News: Viper "Time Attack" Revealed as ZR1 Fighter

SRT's only product - the Viper - is getting a middle-of-the-road value bundle meant to improve performance.

So-equipped, the Viper Time Attack costs $120,500 to slot between the $102,000 Viper and its $125,000 GTS variant.

Late last year, MotorTrend tested a Corvette ZR1 against the new Viper and the Chevrolet came out on top. That sparked a spat between the buff book and SRT CEO Ralph Gilles who didn't take the verdict lightly, Tweeting "There is a lot more left in the car. Randy has always struggled with the Viper" in reference to pro race car driver Randy Probst who piloted both cars. Probst didn't pull punches and according to MotorTrend, said "Well, yeah, I've always had a hard time with cars that don't handle well!"

SRT maintains that the Time Attack package was going to be released anyway, although it seems likely that the TA package was rushed to market ahead of when it was originally planned.

Buyers get a go-fast goody bundle including a carbon fiber front lip kit and rear spoiler that adds 300 lbs of downforce at 150 mph. You also get improved brakes and wheels. That includes Brembo rotors that are twice as thick as the standard StopTech rotors.

You'll also get the same two-mode remote reservoir shocks as the higher-end Viper GTS, although that car gets "street" and "track" modes while the TA version gets two track-oriented suspension modes. The suspension system's spring rates and anti-roll bar tuning are also specific to the package.

SRT made a lot of tweaks to cut weight including a carbon fiber x-brace over the engine instead of the stock aluminum equipment. In total, the car weighs 3,332 lbs, which is 11 lb lighter than the base SRT Viper. One of the more ridiculous weight saving measures SRT took was to replace all the car's badges with stickers - possibly one of the only times there's been a serious argument for decals making a car faster.

There will be 33 cars built and sold in 2013 and all of them will be painted in bright orange. Most importantly, the TA is faster than the ZR1 Corvette with a 0-60 sprint in 3.3 seconds.

Update: SRT's official release says the Viper Time Attack's curb weight is an estimated 3,348 lbs.

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OmegaBoost said:

dont understand why they still didnt incorporate carbon ceramic brakes on it. I mean if they really wanted, they couldve made it much more hardcore such as no a/c, no radio, carbon bucket seats, thin carpets like ferraris etc. If you're gonna make another faster version of it, might as well make it much more drastic.

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Al3x_666 said:

J aime bien toutes les excuses que Ralph Gilles a donné pour essayer de justifier que la GTS était 2 secondes plus lente...

Ralph was pissed. He Tweeted, "There is a lot more left in the car. Randy has always struggled with the Viper." I asked Randy about this, and he said, "Well, yeah, I've always had a hard time with cars that don't handle well!" Then Mr. Gilles accused GM of sending us a ringer 'Vette with a juiced-up engine. When we pointed out that the two cars were basically identical in power, weight, and straight-line performance, Ralph brought up tires. Corvette was cheating* -- the Michelin Pilot Sport Cups gave the ZR1 an unfair advantage over the Pirelli P Zero Corsas on the Viper GTS. For our part, we never thought it was the tires. Having actually driven the two cars, we (meaning us and Pobst) thought the 2-second gap in lap times (1:33.70 vs. 1:35.77, see "Monsters' Brawl Redux," March 2013) came down to the Corvette's better brakes, and especially its superior magnetic suspension.


0.08 sec plus vite avec un char track pack. C est tout?

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Fuzz said:

Carbon Ceramic brakes are stupid. They aren't worth the money -- not to the average person.

We've sold brake kits to guys to get away from the Ceramic brakes. Sure they are good... but 5,000$ per rotor instead of $400?? It doesn't make any sense.

We sold a set of front and rear Performance Friction brake setup for one guys Challenge F430. Bill for the entire setup, plus spares was cheaper than the front disc replacement from Ferrari.

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HeadBanger said:

The only thing they changed was suspension. Z06 to ZR1 is quite a difference, 120hp worth of a difference. Would be interesting if they were both on the same tires.

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JoeyV said:

I don't understand why there isn't a universal test tire for this type of thing. The video stated that SRT went with the same tire as last time...which is what they claimed was a reason the Vette was faster. If the went with the same tires as the Vette, the new TA would've probably been even faster.

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Most importantly, the TA is faster than the ZR1 Corvette with a 0-60 sprint in 3.3 seconds.

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