CarBrandLogos archive · Dodge Viper · 1992

Dodge ViperViper RT/10

Side curtains, side pipes, and no apology: the first of the breed.

The story

A defining chapter in Dodge Viper history.

Explore the ideas, engineering and context that shaped the Dodge Viper Viper RT/10, then continue into its specifications and place in the marque's lineage.

Origins

RT/10 was the name on the original Viper, the open two-seater that reached customers for the 1992 model year. It was as close to the 1989 show car as Chrysler could manage, which meant a body of composite panels over a tubular steel frame, a folding top that was more of a formality than a fixture, and side curtains instead of wind-up glass. There were no exterior door handles and, at first, no anti-lock brakes or traction control.

Dodge Viper Viper RT/10 · Corvair Owner · CC BY-SA 2.0

Design and engineering

Under the long bonnet sat the aluminium V10, mounted longitudinally behind the front axle and driving the rear wheels through a six-speed manual — the only transmission offered, because no automatic was ever considered appropriate. The exhaust exited through the sills, an arrangement that looked spectacular and made getting out of the car a skill worth learning.

Dodge Viper Viper RT/10 · Martin Lee from London, UK · CC BY-SA 2.0

In production

The RT/10 gave the Viper its reputation before the GTS coupe arrived in 1996 to broaden it. Later roadsters gained a proper convertible top, glass windows and the safety equipment the first cars had done without, but the open Viper always kept the essential quality of the original: enormous capability, very little insulation between driver and consequence. Convertible versions were built through 2010, by which point the car had become a period piece from a company that no longer took such risks.

Dodge Viper 08-10 coupe · priceman 141 · CC BY 2.0

At a glance

The facts that define it.

Produced

1991–2006

Body

2-door liftback coupe

Technical specification

The Viper RT/10, in detail.

Production: 1991–2006; 2007–2017
Class: Sports car (S)
Body style: 2-door liftback coupe (1996–2017); 2-door convertible (1991–2010)
Layout: Longitudinally-mounted, front mid-engine, rear-wheel drive
Assembly: Detroit, Michigan, United States; bulleted list; New Mack Assembly (1991–1995); Conner Avenue Assembly (1996–2017)
Manufacturer: Dodgeefn; name=manufacturer; Chrysler Corporation (1992–1998) ; DaimlerChrysler (1998–2009) ; Chrysler LLC (2008–2009) ; Chrysler Group LLC (2009–2010; 2013–2014) ; FCA US LLC (2014–2017)

Explore Dodge Viper Read the full reference ↗

Badge at launch

Dodge Viper, 1992

This is the marque emblem that accompanied the Viper RT/10's era. The full identity timeline is documented in the brand archive.

Explore the logo history →

Contemporaries from the 1990s

Autozam · 1992AZ-1

Dodge · 1992Viper

GMC · 1992Yukon

Gurgel · 1992Supermini

Spotted something wrong on this page? Send us the correction — with a source, and we will fix it. How this site is written.