The head of SRT announces that the Dodge Viper era has come to an end.
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Fans of Mopar, SRT, and Dodge who are hoping for the return of the Viper for a sixth generation will unfortunately be disappointed. It’s not going to happen.
In Detroit, Michigan, during a recent one-on-one interview for the latest episode of The Drivecast, Tim Kuniskis, Head of SRT, told The Drive that when asked if the Dodge Viper still has a place or if that era is over, “As much as it pains me to say it, it reached the end of its life cycle.”
You can listen to the full conversation starting from the moment Kuniskis talks about the Viper and its discontinuation.
Many might speculate that the Viper was phased out due to emissions regulations related to its V10 engine or low sales, but that’s not the case. Kuniskis explained the true reason for its demise: “When they came out with the new rule for ejection mitigation, we had to discontinue the car because it would require airbags right over the driver’s head—over your ear. When you sat in the car, it would be impossible,” he stated.
Throughout the discussion, Kuniskis emphasized, “The track capability of that car was truly remarkable. If you consider what it was—it was an analog car with a manual transmission, and it could compete with anything globally. It didn’t matter what technology was present; it was just that good.” However, he wasn’t shy about the car's flaws, adding, “But it had its downsides. Let’s be honest. I own one, so I’m free to critique. If you don’t, you can’t because we’ll argue. But if you own one, you can critique it.”
The Viper was an analog vehicle in an era where technology and performance benchmarks were evolving rapidly. The fastest Porsche 911s today employ a dual-clutch automatic transmission. “Honestly, for today’s world, it would have needed to transition to an automatic or a dual-clutch or something similar,” Kuniskis remarked.
Envisioning a Viper with an automatic transmission is difficult, yet it clearly occupied Kuniskis’s thoughts. Earlier in the conversation, before discussing the Viper, he mentioned, “I think about the C8 [Corvette] all the time.” He elaborated, “I am very impressed with the engineering of that car. There are aspects I’m not fond of, and of course, I’m biased. But some features of that car—I’ve had the chance to meet Tadge and discuss it with him before—and it’s an admirable car, with remarkable engineering.”
Wrapping up the discussion on the Viper and its role in the automotive landscape, Kuniskis concluded, “It reached the end of its life cycle.”
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The head of SRT announces that the Dodge Viper era has come to an end.
In an exclusive interview with The Drive, Tim Kuniskis, the head of SRT, explained the reasons behind the discontinuation of the Dodge Viper and clarified why it will not make a return.