Fans of high-performance vehicles got two for the price of one at the New York International Auto Show Wednesday, as Chrysler Group’s SRT® brand unveiled the purpose-built, non-street legal and competition-ready SRT Viper GTS-R along with the planned reveal of the street legal 2013 SRT Viper.
And, if that wasn’t enough, Chrysler Group also announced that a factory-backed SRT Viper Racing team will return to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in 2012.
"Racing has been a significant part of the illustrious history of Viper not only with wins on the track, but also in the continued development of the street cars – and our new 2013 SRT Viper models are proof of those lessons learned," said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports, Chrysler Group LLC. "Now with our new team and the launch of the GTS-R, we're excited and proud to begin writing more chapters in the racing history of the Viper later this summer."
Gilles and his team managed to keep the announcement and introduction of the SRT Viper GTS-R under wraps until the reveal, no small task in the competitive automotive community.
Gilles says the plan is to have two identical SRT Viper GTS-Rs competing in the production-based GT class in the ALMS series.
"I don't think it's possible to overstate the significance of the SRT Viper returning to the top level of professional sports car racing," said Scott Atherton, President and CEO of the American Le Mans Series. “The fact that they're coming back concurrently with the introduction of the new production car and doing it simultaneously, we would be hard-pressed to come up with a better-case scenario. What a great way for SRT Viper to come back to racing."
Atherton hails the SRT Viper's return to the Series as one of 2012's top motorsports announcements.
