Production of the Dodge Viper was stopped back on October 7. While it wasn’t official, many people expected that the last Viper built back in October would be the final 2017 Viper – but while speaking with the Detroit News , Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis effectively announced that production of Detroit’s only supercar* will restart before the end of 2016.
Kuniskis explained that when production was halted back on October 7, it was due to a lack of components, and that the supplier shortage was severe enough that FCA was concerned about not being able to fulfill existing orders. Headlights were in short order, as were some of the carbon fiber body parts of the popular Viper ACR.
With those shortages handled, FCA is preparing to restart production of the Dodge Viper at their Connor Avenue Assembly Plant and the company plans to reopen the order banks before the end of 2016, giving everyone one last chance to order a fully customized Dodge Viper before it ends for good.
I have seen a handful of questions online about what this last run might entail — which trimlines will be available, how long they will be able to order a new Viper, how many cars will be made in this final run, and if there will be any more special editions for what appears to be the end of the line for the Detroit supercar.
We reached out to FCA, and learned that the final production plans are still being worked out. The company is looking at the components that they have available and what they can “easily” acquire – how many cars they can piece together with inventory on hand. Because they have not finished this process, it is unclear which Dodge Viper trimlines will be available. The more basic models with shared components – like the base Viper SRT and the Viper GT – should both be offered, but the added features of the GTS and ACR could lead to fewer of those cars being available.
Along similar lines, the company doesn’t know just how long the order banks will be open; until they know how many cars they can build, they don’t know how long they will be taking orders. If dealers receive a flood of orders right away, the banks probably won’t be open for long, so if you want to make sure that you are able to order one of the final 2017 Dodge Vipers, you will want to head to your local dealership as soon as possible – probably with cash in hand.
Finally, Dodge was able to confirm that there are no more plans for more special edition 2017 Dodge Vipers. Some had speculated that there would be a “final edition” Viper along with the six special edition Vipers which sold out earlier this year .
In short, you will be able to order a 2017 Dodge Viper to your exact specifications (assuming they have the parts for your preferred car) before the end of 2016, but it is unclear how long the order bank will be open, how many more cars will be built, and which trimlines will be offered. This final run and order period are likely to be very short indeed.
* Before anyone brings up the Ford GT, we remind you that the Dodge Viper is made within the Detroit city limits.
Kuniskis explained that when production was halted back on October 7, it was due to a lack of components, and that the supplier shortage was severe enough that FCA was concerned about not being able to fulfill existing orders. Headlights were in short order, as were some of the carbon fiber body parts of the popular Viper ACR.
With those shortages handled, FCA is preparing to restart production of the Dodge Viper at their Connor Avenue Assembly Plant and the company plans to reopen the order banks before the end of 2016, giving everyone one last chance to order a fully customized Dodge Viper before it ends for good.
I have seen a handful of questions online about what this last run might entail — which trimlines will be available, how long they will be able to order a new Viper, how many cars will be made in this final run, and if there will be any more special editions for what appears to be the end of the line for the Detroit supercar.
We reached out to FCA, and learned that the final production plans are still being worked out. The company is looking at the components that they have available and what they can “easily” acquire – how many cars they can piece together with inventory on hand. Because they have not finished this process, it is unclear which Dodge Viper trimlines will be available. The more basic models with shared components – like the base Viper SRT and the Viper GT – should both be offered, but the added features of the GTS and ACR could lead to fewer of those cars being available.
Along similar lines, the company doesn’t know just how long the order banks will be open; until they know how many cars they can build, they don’t know how long they will be taking orders. If dealers receive a flood of orders right away, the banks probably won’t be open for long, so if you want to make sure that you are able to order one of the final 2017 Dodge Vipers, you will want to head to your local dealership as soon as possible – probably with cash in hand.
Finally, Dodge was able to confirm that there are no more plans for more special edition 2017 Dodge Vipers. Some had speculated that there would be a “final edition” Viper along with the six special edition Vipers which sold out earlier this year .
In short, you will be able to order a 2017 Dodge Viper to your exact specifications (assuming they have the parts for your preferred car) before the end of 2016, but it is unclear how long the order bank will be open, how many more cars will be built, and which trimlines will be offered. This final run and order period are likely to be very short indeed.
* Before anyone brings up the Ford GT, we remind you that the Dodge Viper is made within the Detroit city limits.