2003 Dodge Viper

Dodge's all-new Viper needed more horsepower like Bill Gates needs your pocket change. The last one we tested bulleted 0-60 mph in a hair over 4 sec and quick-fried the quarter in 12.19 sec at 119.15 mph. Fast enough? Yeah, but don't tell the Dodge boys their car has enough juice; they say competitors are getting too close. The power's gone from an original 400 horses to 415 to 450 to 460 (on certain special models) and now to a tire-destroying, fat, round 500. Weight's down, too, further benefitting that all-important power-to-weight ratio. And for the first time since the Viper was introduced more than a decade ago, the Big Bad Dodge gets all-new designer threads.

Dodge has been massaging the Viper since the first production '92 models, but it was overdue for a complete rework. Today's Viper is world-class fast, but rides hard. Its fit and finish levels are almost kit-carlike. High-speed handling, especially on pre-'96 cars, is touchy. Anyone who's driven one hard has spun it; anyone who hasn't never really drove it hard or is lying. Dodge is holding back a first drive and the fine details on the new Viper until summer, so we stole a chat with John Fernandez, director of specialty vehicle engineering at DaimlerChrysler, and Herb Helbig, senior manager of vehicle synthesis for specialty vehicle engineering. Here's what we know.

First things first: the big-inch V-10 remains. Early rumors pointed toward a high-tech V-8, but Dodge believes Viper isn't Viper without its signature motor. Indeed, the new all-aluminum V-10 will be stronger than it's ever been. Displacement's been punched from 488 cu in. to 505, or 8.3L. Torque has been maintained at an axle-punishing 500 lb-ft. And as noted, the horsepower number now jumps to 500.

The engine's sound quality-if not the actual noise level-has been improved via a high-tech chambered exhaust system, including the return of sidepipes. Fernandez says the 505-cu-in. V-10 serves up newfound high-rev muscle without sacrificing low-end grunt. The only tranny remains a rock-solid T-56 six-speed manual; no slushboxes need apply.

The '03 snake's lightweight composite skin is all new, it looks great, and it's obviously a Viper, with deep body-side coves and a bull's-eye grille. "The overall theme was to continue what we started with the original car," explained Fernandez. "We wanted people to immediately recognize the next-generation Viper. But we didn't want to lose the kick-ass features." Some of the obvious changes are the lowered hood, the bigger grille opening, and the loss of the full-width sport bar and pop-out rear window.