When Chrysler originally announced the newest ACR version of the latest generation of the Viper, all the signs of upcoming disappointment were there, as decribed here.
Now, with +Chrysler Group LLC official announcement regarding the 2016 production version of this car, there is no doubt the Viper in its current form is a complete dead end and should be put out of its miserable existence ASAP.
As with the concept car, the imagination of the designers is permanently MIA, along with zero investment in technology and advancement of the previous platform.
In fact, in some aspects, the newest ACR is worse than the previous version. Specifically, the top speed of the newest ACR is SEVEN MPH LOWER than its predecessor. Considering the extra power and supposedly improved aerodynamics, this is truly astounding. Is the obvious extra drag a direct effect of increased downforce and can this car actually use it to gain an edge over the previous ACR? This part is yet to be seen but so far, this is highly doubtful.
Now, what this new Viper ACR demonstrates is that the Viper development is at complete dead end, with no possibility for improvements. In reality, the buyers of the newest Viper drive a newer Viper, not a better one and this is reflected in the super weak sales that refuse to pick up the pace even when new 2013's are still sitting unsold.
Sadly, the newest ACR, with its lack of active aero, longer wheelbase and lackluster power gains fails to deliver on the anticipated greatness. Unfortunately, even though generation 4 managed to improve quite a bit on Generation 3, this did not happen with the current generation. The reason? The platform is already spent, maxed out in the previous generation and like with the piece of shit Corvette C7 Z06, you can fuck up the good thing if you fail to pick revolution instead of evolution.
