You just throw your “flagship”, you vainglory him, you proud and all of a sudden you find that a magazine is proved against an opponent much older, about to be discontinued, and the old product which takes the victory. Would you be angry?
Well that’s pretty much what happened to Ralph Gilles. SRT CEO was very pleased with the new Viper, until MotorTrend, the best-selling magazine in the United States, compared with the Corvette ZR1 (which stops making now) in Laguna Seca.
Ralph Gilles is not of those bosses who sit in his chair idly. If you have to do something and risk, it does.
In the circuit, in the hands of a professional driver Randy Pobst, the Chevrolet ZR1 marked a 1:33,70; pounding by more than two seconds the current Viper, and erasing step Viper ACR’s record, I had the fastest lap on that track.
Could not believe Ralph Gilles, and took action. First examined the situation, criticizing the capabilities of the pilot, because in his view “Randy has always been to take full advantage of the Viper”. He then commented that the ZR1 Pilot Sport Cup gave important quantitative advantage over the much more civilized PZero Corsa SRT.
But not himself see Ralph finished his arguments convinced the minds of fans. So he set to work. Because Gilles is well, and that’s one of the darlings of Marchionne: when the going gets tough, act.
SRT already had plans to launch a version of the Viper prestacional medium term, but Gilles decided to speed things up. Much. So much so that today we bring here the new SRT Viper TA.
From him only 33 units will be produced (33, the second on the minute, on paper, had to spend on a ride at Laguna Seca), and its acronym reference SRT Viper TA / Time Atack. Clearer water, right?
Integrates numerous SRT Viper TA accessories catalog parts for the Viper SRT such as carbon fiber spoiler on the tailgate, remote reservoir shocks with external, with two operating modes: smooth circuit and bumpy circuit (yes, nothing so “civil”). Brembo Brakes fatter, lighter wheels and forged, and reinforcement arm on the engine under the hood, made of carbon fiber instead of aluminum.
But Ralph sent the car to Randy and the guys at MotorTrend so that it squeezed in Laguna Seca. The result? 1:33,62; victory in the bag, record, and everyone is happy.
Well, not all: in Chevrolet sure this has not been amused. Clear that they still have a year or so to get your new ZR1, and that certainly again give us another chapter in this struggle.
I’ll leave you with the video of the new SRT Viper TA record:
