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To say that SRT boss Ralph Gilles was unhappy with the results of our
comparison test between the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the SRT Viper GTS
would be like saying Michael Corleone was a little disappointed in his
brother Fredo. Ralph was understandably livid. After all, the largest
automotive publication in the land had just said that his new baby --
the only product in his brand's stable and the car that somehow survived
the executioner's axe during Chrysler's bankruptcy largely thanks to
his force of will was not as good as a four-year-old Chevy mere weeks
away from going out of production. Rubbing salt in that wound, with
racing great Randy Pobst at the wheel, the ZR1 set the Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca production car lap record with a time of 1:33.70, beating
the old record -- held by a Viper ACR -- of 1:33.92 in the process. I'd be upset, too.
Ralph was pissed. He Tweeted, "There is a lot more left in the car.
Randy has always struggled with the Viper." I asked Randy about this,
and he said, "Well, yeah, I've always had a hard time with cars that
don't handle well!" Then Mr. Gilles accused GM of sending us a ringer
'Vette with a juiced-up engine. When we pointed out that the two cars
were basically identical in power, weight, and straight-line
performance, Ralph brought up tires. Corvette was cheating -- the
Michelin Pilot Sport Cups gave the ZR1 an unfair advantage over the
Pirelli P Zero Corsas on the Viper GTS. For our part, we never thought
it was the tires. Having actually driven the two cars, we (meaning us
and Pobst) thought the 2-second gap in lap times (1:33.70 vs. 1:35.77,
see "Monsters' Brawl Redux," March 2013) came down to the Corvette's better brakes, and especially its superior magnetic suspension.
Here's the important part. People like Ralph
Gilles get to where they are (president and CEO of SRT and vice
president of Design for Chrysler) because when the going gets tough,
they roll up their sleeves and do something. In this case, Gilles pushed
a new car out of the gates in just nine weeks, including Christmas and
New Year's holidays. Our ZR1/Viper story went live on December 17, 2012.
We tested this new Viper on February 27, 2013. I vividly recall Ralph
tweeting MT editor-in-chief Edward Loh and me, "You forced me to build
this!" Officially, SRT says it's had this car planned all along. But
that's only half true, and according to some people at SRT with whom
I've spoken, the new Viper's second-place finish in our comparison test
sped up the new car's development by at least six months. We surmise
they were going to debut it at the upcoming 2013 L.A. Auto Show.
Emphasis on "were." We wish Ralph and the gang had called this
Creamsicle orange beauty the Viper MTS, or Motor Trend Special.
Instead, SRT went with Viper TA. If you're wondering, that last part
stands for Time Attack, though you old-timers will no doubt see it as an
homage to Trans Am. As our wise technical director, Frank Markus, so
sagely noted, "This is how you monetize social media."
What is the SRT Viper TA? Think of it like a Porsche GTS variant, be it a
911, Cayenne, or Panamera. All the go-fast, performance parts that are
optional on other models are included as standard on the Porsche GTS
version for a "low price," with one or two gotta-have extras tossed in.
For instance, the Panamera GTS can be yours for "only" $111,975. A
Panamera 4S with similar performance options stickers for more than
$116K, yet would still be down on power and have less "sportive"
suspension. Well, that's your Viper TA in a nutshell. It starts at
(around) $120,500, nicely splitting the difference between the regular
Viper ($102,000) and the GT-esque GTS ($125,000).
Standard on the TA is the $4800 Carbon Fiber
Aero Package consisting of two fangs (a two-way front splitter) and a
functional rear wing that provides 300 pounds of downforce at 150 mph.
That might sound ridiculous, but this particular snake whipped through
Laguna's turn one at more than 140 mph. You also get the most
excellent-looking taillight carbon-fiber "applique," part of the $5100
Exterior Carbon Fiber Package. The Viper TA comes standard with the
$4000 version of the Track Package (that includes the $500 charge for
matte wheels), which consists of better and lighter brakes, wheels, and
tires. There is a twist: Instead of the two-piece StopTech rotors, TAs
get beefier (twice as thick, say the engineers!) Brembo rotors up front
that are 5mm larger in diameter and weigh 2 pounds more each. The rear
brakes are also Brembos, though the same size as before. The tires are
the same Pirelli P Zero Corsas we tested on the GTS. Also like the GTS,
the Viper TA gets two-mode, remote reservoir shocks. In the GTS, you
have street and track modes; in the TA, you have two track modes, smooth
and rough. There's no street mode. That's not to say you can't drive
the TA on the street (it's totally legal to do so, unlike, say, the old
Viper ACR-X), it's just that the car has been optimized for the
racetrack. Speaking of suspension, the spring rates and anti-roll bar
tuning are TA-specific.
Like all new Vipers, the TA has an X-brace over the engine, but this one
isn't aluminum. It's carbon fiber and 2 pounds lighter. Keeping with
the weight-saving theme, all the TA's badges are stickers. This might
save half a pound, maybe. The TA's as-tested weight is 3332 pounds,
including the tow hook. (The hook and the receiver mount probably won't
make the production cars.) For comparison, the standard SRT Viper weighs
3343 pounds, and the GTS clocks in at 3362, though the first one we
tested was only 3357 -- the revised GTS has new seats. As for the
now-defunct Corvette ZR1? 3344 pounds. The only special interior bit on
the TA is orange contrast stitching. The first 33 cars off the line and
the only ones on sale in 2013 (around September) will be painted in the
Crusher Orange color you see here, a play on the classic Mopar hue,
Orange Crush (if you're wondering where they got 33 from, keep reading).
Starting in 2014, SRT will sell you a TA in black or white. There are
no interior options to speak of, though that could change. If you're
seeking luxury, it's best to get the pricier, leather-ier GTS. However,
if unadulterated performance is what you're after, think TA.
Even though the 640-hp, 600-lb-ft, 8.4-liter monster V-10 is unchanged,
the TA is the quickest Viper we've ever tested: 60 mph happens in a
scant, ZR1-beating 3.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds with
a rip-snorting trap speed of 129.3 mph. For reference, the Viper GTS on
Corsas needs 11.4 seconds at 128.7 mph, and the Corvette ZR1 takes 11.4
seconds at 128.8 mph. True, the 25-pound difference between the GTS and
the TA could be the reason (unlikely), but our testing crew's best
guess is that the revised (and softer) suspension helps the TA hook up
better. Braking from 60 mph takes just 94 feet, 1 foot longer than the
GTS and 3 feet greater than the ZR1. Around our figure eight, the Viper
broke into the 22s at 22.9 seconds, which means it's not only the
best-handling Viper we've ever seen (23.2 for the GTS), but it's quicker
than the ZR1 (23 seconds flat). In fact, 22.9 places the Viper TA at an
all-time second place (tied with the Porsche GT2 RS) just behind the
Corvette Z06, which ran 22.8 seconds. In terms of performance, the Viper
TA is absolutely world-class.
For the first time ever, I found myself behind the wheel of a Viper that
I felt wasn't actively trying to hurt me. In the great tradition of all
excellent track cars, the TA felt almost totally neutral. Sure, get on
the power too early/aggressively, and the back end will swing out.
Overcook her into a corner, and you can induce some understeer. But for
the most part, the TA was an absolute sweetheart on Laguna Seca. When we
did the original comparison with the ZR1, I complained that it was hard
to drive Viper GTS quickly on the track: "I found myself constantly
jerking and sawing at the wheel through every corner of the track."
Well, friends, that's all changed, and for the better. In the TA, you
can actually focus on the racing line, instead of keeping the car in
line. To be fair and accurate, the revised GTS and base Viper we tested
concurrently with the new TA also handle much better than previous
Vipers. But the TA is better still. Sure, for the hard-core Viper
faithful -- the kind of guys who look at a bottle of Burning Rectum Hot
Sauce and think, "yum" -- this might come across as bad news. But for
the rest of us, a better-handling, less-frightening car is an extremely
good thing.
Just ask Randy Pobst, the race car driver who
holds the production car lap record at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the
ZR1. I suppose I should amend that to "held," as Randy beat his own
record in the Viper TA. That's right, boys and girls. On February 27,
2013, Pobst went around MRLS in 1:33.62 seconds, beating his time in the
Corvette ZR1 by a miniscule 0.08 second. Talk about close! Says Randy
of the new TA, "When you grab a 640-hp Viper by the tail, the TA makes
it easier to hang on at the track and not get fanged. It's a clear step
forward towards a better, brawnier supercar." An analysis of the data
(see sidebar) shows the revised suspension and beefier brakes make the
TA better. Not the tires, as these are the very same Corsas the GTS ran
on, as we've mentioned. Sure, there's that weight difference, but
there's no way 25 pounds equals 2.15 seconds on a 2.2-mile track. What
does? A better-handling car.
As for breaking his own record, Randy was short and to the point.
"Frankly, I was inspired by the passion for performance of the SRT team,
and I worked hard for that time." He continues, "My nature is to always
push for more. And we got it -- by a hair!" Ralph Gilles was half
right, then -- there was more left in the Viper. But the problem wasn't
Randy. As for us folks here at Motor Trend, this is a best-case
scenario. We go out of our way to tell it like it is, and we take a lot
of heat from OEMs (and you commenter types) for doing so. But when our
criticisms can help push and inspire carmakers to build better cars, we
consider that a job well-done. So, yes, we're taking some credit for
prodding SRT to build a better Viper. Better is actually an
understatement, as the new SRT Viper TA is quicker around Laguna Seca
than any Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, McLaren, or Corvette. That's the
very definition of world-beater. We're naturally quite interested in
Corvette's reaction to Ralph's thrown gauntlet. But until that steroidal
C7 variant arrives, hats off to SRT. Just remember, you heard it here
first.
19. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 1:38.82
18. 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 1:38.70
17. 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 1:36.77
16. 2012 Lexus LFA 1:36.39
15. 2012 Audi R8 GT 1:36.39
14. 2012 Nissan GT-R 1:36.35
13. 2103 Nissan GT-R Black Edition 1:36.34
12. 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia 1:36.22
11. 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 1:35.83
10. 2013 SRT Viper GTS* 1:35.77
9. 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 1:35.40
8. 2008 Dodge Viper ACR 1:35.12
7. 2013 SRT Viper 1:34.63
6. 2012 McLaren MP4-12C 1:34.50
5. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 1:34.43
4. 2013 SRT Viper GTS 1:34.23
3. 2010 Dodge Viper ACR** 1:33.92
2. 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 1:33.70
1. 2013 SRT Viper TA 1:33.62
To say that SRT boss Ralph Gilles was unhappy with the results of our
comparison test between the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and the SRT Viper GTS
would be like saying Michael Corleone was a little disappointed in his
brother Fredo. Ralph was understandably livid. After all, the largest
automotive publication in the land had just said that his new baby --
the only product in his brand's stable and the car that somehow survived
the executioner's axe during Chrysler's bankruptcy largely thanks to
his force of will was not as good as a four-year-old Chevy mere weeks
away from going out of production. Rubbing salt in that wound, with
racing great Randy Pobst at the wheel, the ZR1 set the Mazda Raceway
Laguna Seca production car lap record with a time of 1:33.70, beating
the old record -- held by a Viper ACR -- of 1:33.92 in the process. I'd be upset, too.
Ralph was pissed. He Tweeted, "There is a lot more left in the car.
Randy has always struggled with the Viper." I asked Randy about this,
and he said, "Well, yeah, I've always had a hard time with cars that
don't handle well!" Then Mr. Gilles accused GM of sending us a ringer
'Vette with a juiced-up engine. When we pointed out that the two cars
were basically identical in power, weight, and straight-line
performance, Ralph brought up tires. Corvette was cheating -- the
Michelin Pilot Sport Cups gave the ZR1 an unfair advantage over the
Pirelli P Zero Corsas on the Viper GTS. For our part, we never thought
it was the tires. Having actually driven the two cars, we (meaning us
and Pobst) thought the 2-second gap in lap times (1:33.70 vs. 1:35.77,
see "Monsters' Brawl Redux," March 2013) came down to the Corvette's better brakes, and especially its superior magnetic suspension.
What is the SRT Viper TA? Think of it like a Porsche GTS variant, be it a
911, Cayenne, or Panamera. All the go-fast, performance parts that are
optional on other models are included as standard on the Porsche GTS
version for a "low price," with one or two gotta-have extras tossed in.
For instance, the Panamera GTS can be yours for "only" $111,975. A
Panamera 4S with similar performance options stickers for more than
$116K, yet would still be down on power and have less "sportive"
suspension. Well, that's your Viper TA in a nutshell. It starts at
(around) $120,500, nicely splitting the difference between the regular
Viper ($102,000) and the GT-esque GTS ($125,000).
Standard on the TA is the $4800 Carbon Fiber
Aero Package consisting of two fangs (a two-way front splitter) and a
functional rear wing that provides 300 pounds of downforce at 150 mph.
That might sound ridiculous, but this particular snake whipped through
Laguna's turn one at more than 140 mph. You also get the most
excellent-looking taillight carbon-fiber "applique," part of the $5100
Exterior Carbon Fiber Package. The Viper TA comes standard with the
$4000 version of the Track Package (that includes the $500 charge for
matte wheels), which consists of better and lighter brakes, wheels, and
tires. There is a twist: Instead of the two-piece StopTech rotors, TAs
get beefier (twice as thick, say the engineers!) Brembo rotors up front
that are 5mm larger in diameter and weigh 2 pounds more each. The rear
brakes are also Brembos, though the same size as before. The tires are
the same Pirelli P Zero Corsas we tested on the GTS. Also like the GTS,
the Viper TA gets two-mode, remote reservoir shocks. In the GTS, you
have street and track modes; in the TA, you have two track modes, smooth
and rough. There's no street mode. That's not to say you can't drive
the TA on the street (it's totally legal to do so, unlike, say, the old
Viper ACR-X), it's just that the car has been optimized for the
racetrack. Speaking of suspension, the spring rates and anti-roll bar
tuning are TA-specific.
Like all new Vipers, the TA has an X-brace over the engine, but this one
isn't aluminum. It's carbon fiber and 2 pounds lighter. Keeping with
the weight-saving theme, all the TA's badges are stickers. This might
save half a pound, maybe. The TA's as-tested weight is 3332 pounds,
including the tow hook. (The hook and the receiver mount probably won't
make the production cars.) For comparison, the standard SRT Viper weighs
3343 pounds, and the GTS clocks in at 3362, though the first one we
tested was only 3357 -- the revised GTS has new seats. As for the
now-defunct Corvette ZR1? 3344 pounds. The only special interior bit on
the TA is orange contrast stitching. The first 33 cars off the line and
the only ones on sale in 2013 (around September) will be painted in the
Crusher Orange color you see here, a play on the classic Mopar hue,
Orange Crush (if you're wondering where they got 33 from, keep reading).
Starting in 2014, SRT will sell you a TA in black or white. There are
no interior options to speak of, though that could change. If you're
seeking luxury, it's best to get the pricier, leather-ier GTS. However,
if unadulterated performance is what you're after, think TA.
Even though the 640-hp, 600-lb-ft, 8.4-liter monster V-10 is unchanged,
the TA is the quickest Viper we've ever tested: 60 mph happens in a
scant, ZR1-beating 3.3 seconds and the quarter mile in 11.3 seconds with
a rip-snorting trap speed of 129.3 mph. For reference, the Viper GTS on
Corsas needs 11.4 seconds at 128.7 mph, and the Corvette ZR1 takes 11.4
seconds at 128.8 mph. True, the 25-pound difference between the GTS and
the TA could be the reason (unlikely), but our testing crew's best
guess is that the revised (and softer) suspension helps the TA hook up
better. Braking from 60 mph takes just 94 feet, 1 foot longer than the
GTS and 3 feet greater than the ZR1. Around our figure eight, the Viper
broke into the 22s at 22.9 seconds, which means it's not only the
best-handling Viper we've ever seen (23.2 for the GTS), but it's quicker
than the ZR1 (23 seconds flat). In fact, 22.9 places the Viper TA at an
all-time second place (tied with the Porsche GT2 RS) just behind the
Corvette Z06, which ran 22.8 seconds. In terms of performance, the Viper
TA is absolutely world-class.
For the first time ever, I found myself behind the wheel of a Viper that
I felt wasn't actively trying to hurt me. In the great tradition of all
excellent track cars, the TA felt almost totally neutral. Sure, get on
the power too early/aggressively, and the back end will swing out.
