Steve Hoelscher
True Classic
Yep. A Fiat Viper ACR-X.
I drove a 640 HP Fiat today. Seriously.
- Thread starter Steve Hoelscher
- Start date
Lambertta X1/9
Michael L
Cool
Then that means I have a 330hp FIAT Crossfire SRT6! lol
Then that means I have a 330hp FIAT Crossfire SRT6! lol
///Mike
'76 & '85
Surprisingly capable cars, really. Had a student with one a while back and was amazed at the nimbleness of that heavy pig (relative to what I prefer).
Still sounds like a UPS truck though. ;-)
///Mike
PS: the owner also had an original early Viper roadster with a built motor and a blower added for good measure. That one idled like the proverbial coffee can full of rocks and it'd lay you back in the seat just a bit, but it was the ACR that impressed on the track. Am doing a few Viper events these days but still amazed at the number of owners who add significant amounts of twist to an already torquey car. Their starter motors prolly make more torque than an X...
Still sounds like a UPS truck though. ;-)
///Mike
PS: the owner also had an original early Viper roadster with a built motor and a blower added for good measure. That one idled like the proverbial coffee can full of rocks and it'd lay you back in the seat just a bit, but it was the ACR that impressed on the track. Am doing a few Viper events these days but still amazed at the number of owners who add significant amounts of twist to an already torquey car. Their starter motors prolly make more torque than an X...
Black-Tooth
Tony Natoli
Hmmmm... I am assuming then...
... yur saying this Viper HANDLED as well as your FIAT, even with its 640 hp!
(I gotta say, if yur gonna build an engine bigger than a V8... why would ya stop at 10 cylinders? Also, these cars photograph terribly... but just look AWESOME in person! I dunno why that is...)
... yur saying this Viper HANDLED as well as your FIAT, even with its 640 hp!
(I gotta say, if yur gonna build an engine bigger than a V8... why would ya stop at 10 cylinders? Also, these cars photograph terribly... but just look AWESOME in person! I dunno why that is...)
Steve Hoelscher
True Classic
Viper ACR-X
Why stop at 10 cylinders? Because that's already 8.4 liters!
You are right, they are not photogenic. They are quite beautiful. And I should point out that these are not Viper ACRs. They are VIper ACR-Xs. There is a very big difference. First, they start with a standard (if you can call a Viper ACR "standard") Viper ACR. It is then completely rebuilt as a full on racecar, including roll cage, race seat, harness, race steering wheel, fuel cell, Brembo brakes, double adjustable coil over shocks, front splitter, wing, race wheels, slicks, etc... They also delete the air bags, A/C, heater, ducting, radio, etc... Its as much a racecar as Porsche's GT3 Cup.
http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/d/123672-4/01-viper-acr-x-press.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/10/2010-dodge-viper-acr-x-ready-to-fill-your-track-rat-spec-racing/
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2008/nopq/2008-Porsche-911-GT3-Cup-Front-And-Side-1024x768.jpg
Why stop at 10 cylinders? Because that's already 8.4 liters!
You are right, they are not photogenic. They are quite beautiful. And I should point out that these are not Viper ACRs. They are VIper ACR-Xs. There is a very big difference. First, they start with a standard (if you can call a Viper ACR "standard") Viper ACR. It is then completely rebuilt as a full on racecar, including roll cage, race seat, harness, race steering wheel, fuel cell, Brembo brakes, double adjustable coil over shocks, front splitter, wing, race wheels, slicks, etc... They also delete the air bags, A/C, heater, ducting, radio, etc... Its as much a racecar as Porsche's GT3 Cup.
http://www.autoguide.com/gallery/d/123672-4/01-viper-acr-x-press.jpg
http://www.autoblog.com/2009/12/10/2010-dodge-viper-acr-x-ready-to-fill-your-track-rat-spec-racing/
http://www.seriouswheels.com/pics-2008/nopq/2008-Porsche-911-GT3-Cup-Front-And-Side-1024x768.jpg
Steve Hoelscher
True Classic
Amazing car
Dodge had the standard ACR there for comparison. The ACR is a remarkable performance car in its own right. However, the ACR-X is pure racecar. It is an order of magnitude beyond the ACR.
The first thing you notice about the car is its size. The long hood makes it feel big but its really not. Its about the size of a Mustang, which is certainly bigger than my racecars but its not a big car. It is heavy at 3300 lbs and you do notice the weight but the power and grip make up for it.
Speaking of power... 640HP is adequate. Like Bill Gate's money is adequate. To understand how much power this car makes, realize that one Viper ACR-X makes as much power as the entire grid of H-Production cars at last year's SCCA Runoffs. Think about that for a moment.
