SRT

Dodge is wrapping up production of its HEMI-powered muscle cars. Now, Mopar is adding a special package to dress up the historic last high-performance vehicles.

Let me start off at bat: Don Marchionne is a great man. Period. I didn’t agree with him with his paltry 5 year electrification plan for FCA Group, but with his expedited departure, we can now look back with definitive successes and failures. This is how the Era of Sergio Marchionne came to an end, and the Era of Jeep begins as the dominant force in the car industry, perhaps to equal that of Goliath General Motors, now that Jeep takes the world stage.

Sergio Marchionne, CEO of FCA Chrysler laid out a 5 Year Plan to investors in Italy last month that will be his swan song before leaving in April 2019. Investors were eager to know what his plans were to electrify the entire portfolio. He gave few details other than throwing money and some numbers. But this week he leaves it to his minions at Maserati and Alfa Romeo to hash the details as to how the Ítalo-American auto company will become electrified.

Subaru Levorg’s score one-two in first BTCC race of the season. Can Sutton repeat as Champion in 2018?

After featuring a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat owner who was able to run an 11.08 ¼ mile time with a 100% stock-to-the-tires car, today we bring you a look at a Hellcat Charger owner who was able to run slightly quicker in stock form – seemingly making this car and driver combination the quickest of the Hellcat community in stock form.

The SEMA Show has announced their awards for the “Hottest” vehicles of the 2016 show, with the Dodge Charger being named the inaugural Hottest Sedan of SEMA while the Jeep Wrangler claimed the title of the Hottest SUV of SEMA for the 7th straight year – allowing the Jeep to remain the only SUV to win the title since it was introduced back in 2010.

Earlier this week, the Chrysler Group and the makers of PlayStation’s Gran Turismo 6 introduced the SRT Tomahawk; the newest member of the Vision Gran Turismo series and unquestionably one of most amazing concept cars that we have seen from the Chrysler Group - perhaps ever.

America wants a Jeep Grand Cherokee Hellcat. The only question is can it work for Fiat Chrysler America?

The news that the Chrysler Group is discontinuing the SRT brand has lead to a great many reports of the Street and Racing Technology branch being “dead” and while things are certainly changing a great deal within the company structure – the SRT division is alive and well with a collection of new models set to hit the market in the next five years.

When the SRT Viper Time Attack model was introduced last year, it built specifically onto the “base model” SRT Viper, but the Chrysler Group announced today that the new Time Attack Group for the Anodized Carbon Special Edition Package will bring some of the enhancements of the Viper TA to the Viper GTS in the stunning matte black paint.

I had a conversation today with an industry insider who explained to me that he was working with a Dodge Challenger powered by the new Hellcat Hemi - a car which those folks handling the car explained was being used for durability testing for the upcoming Cuda.

The news hit the wire late last night that the SRT Viper GTS-R race teams had declined the invitation to participate in the 2014 24 Hours of LeMans endurance race in France and while this really isnt a big deal in the grand scheme of the auto industry, this is a big deal for the racing community – particularly at the fan level.

The Chrysler Group has announced that the Connor Avenue Assembly Plant where the SRT Viper is built will be idled for 9 weeks starting next month to help the company burn through inventory already on hand while also performing any changes that need to be made for the start of the 2015 model year Viper production run.

For the second time in the 2014 Tudor United Sports Car Championship, an SRT Viper GTS-R finished on the podium as the #93 Viper finished 2nd in the GTLM class at the 12 Hours of Sebring race – also beating the Corvette Racing program for the second in two races.

Although the SRT Viper GTS-R teams managed a best finish of 3rd place at the recent Rolex 24 at Daytona, the governing body of endurance racing has issued what they call a “Balance of Performance Adjustments” for the Viper teams that will limit their performance going forward with the 2014 season.

The #91 SRT Viper GTS-R was part of the SRT display at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show in the exact form that it finished complete with all of the grime that comes with a 24 hour long race, but sadly, some disrespectful show goers took it up themselves to desecrate the mighty Viper race car.

As the 2014 Chicago Auto Show opened this morning in the Windy City, the new Satin Vapor Edition of the Dodge Challenger SRT, Dodge Charger SRT and the Chrysler 300C SRT arrive with a sharp exterior look for those who want some uniqueness from their Mopar muscle car.

While the SRT Viper GTS-R teams that took to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway for the 2014 Rolex 24 weren’t able to repeat the victory posted by the Viper team back in 2000, this week proved to be a very successful return to the legendary event for the modern Viper race program – finishing 3rd in class, 12th overall and beating both of the Chevrolet Corvette C7R teams.

The mighty Viper GTS-R has returned to the Rolex 24 hour race at Daytona International Speedway after a 14 year absence and the Mopar supercar picked up right where it left off – claiming the top spot in the GTLM class thanks to a strong qualifying run by driver Marc Goossens.

Nestled within the sprawling “Mopar Garage” at the 2014 North American International Auto Show was the 2014 SRT Viper shown above in a gorgeous new Stryker Green Tri Coat paint – a color choice which I believe makes this particular Viper the best looking of the new Mopar supercars while the new GT package adds performance to the "base model" Viper.

The 2013 calendar year has come to an end and with that comes the end of the first year where the 2013 SRT Viper was available to buyers and in that shortened year the Chrysler Group moved just 591 units – but those numbers are expected to grow through the 2014 calendar year as the company is able to answer more direct vehicle orders.

Next month’s Russo and Steele Collector Automobile Auction in Scottsdale Arizona will feature a unique 2013 SRT Viper GTS that has been designed for the Sons of Italy Foundation with a unique interior and exterior design that reflects the colors of the Italian flag – with the proceeds of the Viper auction going to support the Sons of Italy charity.

Some critics have questioned the slow sales of the new SRT Viper but SRT boss Ralph Gilles believes that this isn’t a problem with lack of demand as much as it is a fact of the dealerships pre-ordering Vipers that buyers don’t want - thus clogging up the production process and forcing those buyers ordering new Vipers to wait for their ideal Mopar supercar.

The 2014 SRT Viper Time Attack coupe is sure to be the best performing of the modern Viper lineup and a new report suggests that the upcoming TA model will be offered in greater numbers – and more colors – than originally expected when the hottest Viper debuted at the New York Auto Show.

Among the big debuts at the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show is the 2014 SRT Viper Anodized Carbon Special Edition – a super sinister looking limited edition package for the new Mopar supercar that will be available to just 50 buyers.

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.

The Chrysler Group introduced a contest of sorts last month to help name the new blue exterior paint that is offered on the 2014 SRT Viper and with the sweepstakes entering the final week of the contest – the three finalist naming ideas have been posted for voting on the DriveSRT.com website.

The Chrysler Group has just announced that the 2014 SRT Viper will come with a new blue hue but they don’t have a name – leading them to organize a contest to name the new Viper blue with the grand prize being a trip to the 2014 Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway.

As we head into what is expected to be a rough winter, Chrysler has decided to cut production of the SRT Viper by 30% as the industry hits the slow season for supercar sales.

The Chrysler Group’s Street and Racing Technology Division has announced that the first Viper GT3-R race car is being prepared for Ben Keating’s race team with the expected debut coming at the Rolex 24 at Daytona Motor Speedway in January 2014.