Only 600 Vipers have been sold this year and Chrysler was planning to pull the plug in 2010 or 2011. Now, they just want out.

 

Sad.

 

It seems like there must be other higher end cars with low sales like this... if those companies can make a business case for it, why can't Dodge?

In fact I'd tend to think a big company like Chrysler stands to gain more from a slow selling expensive halo car since the product developments from the Viper program could in theory filter down to the rest of their line, as could the prestige and reputation of the Viper help boost other product sales.

 

Has anyone actually sold the right to just one model of a car before? I can't seem to recall anythign like that happening before.

Truely sad, though.

 

Avanti is all I can think of.

 

So what do you get if you buy it? Just the right to use the viper name?
I mean does the plants that make the drivetrain and frame come with it?
Would you be able to buy the engine anyway without the name since it's probably made by a 3rd party.
What's the point of buying a name, if you can create the same thing and call it something different, who cares.

 

Call me crazy, but I think Ford should buy "Viper". Other than Mustang, they don't have a true "supercar" or "sportscar"; they already have a developed V10 engine; and let's face it, the whole "snake" thing started with Ford.

 

So how would this work? Lets say some rich Arab buys the brand, would the cars still be sold at Dodge dealerships? Maybe the guys who bought Aston Martin would like to buy Viper. Then they could platform share. The new Viper owner could also buy engines from Chrysler.

Or Shelby, they could then use Ford V10's and V8's.

 

For some reason I think Mr. Shelby would consider that a sign of weakness, or worse yet, that the Viper was a superior product. No chance of that ever happening.

 

I would rather see it die than be sold off. What a shame.

I wonder how long it will be before all the "cool" cars are gone or bastardized?

 

Carroll Shelby was one of the inspirations behind the Viper and was on the original design and engineering team. Why wouldn't he be proud of his own design?

 

your exactly right. See past vehicles here.
shelby also did several other cars with dodge: Lance, Omni, dakota, charger, and the CSX. Hell, i think shelby worked more with dodge than he did with ford lol

 

There are a few small mfgs making cars based off the viper. They are likely giving them the chance to keep their doors open by selling to them.

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080827/...FZFDvOrkW4v0gC

 

I think the car companies that have sales this low, and 600 is very low, are selling cars at much higher prices than the viper.


From the article

Up 111 percent, well it is the final year, but that means that normal numbers are far lower than, about half. Sounds like they only sell about 400 a year on average, this year might be double.