On cold tires the car is a real hand full. It has enough power to light up the Michelin slicks in 3rd gear until they are hot. Once the tires start to come in the grip is excessive. I never got that close to the limits as I didn't want an off in someone else's brand new $100,000+ racecar. The car drove very nicely, had massive acceleration all the way to the 140+ mph peak speed at GingerMan. Like most Vipers and Corvettes I have driven, the car doesn't communicate its grip level that well. The rear of the car sticks tenaciously until it breaks away and it does so with little warning. The slide is easy to drive with all of that power but its a little intimidating to not know when the rear is going to step out. I assume that I would be able to read it better with experience and setup.
The car has a lot of aero grip so the grip goes up with speed. This is counter-intuitive so you have to drive faster into fast corners and slower into slow corners. Again, somewhat intimidating.
Steering is typical Viper. Direct and accurate but little if any feedback. its hard to tell what the big Michelin slicks are doing but the car's tendency is to understeer, which is a good thing in this car.
Brakes are as brutal as the power. Hit either the throttle or the brakes and you are propelled either into the harness or the seat with equal force. Truly amazing. For perspective, this car runs 60 to 120 mph faster than most performance cars run 0-60.
All in all, its a brute, which is what Vipers have always been. But is a very good brute.
Dodge had the standard ACR there for comparison. The ACR is a remarkable performance car in its own right. However, the ACR-X is pure racecar. It is an order of magnitude beyond the ACR.
The first thing you notice about the car is its size. The long hood makes it feel big but its really not. Its about the size of a Mustang, which is certainly bigger than my racecars but its not a big car. It is heavy at 3300 lbs and you do notice the weight but the power and grip make up for it.
Speaking of power... 640HP is adequate. Like Bill Gate's money is adequate. To understand how much power this car makes, realize that one Viper ACR-X makes as much power as the entire grid of H-Production cars at last year's SCCA Runoffs. Think about that for a moment.
On cold tires the car is a real hand full. It has enough power to light up the Michelin slicks in 3rd gear until they are hot. Once the tires start to come in the grip is excessive. I never got that close to the limits as I didn't want an off in someone else's brand new $100,000+ racecar. The car drove very nicely, had massive acceleration all the way to the 140+ mph peak speed at GingerMan. Like most Vipers and Corvettes I have driven, the car doesn't communicate its grip level that well. The rear of the car sticks tenaciously until it breaks away and it does so with little warning. The slide is easy to drive with all of that power but its a little intimidating to not know when the rear is going to step out. I assume that I would be able to read it better with experience and setup.
The car has a lot of aero grip so the grip goes up with speed. This is counter-intuitive so you have to drive faster into fast corners and slower into slow corners. Again, somewhat intimidating.
Steering is typical Viper. Direct and accurate but little if any feedback. its hard to tell what the big Michelin slicks are doing but the car's tendency is to understeer, which is a good thing in this car.
Brakes are as brutal as the power. Hit either the throttle or the brakes and you are propelled either into the harness or the seat with equal force. Truly amazing. For perspective, this car runs 60 to 120 mph faster than most performance cars run 0-60.
All in all, its a brute, which is what Vipers have always been. But is a very good brute.
///Mike
'76 & '85
Intended for a single-marque race series, I believe. Sort of a Ferrari Challenge for Dodges.
///Mike
Steve Hoelscher
True Classic
Yep
Yep, that's why I was there. Dodge was rolling out the ACR-X and launching the ACR-X Challenge Series.
Yep, that's why I was there. Dodge was rolling out the ACR-X and launching the ACR-X Challenge Series.
fiatmonkey
Tim Hoover
"Fiat Viper" I sort of like the sound of that!
Black-Tooth
Tony Natoli
So Steve... tell us about the SPOILER...
HAHAHA...
I wanna hear someone tell me it serves NO USEFUL PURPOSE on that car!
HA!
With a triple decker and affixed by the builder on every single car... it BETTER have some effect!
HAHAHA...
I wanna hear someone tell me it serves NO USEFUL PURPOSE on that car!
HA!
With a triple decker and affixed by the builder on every single car... it BETTER have some effect!
Steve Hoelscher
True Classic
Wings
Well, it certainly does. Note that this car, and its wing, were developed by Dodge Racing. That wing was tested in the wind tunnel on the car. Yes, it does indeed work and you can feel it on track.
Well, it certainly does. Note that this car, and its wing, were developed by Dodge Racing. That wing was tested in the wind tunnel on the car. Yes, it does indeed work and you can feel it on track.
Black-Tooth
Tony Natoli
I was watching a NGC airing of the Lambo builds...
... and they noted that the rear wing on their SV model exerts something like 397 pounds of downforce at speed!
I've heard something around that figure on Funny Cars... around 300 pounds... but they are doing about 260 mph at the 1/8th and 320 at the 1000 foot mark. Just looking at them it would appear almost as a WALL at that speed...
... and they noted that the rear wing on their SV model exerts something like 397 pounds of downforce at speed!
I've heard something around that figure on Funny Cars... around 300 pounds... but they are doing about 260 mph at the 1/8th and 320 at the 1000 foot mark. Just looking at them it would appear almost as a WALL at that speed...