Hot Wheels reveals the 2013 SRT Viper, or does it?

There is no question that the blurry image on the right has a greenhouse and rear end that looks a great deal like the previous shape of the Dodge Viper. The long hood, wide stance, and short roofline certainly look like a car that could wear the Viper name with a front end that very well could be the 2013 SRT Viper. However, there are a few discrepancies based on the first teaser of the new Viper. (Click here for a look at that firs teaser image of the new Viper)

At the front of the hood of the possible 2013 SRT Viper toy in the image, the car does wear the central scoop that leads down to what looks to be the new Viper logo; flanked by what looks to be an additional opening on each side of the hood. However, the angle of the headlights in this new toy image does not appear to match those seen in the official Chrysler teaser picture. Also, the car in this new image looks as though it wears a massive grille opening – not the familiar crosshair grille that has been a mainstay on the Viper since being introduced in the early 1990s. The Chrysler Group has made a distinct effort to remove the “Dodge” name from the mighty Viper as it becomes the halo vehicle of the new SRT brand but would Chrysler go so far as to remove the crosshairs that are currently associated with the Dodge brand?

It is a very safe bet to say that the Hot Wheels brand will be offering plenty of toys variations of the new 2013 SRT Viper but in my opinion, the side lines and rear end of this car look too much like the 2nd generation Viper GTS Coupe to be the 2013 Viper. Now, there is a chance that Chrysler went for an exterior design very much like the older Viper models with a revised front end but there is also a chance that Hot Wheels had a designer draw up a car to stand in for the 2013 Viper before the actual car and toys are revealed. If you really look at this image and fight through the blurriness, you can see the doors, roofline and rear end of the 2000 Viper GTS Coupe; the hood and front end shape of the last generation Viper SRT-10 with a front fascia design heavily influenced by the current Ferrari lineup. Finally, while Hot Wheels is best known for their replicas of actual vehicles, the company also offers vehicles that do not exist in the real world with catchy names of their own. Could the sports car in this image simply be a uniquely designed Hot Wheels exclusive model that happens to look like the Dodge Viper…or is this really our first good look at the 2013 SRT Viper in its entirety?

The 2013 SRT Viper is set to make its grand debut in early April at the 2012 New York Auto Show so in just over a month, we will know if this picture was the first public look at the new Viper or if this grainy image got the hopeful gears of the world excited for nothing.

Source: Fans of the DriveSRT Facebook page