An American icon is back

As far as we are concerned, the Dodge Viper, and not the Corvette, is the most thought out, best designed and most ferocious American automobile in mass production. After a 2 year hiatus, the new, upgraded version of the Viper has been released. To be clear, we are talking about the 2013 SRT Viper GTS (the Dodge name has been dropped) that was recently unveiled at the 2012 New York International Auto Show.

The updated V10 engine has an estimated power rating of 640 horsepower at 6150 RPM, an increase of 40 horsepower over the previous generation Viper. The Viper has shed nearly 140 lbs with the use of the latest lightweight materials, including composite body panels, lighter wheels and reduction in overall engine weight. Curb weight is as little as 3300 pounds with the available SRT Track Package. The newly available performance oriented "Track Package" contributes to a 50lbs weight reduction through the use of Pirelli Corsa competition tires, two-piece brake rotors and ultra lightweight wheels. The six lug wheels are 18 x 10.5 inches in front and an absolutely massive 19 x 13 inches in the rear.

State of the art electronics are part of Viper for the first time. Included is an 8.4" color touch screen entertainment center, a cluster positioned 7" LED-backlit TFT electronic vehicle information display (EVIC) with steering wheel mounted controls. It provides a high definition presentation of performance oriented feedback to the driver, including but not limited to data for 0 to 60 mph,  0 to 100 mph, quarter and eighth mile acceleration times, braking distance, G-force duration and top speed performance. Think of it like an inbuilt VBOX. Oh and the Viper also comes with launch control. It is definitely going to need it.

We have no doubt in our mind this Viper is going to make its mark in the racing scene in the months to come. In the meanwhile, we'll just sit back and appreciate this masterful piece of engineering. Check out a video of the new Viper below.

The starting price for the new Viper is expected to be around $120,000. Considering what you get, we'd say it is a bargain.