On the street, nothing matches Dodge Viper. With its heart-pounding 450 horsepower V-10 engine and bolder-than-bold look, Viper is truly in a class all its own.

The same can be said on the race track. Race-prepared Viper GTS-R models have won three consecutive European FIA GT-2 championships, two consecutive class championships at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the inaugural American Le Mans championship and an historic overall championship at the 2000 24 Hours of Daytona. Whether on the track or off, Viper is the ultimate American sports car.

The heart of the Viper begins at its 8.0-liter, 488 cubic inch V-10 engine. It represents the only V-10 available in an automobile other than a race car. With a 4.00-inch bore and 3.88-inch stroke, it produces 450 horsepower and 490 lb.-ft. of torque. In freer-breathing ACR state of tune, the engine turns out 460 horsepower and 500 lb.-ft. of torque. No other American production car even comes close.

Air intake is through a cast aluminum manifold with formed tubes, including an integral fuel rail cored in the castings. The dual throttle bodies and bottom-fed, high-performance fuel injectors control fuel flow and mixture. Fuel is fed to the injectors by a sequential multipoint injection system.

The engine's forged aluminum pistons are set in cast iron liners. The aluminum cylinder head features a conventional two valves per cylinder with higher-revving dual valve springs.

Strip away the Viper's composite body panels and you have, in essence, a classic race-bred sports car chassis.

Viper's massive V-10 engine is mounted on what is believed to be the stiffest sports car chassis ever built. In fact, Viper owes its remarkable handling characteristics, in large part, to its excellent torsional rigidity.

The engine is cradled by two massive rectangular-tube frame rails, which turn out at the front bulkhead and continue on down the sides. Positioned between the front bulkhead and the back of the cockpit is a central backbone of smaller rectangular tubes. This is attached at the back to a cage or box that encompasses the rear suspension, a 19-gal. fuel tank, spare tire, battery and the trunk.

The fully independent front and rear suspensions feature unequal-length upper and lower "A" arms and coil-over springs made of lightweight, yet strong micro-grain alloy steel. High-performance gas-filled shocks minimize aeration.

The power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering system features positive on-center feel and a fast 16.7:1 steering ratio for quick and responsive maneuvering. Lock-to-lock is accomplished in a mere 2.4 turns.

Viper's high-performance brake system features four-piston front calipers with huge 13" x 1.26" vented rotors up front and 13" x 0.86" vented rotors at the rear. This system was specially designed to help meet the stated test-track goal of 0-100-0 mph in less than 15 seconds.

High-performance Michelin Pilot Sport tires created specifically for the Viper are instrumental in providing traction for the car's abundant horsepower and torque. These uni-directional tires, 275/35ZR18 front and 335/30ZR18 rear, are a major factor in Viper's 1g lateral acceleration capability. Tires are mounted on forged aluminum wheels with Viper logo centers (BBS forged aluminum wheels with chrome Viper Head center caps for the ACR models).