-Dubs, the turbo sounds kinda silly, but I've herd them with superchargers too, and that I don't think sounded quite as nice as the 1.8T.

...That said, the SVT Cobra S/C is probably one of my favorite supercharged engines, second only to the Mercedes-Benz/AMG 5.4L S/C V8...

 

[JCE]

What was causing the whine on your VR4 at idle?

I suspected the belts...or the turbos needed rebuilding...I didn't care. Still loved the whine of whateveritwas at idle. haha

Turbos and supercharger sounds are very different, and I actually don't have a preference for either I suppose. On the Vee-Dubs, the turbo sounds kinda silly, but I've herd them with superchargers too, and that I don't think sounded quite as nice as the 1.8T.

...That said, the SVT Cobra S/C is probably one of my favorite supercharged engines, second only to the Mercedes-Benz/AMG 5.4L S/C V8...

I drove my ex-boss-co-worker's SL55 AMG 1 day before I got fired (long story not related) and I must say it was not only extremely fast but sounded brilliant. I'd probably put it 3rd on my factory forced induction spool/whine list. And as far as VW turbos sounds...they sound like little mini jet engine turbines...which isn't a bad thing.

 

[JCE]

*edit whoops double post please delete*

 

[Poverty]

Whoah man, if it handles real good, thanks to Macca expertise and is priced at around 100k I could see Z06 fans kumping ship onto this car, seeing as you will be hard to find a Z06 right now that isnt being sold for 90k as the dealers are cheeky bastards with theyre markups.

I'd buy one if its going back to its original aggressive roots.

Oh and I hope they sort out the interior on the viper first, but with the looks, power and cheap price id definetly get a viper ahead of the Z06, especially seeing as GM are having major quality control with theyre halo car.

 

[Onikaze]

<--Would never buy a Viper.

I'm very satisfied with the size of my manhood, I don't need the oversized phallus that is the Dodge Viper to augment it.

 

[TheCracker]

With 650bhp i hope Macca have been asked to do some chassis work as well. The Viper can't handle the power it already has very well - the last thing it needs is more power!

 

[Dave A]

<--Would never buy a Viper.

I'm very satisfied with the size of my manhood, I don't need the oversized phallus that is the Dodge Viper to augment it.

So you wouldn't but a Corvette or any other sportscar for the same reason then. Let's face it every sports, super or muscle car can be viewed like that so why single one out.

 

[McLaren]

I should have noted that this is McLaren Technologies, not McLaren Automotive.However, both were companies Bruce intended to start.

 

[Onikaze]

I'm sorry, a Corvette has more classical lines about it.

A Viper looks like a phallic replacement, it's absurdly hyper masculine to the point that when you sit inside it, it looks like it's got bulging muscles and a 7 foot erection ahead of you.

The only more blatant sign of a guy being...unhappy with himself down there, is something like a Ford F350 extended cab, long bed pickup, with a big noisy diesel, jacked up 3 feet off the ground, and not a speck of mud on it.

I would count Hummers in this category, but they fall more into the "I've got horribly bad taste, and or am Blind" category.

 

[McLaren]

How do you know there aren't Corvette owners who buy Vipers, Ferraris, and what not for the same reason?

 

[Onikaze]

There may be.

I'm just saying that, in my opinion, and as I hear it from the women I've talked too, Vipers shout that you're unhappy about something, some women say 911's do too, just not as loudly, and the SUV/Absurdly huge but never used pickup thing is just my personal creation.

 

[Dave A]

But I'm not unhappy about that certain something and if I had the money to collect a lot of cars a Viper would probably be among them, it wouldn't be my fist choice but thats simply because I'm not really a Viper fan, same goes for a Vette. Buying a Viper means you like the Viper not that you've got too much space in your pants. A lot of people buy 911's for the image, but at the end of the day, they are still amongs the finest sportscars ever engineered so there good reason to want one and theres good reason why they have a good image.

 

[Onikaze]

Yeah, but a Viper isn't really one of the finest sportscars ever.

It's fast, and neat for what it is.

There are simply much better cars around though, so either you really love the cars/are a mopar head, or well, you are trying to get attention, which gets all Freudian.

 

[Dave A]

Depending on what your looking at in the car there's always better cars out there, if you happen to think the Viper is a fine looking car and the fact that it's not as elegant as a 911 on a track doesn't bother you because you just love the way it looks and sounds then so be it. Personally I think the old Viper looks a lot nicer than the new one, but I wouldn't hold anyitnh against somone who loved the SRT-10.

 

[super cirrus]

The viper doesn't need much power to top the vette, most acceleration test put them dead even. I'd say 50-75 extra hp should be enough to keep it ahead in that area. 650 seems like overkill. What dodge really needs to do is concentrate on weight reduction and chassis tuning. Get 550-575 hp and a curb weight of 3000-3100 lbs for under $100,000 would be my goal. Oh, and call it the ACR.

 

[Dave A]

That'll never happen for under $100,000 though, the Viper is priced more premium than the Vette reegardless ofwhich is better, Vipers arn't as cheap.

 

[McLaren]

Yeah, but a Viper isn't really one of the finest sportscars ever.

It's fast, and neat for what it is.

There are simply much better cars around though, so either you really love the cars/are a mopar head, or well, you are trying to get attention, which gets all Freudian.

So, you think back in the '90s a C4 Vette had a chance against the RT/10?

Let's not forget the Viper also had history before its life time considering it was derived from Carroll Shelby's 427 (which came from the AC right?). The GTS is a fine sports car, by all means. It's proved its worth in racing, as well being the 1st American cars to finish GTS Class in LeMans 2000, the 1st in 30 years, not to mention the 1st ever production&#8211;based American car to grace the winner's circle. The cars also have 5 FIA GT Titles under their belts, from 1997 to 2002, 5 years in a row.

Now, the Corvette has history and is a fine sports car, but to deny the Viper of the same class is just awfully strange. The SRT-10 Coupe performs just as good as the Z06, and is proven it is a major competitor in the racing world in just 10 years of existance.