Lucas Bell 
When the Dodge Viper was first introduced as the spiritual successor to the Shelby Cobra, it immediately became a cult classic. The V10-powered sports car was brash, boisterous, and unapologetically American. It would go on to dominate Le Mans and straight up rival the likes of the GT40 in terms of racing success. However, it was never a massive sales success, and in 2017 the Viper went away for what will probably be the last time. Several years may have passed since the last car left the Connor Avenue production facility, but Dodge somehow managed to sell two new Vipers last quarter.
The news of these Dodge Viper sales comes way of FCA’s Q3 2020 sales report, with one sale tallying in the United States, and another in Canada during the third quarter of 2020. While this is strange enough, it very well could mean that 2020 will be a better year for the extinct sport’s car that 2019. Last year Dodge managed to sell just five examples of the Viper, compared to a massive run of 19 cars back in 2018.
While it may seem odd that there are some new Vipers still sitting on dealer lots, in all reality the cars have likely been tucked away on purpose. The Dodge Viper is unlike any other American sports car ever produced, thanks in no small part to that 645 horsepower naturally-aspirated V10 up front. Throw in the fact that its rear wheel drive and comes exclusively with a manual transmission, and the Viper fits the mold as a future collectible. Some dealers certainly realized this back in 2017, and decided to store the cars away for the right moment.
This year has been full of surprises, but we didn’t expect to hear about more Viper sales. While FCA will likely never release another maniacal V10-powered coupe, the Dodge Viper will always hold a place in American automotive history. We’ll have to see how many more years the sports car can continue to sell at a trickle, but it can’t be many more.
