About the New York auto show
Straight-line speed has not been an issue for the redesigned 2013 SRT Viper, with a 0-60-mph performance in the low three-second range coming from its 640-hp, 8.4-liter V10. But Chrysler Group’s Street and Racing Technology team is always looking to make its products faster around the road courses.
That brings us to the 2014 Viper TA, which debuts next week at the New York auto show and goes on sale this fall. The TA stands for Time Attack and marks a Viper that has been optimized for road course duty, while still being street legal.
The Viper TA slots between the base SRT Viper and the SRT Viper GTS in the lineup, with a huge emphasis on the brake, suspension and aero package for the car.
This isn’t just a stripped-down Viper. Chrysler says the SRT Viper TA has a curb weight of about 3,348 pounds, 6 pounds less than a base SRT Viper but 51 pounds more than a base Viper with the Track Package, which includes lightweight wheels and two-piece StopTech brake rotors.
The Viper TA includes the carbon fiber front splitters, rear spoiler, and other carbon fiber exterior pieces that make up the Advanced Aerodynamics and Exterior Carbon Fiber packages that are options on other Viper models.
A key change for the Viper TA is the brake package, which Chrysler says is still being developed. A Chrysler spokesman says engineers are willing to accept some weight gain at the corners — meaning a larger and heavier brake package with Brembo rotors — in exchange for better performance. Chrysler says it and Brembo are working on a package that “increases thermal capacity and optimizes heat dissipation providing improved extreme use.” The brake calipers are finished in black with an orange Viper logo.
Other suspension changes include springs and shocks optimized for road course duty, solid antiroll bars front and rear, and a Bilstein two-mode damping system recalibrated with settings for smooth tracks and rough tracks. The Viper TA uses the Pirelli P Zero Corsas from the SRT Track Package — 295/30Z R18s up front and 355/30 ZR19s in back.
The Viper’s aluminum X brace in the engine compartment is replaced with a carbon fiber unit. But the powertrain is unchanged. The only change to the interior is the addition of orange stitching accents.
The first batch of 33 SRT Viper TA cars will be painted Crusher orange and built this fall. Sticker price is estimated to be around $116,000. Chrysler hasn’t determined how it will allocate the first 33 cars. A spokesman says you’ll likely be able to get the Viper TA in other colors after the first 33 are built.
The 2013 New York auto show runs March 29-April 7 and is expected to attract a range of production and concept cars such as the new Toyota Highlander, Jeep Cherokee and the United States debut of the Corvette Stingray Convertible. Check out Autoweek’s complete coverage at autoweek.com/new-york-auto-show .