The Dodge Viper Is A Certified Widowmaker

The Viper is an outrageous two-seater flagship sports car from the DialmerChrystler’s performance car division Dodge. It was made in a shed by a group of 17 people who worshipped Satan to procure the elements for creating this absolute animal. A lightweight rear-wheel car with more power than you can think, the Viper, as the name suggests will bite you if you make any mistake.

The star of this show was the 8.3L, 500 horsepower V10 engine that was available to the masses. Metaphorically speaking if the Dodge Viper was a person, it would resemble drunk and angry Mike Tyson, whom you do not want to provoke because it might kill you. Thus, if you are planning to purchase one, we wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Why was the Dodge Viper called the Widowmaker?

King of Speed, the Dodge Viper is that friend who wears a snapback and keeps their middle fingers up for almost everything. The driving dynamics of the Viper are raw and unapologetic, when you press the ignition switch all you can hear is the gowling V10 telling you to press the paddle and head toward Nirvana. Only a few cars in the history of American muscle history were able to cope with the way it sounded.

Now the question arises as, to why the “Widowmaker” tag was given to the Viper.

Was it too powerful?

Hell Yes! The Dodge Viper SRT-10 was an insanely powerful car, which can melt your face when you put the car to the paces. The third generation of the Viper received an update and the displacement was increased from an already insane 8.0 to 8.3-liter, which meant only one thing, more power baby!

Third Generation Dodge Viper SRT - Source: Wikimedia Commons

The gas-guzzling 8.3 Liter engine produced a peak output of 500 hp at 5,600 rpm and a maximum torque of 525 lb-ft torque at 4,200 rpm. These figures do not seem much according to today’s standard, but we must consider that the Viper does not come with any driving assistance features such as traction control, steering assist, and even ABS. If we compare it with the Lamborghini Gallardo, it came with a 5.0 liter V10, which produced 562 hp. Therefore the raw power cannot be the only reason for the instability of the Viper.

Was it too light?

The Viper was indeed a light car and mated with the insane 8.3-liter engine the car received 6.9lb/hp which was pretty nice considering the period. The light construction and frond-heavy design of the car made it a little unpredictable while in motion. It was light but the competition in the form of the Porsche 911 was significantly lighter than the Viper, thus we can say that this was the only reason for the infamous tag.

2016 Dodge Viper 8.4L V10 Engine - Source: Stellantis Media

The lightweight design also meant that the car's structural rigidity was not great. The car felt fragile when pushed and tended to easily oversteep and get out of control in corners. Which unfortunately meant that if you had an accident, the majority of the impact was transferred to the occupants resulting in serious injuries and even death.

Was it too hard to handle?

The Viper was a focused driving machine, it was pretty much a track car for roads, that had only the bare minimum in terms of safety and driving assistance. Since it was a performance car, we cannot say it was an uncontrollable death machine. In fact, according to several enthusiasts, it was a good handling car, however, things changed when you went a little further than the required throttle.

2017 Dodge Viper ACR - Source: Stellantis Media

The Viper had its huge engine in the front, and a shorter rear footprint of the car made it extremely easy to oversteer when doing corners. One more thing added to the fact that the Viper was a relatively inexpensive car, resulting in many untrained people getting the keys to this hooligan. The element of idiocracy and little to no training caused several accidents, increasing the reputation of Viper as the “widowmaker”.

Required a specific breed of drivers

As we can see the Viper was an insanely fast car, but we cannot get involved in an accident without actually driving the car. The 2004 Dodge Viper SRT-10 was an absolutely brutal car and required special training before you could tap the potential of this wild horse. However, if we compare it with the competition, the riding quality of the car is not at par with them.

Chrysler Viper GTS-R - Anthony Beltoise, David Donohue & Ni Amorim at the 2000 Le Mans - Source: Wikimedia Commons

The third generation of Vipers was also notorious for poor handling. The clutch of the car was heavy and the cabin rattled even at the slightest bumps on the roads. With that said the car itself induced confidence thanks to the lower center of gravity and wide tires, it changed directions very quickly until it didn’t.

Final thoughts

To conclude everything the Dodge Viper was an iconic American sportscar, that was like a strict teacher who does not tolerate any nonsense. It was a potent sportscar that drove through the corners as smoothly as a warm knife to the butter.

2009 Dodge Viper SRT - Source Wikimedia Commons

However, it had some anger issues that especially targeted the less qualified drivers. The combination of lightweight, insane power, and structure of the car with no driving assistance made this car quite a handful, for most people on the roads. Thus the name “widowmaker” was not because the car was uncontrollable, it required more than your driver's license to be able to qualify for the car.