Lucas Bell 
As we defenestrate 2019, end of year sales data has started to trickle out from some of the automakers. For the most part, it’s been a blood bath, but we would like to point your attention to Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (which is soon to be named something else since they merged with France’s PSA). Because without a doubt, the most intriguing data you can find in FCA’s 2019 report is the sales count of the Dodge Viper.
Yes, we are talking about 2019 sales information here. For one reason or another, five people took home a brand new Dodge Viper this past year. For some clarification, the Viper has been out of production since August of 2017, when a bright yellow ACR model became the last car to roll off the assembly line. While that car currently is housed at the FCA heritage collection, apparently a few other Vipers are still housed at dealerships across the country.
Viper sales figures were never that great, but it does seem kind of odd that five of these dream worthy cars sat for so long. It is possible that dealers held on to the cars hoping that they would increase in value, only now deciding to get out of that investment. For comparison, FCA sold 19 Vipers back in 2018.
Whatever the motivation behind holding onto these cars was, the reasons to buy one in 2019 are fairly obvious. Under the massive clamshell hood sits an 8.4-liter naturally-aspirated V10 engine that produces 645 horsepower and 600 lb-ft of torque. The transmission is just as old school as the powerplant, as the Dodge Viper was solely available with a six speed manual. Everything that makes a Viper great couldn’t be had new anywhere else in 2019, particularly when you examine the 512 cubic-inch engine’s fuel economy rating of 12 city / 19 highway. And it’s assumed that drivers eat a full bowl of nails for breakfast (without any milk).
Congratulations to the five lucky people who took home a Dodge Viper last year, and good on you for putting your money towards the type of vehicle that we all wish could come back again.