Overcook her into a corner, and you can induce some understeer. But for
the most part, the TA was an absolute sweetheart on Laguna Seca. When we
did the original comparison with the ZR1, I complained that it was hard
to drive Viper GTS quickly on the track: "I found myself constantly
jerking and sawing at the wheel through every corner of the track."
Well, friends, that's all changed, and for the better. In the TA, you
can actually focus on the racing line, instead of keeping the car in
line. To be fair and accurate, the revised GTS and base Viper we tested
concurrently with the new TA also handle much better than previous
Vipers. But the TA is better still. Sure, for the hard-core Viper
faithful -- the kind of guys who look at a bottle of Burning Rectum Hot
Sauce and think, "yum" -- this might come across as bad news. But for
the rest of us, a better-handling, less-frightening car is an extremely
good thing.
As for breaking his own record, Randy was short and to the point.
"Frankly, I was inspired by the passion for performance of the SRT team,
and I worked hard for that time." He continues, "My nature is to always
push for more. And we got it -- by a hair!" Ralph Gilles was half
right, then -- there was more left in the Viper. But the problem wasn't
Randy. As for us folks here at Motor Trend, this is a best-case
scenario. We go out of our way to tell it like it is, and we take a lot
of heat from OEMs (and you commenter types) for doing so. But when our
criticisms can help push and inspire carmakers to build better cars, we
consider that a job well-done. So, yes, we're taking some credit for
prodding SRT to build a better Viper. Better is actually an
understatement, as the new SRT Viper TA is quicker around Laguna Seca
than any Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, McLaren, or Corvette. That's the
very definition of world-beater. We're naturally quite interested in
Corvette's reaction to Ralph's thrown gauntlet. But until that steroidal
C7 variant arrives, hats off to SRT. Just remember, you heard it here
first.
| 2014 SRT Viper TA | |
| BASE PRICE | $120,500 (est) |
| VEHICLE LAYOUT | Front-engine, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door hatchback |
| ENGINE | 8.4L/640-hp/600-lb-ft OHV 20-valve V-10 |
| TRANSMISSION | 6-speed manual |
| CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) | 3332 lb (50/50%) |
| WHEELBASE | 98.8 in |
| LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT | 175.7 x 76.4 x 49.1 in |
| 0-60 MPH | 3.3 sec |
| QUARTER MILE | 11.3 sec @ 129.3 mph |
| BRAKING, 60-0 MPH | 94 ft |
| LATERAL ACCELERATION | 1.10 g (avg) |
| MT FIGURE EIGHT | 22.9 sec @ 0.95 g (avg) |
| EPA CITY/HWY FUEL ECON | 12/19 mpg |
| ENERGY CONS., CITY/HWY | 281/171 kW-hrs/100 miles |
| CO2 EMISSIONS | 1.35 lb/mi |
Top 20 Cars Around Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
The following MRLS lap times were gathered at our annual Best Driver's Car competition, save for numbers one and three. In fact, Randy Pobst was in the driver's seat for 19 of the top 20 laps. You'll notice that seven of the top 15 have V-10 engines, but only one isn't a Mopar product. There are three Corvettes on the list and one hopped-up Mustang. Meaning that American supercars dominate Laguna Seca in a very big way. Europe? Japan? You got anything to say for yourselves? 20. 2013 Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series Coupe 1:38.9019. 2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG 1:38.82
18. 2013 Ford Shelby GT500 1:38.70
17. 2011 Porsche 911 GT3 RS 1:36.77
16. 2012 Lexus LFA 1:36.39
15. 2012 Audi R8 GT 1:36.39
14. 2012 Nissan GT-R 1:36.35
13. 2103 Nissan GT-R Black Edition 1:36.34
12. 2010 Ferrari 458 Italia 1:36.22
11. 2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 1:35.83
10. 2013 SRT Viper GTS* 1:35.77
9. 2012 Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4 1:35.40
8. 2008 Dodge Viper ACR 1:35.12
7. 2013 SRT Viper 1:34.63
6. 2012 McLaren MP4-12C 1:34.50
5. 2012 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 1:34.43
4. 2013 SRT Viper GTS 1:34.23
3. 2010 Dodge Viper ACR** 1:33.92
2. 2013 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 1:33.70
1. 2013 SRT Viper TA 1:33.62
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