Why no orange peel on SRT Viper unlike on Corvette C7 Stingray?

Pretty easy answer: because it is not painted by Chrysler and UAW members.  The primer is sanded prior to applying the base coat and plenty of clear is applied BY HAND and wet sanded afterwards.

Too bad this is the only thing that new Viper has going for it. 

Nissan GTR Nismo sets 7:08 at the Nurburgring, nailing the coffin for SRT Viper

The car may be heavy and ugly but it certainly gets the job done.  To see this SIX CYLINDER heavy weight with DCT fly around the ring is something truly amazing.

And here is SRT Viper, only 40 hp more than the Generation 4 predecessor that held a ring record for less than three years, only to be dethroned by laws of physics defying Japanese ingenuity.

Will Ralph Gilles finally get the message?  No doubt, he will not.  However, he will find plenty of excuses and point finger at others as usual, while the Viper continues to die a pretty excruciating death.

Will the new hue of blue make new SRT Viper a better and faster car?

Seems like this is the secret ingredient the current  epitome of automotive sales failure has been missing all along.  Not the lack of power increase over Generation 4, not the much needed increase in wheelbase, not a modern light weight chassis, not a modern rear transaxle drivetrain and not a fresh styling instead of Generation 2 remake.  At least according to +Ralph Gilles  and the geniuses in SRT R&D and marketing departments, all this car needed was a new shade of blue, resembling SRT racing ventures. 

Yes Gilles, just paint this antique on four wheels in this new blue and no doubt it will make all other shortcomings  of this SRT flop go away.  Pretty refreshing that while GM is busy testing new Corvette at the Nurburgring track and sets up production of high performance version of the C7 Corvette, the best the SRT can come up with is a new PAINT COLOR.  How much of this blatant incompetence, delusion and outright stupidity will it take before Ralph Gilles is fired and the entire Viper program either shut down or set on the meaningful course?  Ralph Gilles, you should have been fired long time ago, go and collect unemployment in lieu of doing anything constructive.

No matter what color this car is painted, it is still the same failure and disgrace to the automotive world.

What will be the results of SRT Viper remaining in production for 2015?

The answer is very simple: Dodge dealers (yes, any Dodge dealer can sell Viper now) will have THREE MODEL YEARS of showroom floor paper weights.  With sales of the 2013 and 2014 models officially dead, not even convertible version can save the day now.

Time to say GOOD BYE to Generation 5 Viper.  This car makes Edsel look like a sales hit.

Why are Ralph Gilles and Chrysler afraid to test new SRT Viper at the Nurburgring?

Seeing the impressive times the previous car, SRT10 Viper achieved at the Nurburgring in the past, including the (former) best time ever for production car, the question lingers and it is very urgent:

What is stopping Ralph Gilles from bring the new Viper to the "Ring" and testing it?  There is only one logical answer, the new car is inferior to the predecessor.  Seeing how the Viper sheep attempts to excuse Viper's absence at the ring due to limited funding is beyond weak, if not outright lame. 

After all, the sales of the new car all but dead, with plenty of 2013 rotting on the showroom floors while 2014 cars continue to be delivered.  Furthermore, Ralph Gilles has plenty of funds to travel to Europe attending Le Mans race and socializing (all on Chrysler's dime) and there is plenty of money to sponsor factory racing program.  The fact that Chrysler made such a big deal out of the SRT10 record at the ring that there was an actual Nurburgring edition of the SRT10 Viper makes it even more puzzling and outright disturbing.

With all the negative press, SRT Viper continues to receive, its absence from the Ring may be just the final nail in its coffin.  Considering the C7 Corvette, in spite of its crappy quality and truly awful paint and finish and extra weight is already at the ring, the incompetence of both, the car designers and engineers and now SRT marketing and SRT CEO may just make this SRT Viper a very short production run, two years only.

Why Ralph Gilles remains at his job is a great mystery, certainly it cannot be due to his competence or managerial skills or design vision.  Firing Ralph Gilles may be just as important as testing the car at the ring.  This new Viper seems to be working very hard to assure its permanent position as the quintessential laughing stock of automotive world.

Another black eye for SRT Viper, courtesy of Corvette C7

New Corvette C7 may be a turd quality wise and it may be too complex and heavy but the fact remains, it costs half of the Viper and can be easily modified on a shoe string budget to leave new Viper in the dust.  As shown in this video, the car already broke 10 second ET barrier while the New Viper considers itself lucky to break 11 second mark.  Pretty good demonstration why new Viper should be just put out of its misery and discontinued.

What a way to go Ralph Gilles and the rest of SRT crew busy picking out a name for the new shade of blue for the car that cannot be modified in any meaningful way without spending half of what new Corvette costs. 

Time for the Viper to throw in the towel and Ralph Gilles to find another job is long overdue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_3KbTXQY9E

What do Lexus LFA and SRT Viper have in common?

The answer: a gap between the front bumper and the hood.  A clarification is in place-while Lexus LFA sports this gap due to aerodynamics, the one on SRT Viper is a result of truly awful fit and finish, as delivered by the UAW.  Great job +Ralph Gilles , as with everything else that contributes to the failure of this "new" Viper.  Although new Corvette is even worse, actually considerably worse, at least it costs half of what new Viper does.

Incidentally, is there a single car build by fine UAW folks that does not have quality issues? Is there a pattern here?  Labor unions and work quality are mutually exclusive?  Must be...