It's somewhat akin to the remark that it ain't braggin' if you can do it, but writing off the 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR setting a new lap record at Laguna Seca Raceway as merely a publicity stunt comes off a bit hollow if said by those who can't do it themselves.
That said, setting the new lap record for production cars is going to raise a lot of well deserved attention, which is what was intended, highlighting Viper's final model year in production. The record set today was 1:33.915 (as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder) and required, according to Chris Winkler, a vehicle dynamics engineer with Chrysler Group LLC's Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team, the following preparation: "We took it off the assembly line, put it in a transporter and brought it to Laguna."
Winkler, who actually drove the Dodge Viper ACR on its record lap, was a taking a few liberties but not much. The actual prep was a bit more. "We dropped the ride height. We turned the knobs to their suggested settings. And that was it," said Winkler.
The Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is, however, essentially a race-prepped version of an already extreme high performance sports car, ACR an abbreviation of "American Club Racer." Introduced in 2008, the Viper ACR is by Dodge's definition the "ultimate purpose-built, street-legal track car."
The 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR is mostly unchanged from the previous year. The fifth gear was lowered for better high speed acceleration and top straightaway speed. The 2010 ACR also receives a new short-throw shifter "for enhanced driver experience and better performance." And the rear wing profile was changed and the end plates redesigned to improve vehicle aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce. Those changes, says Dodge, bumped up top speed by four miles per hour (to 184 mph).
The 600-horsepower Dodge Viper SRT10 is anything but ordinary, but the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR with the optional Hard Core Package takes that several steps further. It is more than 80 pounds lighter than the standard Viper SRT10 and "offers race-ready hardware and competition tuning for optimal on-track performance."
"The four-wheel independent suspension features high-performance aluminum control arms and knuckles, KW suspension with two-way adjustable competition coil-over shock absorbers with remote reservoirs.
"The aerodynamic package features a carbon fiber “fanged” splitter in front and adjustable carbon-fiber wing with seven-position stanchions that allow up to an amazing 1,000 lbs. of downforce at 150 mph. Lightweight wheels, two-piece slotted StopTech brake rotors and Michelin PS Cup tires round out the Dodge Viper ACR package."
The 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR will make its worldwide auto show debut on Dec. 2, 2009 at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Expect to hear some bragging. Or not, because they really did it.
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Illustration: Record-setting 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR at Laguna Seca with engineer/driver Chris Winkler. Photo credit Chrysler Group LLC.
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