The New 2014 SRT Viper Blue Gets a Not-So-Exciting Name

After holding a month long contest to name the gorgeous new blue hue that will grace the color palate of the 2014 SRT Viper, the Chrysler Group has settled on a name that isn’t quite as “out of the box” as we would have expected from a contest tapping fans of the brand for suggestions.

In early October, the Chrysler Group’s Street and Racing Technology brand launched a contest to come up with a name for the striking new blue color option for the 2014 SRT Viper that you see here. It is a gorgeous, eye catching color that deserves a special name and to get that special name for a car as special as the 2014 Viper, the folks from the SRT brand turned to the sprawling Mopar enthusiast world for suggestions. The contest idea worked and over 11,000 visitors to the DriveSRT website offered up their idea as to what would be the ideal name for this new blue and three finalists were chosen – Competition Blue, Viral Blue and Overtaking Blue. From there, a poll on the SRT website allowed fans to vote for their favorite of those three and when the votes were added up, Competition Blue was named the winner.

"This contest demonstrates just how strong and vocal the SRT and Viper community is; to receive more than 11,000 entries was rewarding. This contest was created for our brand loyalists to make them a part of SRT history," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – SRT (Street and Racing Technology) Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. "We're looking forward to seeing Competition Blue drape the skin of the 2014 SRT Viper."

Now, I should specify that there is certainly nothing wrong with the name Competition Blue and in the long run, the fact that the color looks so awesome on the 2014 SRT Viper is more important than the name itself. However, I feel that the company could have looked to pick something a little “jazzier” and in all fairness, Competition Blue certainly seems like a name that someone on the Chrysler Group payroll could have suggested. Competition Blue is a fine name but I really expected something that would stick in your mind - a color that would make you think “wow…that’s an awesome name for that color”. It should also be pointed out that the fans voted on the color chosen so if nothing else, we can blame the fans for picking a name that isn't likely to become remembered like famous hues such as Plum Crazy, Sublime or Go ManGo.

Whether or not the new 2014 SRT Viper blue could have been named something more exciting, one lucky SRT fan from the Chicago area has won a trip to the Rolex 24 in Daytona for his part in naming Competition Blue. Patryk Skarzynski and a friend will get to fly to Daytona in January for the race and a personal meet and greet with some of the SRT design team members – all while decked out in the cutting edge of SRT and Viper branded apparel. Mr. Skarzynski will also be forever able to brag to his friends that he named one of the color options for the SRT Viper and that alone is something that most gearheads would love to be able to claim.