Watch This Dodge Viper Break the 250 MPH Barrier During a Record-Smashing Speed Run
The 1400-hp monster broke a nearly two-decades-old record.
By Bryan Hood
Bryan Hood
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Dodge may have stopped manufacturing the Viper, but that hasn't quelled enthusiasts passion for the last great American sports car. Need proof? Three years after production of the serpentine-like vehicle stopped, there are still plenty of folks out there pushing the car to its limits.
A new YouTube video posted by Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds on Wednesday shows a 2006 Dodge Viper Twin Turbo easily breaking the 250 mph barrier during testing this past weekend. During the 2.7-mile run, the street-legal rocket reached a stunning top speed of 252.588 mph, which the company claims makes it the fastest Viper of all time.
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The record-setting run occurred during straight line aerodynamic testing performed at the Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds at the Shuttle Landing Facility in Merritt Island, Florida, on January 18, the company said in a press release. In the clip, a dashcam camera shows Viper accelerate from 0-to-253 mph in just 40 seconds, before maintaining that speed for close to 15 seconds. This sequence is followed by a shot from a stationary camera of the car blazing by with a deafening roar.
As with other record-setting cars we've seen, this isn't any old stock Viper. Though the exact extent of its performance upgrades haven't been revealed, the blue and white coupe's V10 has been outfitted with some very noisy turbos that allow it to churn out a staggering 1400 horsepower. Motor1 also reports that the car also was equipped with some additional prototype engine parts as well. Plus, there's the parachute, which seems like a sensible precaution if you've tuned a car to go 250-plus mph.
The record-setting 2006 Dodge Viper Twin Turbo Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds
With this run, the 2006 Dodge Viper Twin Turbo broke a record that had stood for close to two decades. The previous fastest Viper was a Stryker Twin Turbo that topped out 247 mph during speed runs at the Bonneville Salt Flats in 2001.
The record-setting Viper isn't the first to make headlines in 2020. Last week, Lee Iacocca's personal 1992 RT/10, aka the very first production model of the sports car, sold for a $285,500 at Bonhams's Scottsdale auction, more than doubling presale estimates.
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