Designed for club racing, the Dodge Viper ACR Coupe was a special version of the Viper. It is a very fast car, and is at home on the roads as on the race track. Of course, this mode of the Viper has been replaced by the current model.
ACR stands for American Club Racer, meaning thatis a road car that it was designed for club racing. Most club racers arrive on trailers, but you can drive to the track in a Viper ACR.
In standard form it isn’t much more powerful than the standard car, but high-power options are available. Even so, it is very quick, hurtling to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds, and hitting 190 mph. What’s more it can reach 100 mph in less than 10 seconds!
Fortunately, the car is equipped with Koni racing dampers, and stiffer springs than normal, so the handling is pretty good.
There are special BBS wheels with the best Michelin road tires you can get, so you’re all ready to use more power if you want to. That’s if 190 mph isn’t fast enough.
Street legal, club racer with 460 bhp
In standard trim the ACR Coupe pokes out 460 bhp at 5,200 rpm, with 500 lb-ft (678 Nm) torque @ 3,700 rpm. The extra power comes from a free-flow air filter that doesn’t muffle the noise as much as normal.
500 bhp or 650 bhp engines available!
You can buy the ACR Plus with the engine upgraded to 500 bhp and 540 lb ft torque, and if you want to race the car and not drive it on the road, you can buy a 650 bhp engine! Chrysler didn’t install the engines in the car for sale as they don't meet emission regulations, but deliver it to you.
To save weight the car has a pretty basic spec, without air conditioning, for example. Well, who wants air conditioning on a race track? You might just want it if you’re going in for long races, but not for short club races.
Wide tunnel in cockpit
Because the engine and six-speed gearbox are so big, there is a wide tunnel in the cockpit, and it gets hot. That doesn’t leave that much room for the driver and passenger – this is a power machine.
But if you want a car you can drive to work and then drive to a track at the weekend, you might want this one – unless your pocket stretches to a current Viper Competition Coupe with 520 bhp as standard…..
