A few weeks ago news emerged that Dodge Viper ACR has gone round the Nurburgring in 7 minutes 12 seconds, beating Lexus LFA’s recent record of 7:14. Now SRT released official footage of the car’s record breaking run and confirmed the time.

So the ACR is now officially the fastest production car round the ‘Ring. Lexus might argue that the ACR is no longer in production as such, but at the end of the day they have to accept the fact that a not-so-sophisticated, low quality, American muscle car built by a couple of fat men in Detroit is faster than their high-tech, exquisite, carbon fiber supercar built in laboratories by men in white coats!

While the next generation Dodge Viper has already started out testing for 2013 launch, the previous models shows it’s still got a lot to live for by setting a new lap record at Miller Motorsports Park.

A street legal 2010 Dodge Viper ACR driven by Dodge road racer Kuno Wittmer set a record lap of 1:59.995 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah, on Monday, breaking the 2-minute mark. This is the first time that a production car manages to lap the 3.048-mile track. This record is 4 seconds faster than the previous production car lap record of 2:03.86, set by Chevrolet Corvette ZR1.

Check out a video of the event:

“It’s amazing to come to this world-class track and shatter the production car lap record by almost 4 seconds,” said Bryan Viger, Head of Dodge Motorsports. “We brought our street-legal Viper ACR to see what Kuno could do behind the wheel, and on his second lap he’d already gone faster than the single lap record.”

A veteran behind the wheel of the Viper on and off the track, Wittmer continues to be impressed by the performance of the Dodge Viper ACR. “Wow, what an awesome supercar!” the Montreal native said after exiting the car. “The Viper ACR is such a blast to drive at the limit, and I can honestly say that I didn’t leave an inch out there on the track and was barely braking in the corners.”

Even though the second generation Dodge Viper is killed off, its spirit lives on with the Dodge Viper Cup Series. Dodge officially announced the return of the Viper Cup for its second year after they had a great season in 2010. They also continues to sell the Viper ACR-X track car, powered by a monstrous 8.4-liter V-10 with 640 hp.

“The first season of Dodge Viper Cup series was simply awesome and a great learning experience,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO – Dodge Car Brand. “We’re going to keep building on that momentum in 2011 with an expanded contingency program, a reduction in entry fees and the continuation of our successful celebrity driver and charity payout programs to once again generate lots of serious excitement for all Viper enthusiasts.”

The 2011 Viper Cup Series kicks off Sebring International Raceway in Sebring, Fla and will be including 10 races. Two races per weekend for five weekends will make up the 10-race 2011 Dodge Viper Cup series schedule, which includes:

• May 13-15 at Sebring International Raceway, Sebring, Fla.
• June 10-12 at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, N.J.
• July 8-10 at Virginia International Raceway, Alton, Va.
• Sept. 2-4 at Texas World Speedway, College Station, Texas
• Oct. 21-23 at Daytona International Speedway, Daytona, Fla.

Series Contingency Program

The series contingency program sponsored by Dodge Motorsports and Mopar® has been revamped for 2011 to expand the number of payouts to the top-10 drivers. Drivers from each race will earn the following payouts in cash and Mopar vouchers awarded as credit toward the purchase of Mopar parts and accessories.

Driver Finish	Cash Awarded	Mopar Voucher	Total
1st	$4,000	$1,000	$5,000
2nd	$2,500	$500	$3,000
3rd	$1,750	$250	$2,000
4th	$800	$200	$1,000
5th	$600	$200	$800
6th	$500	$200	$700
7th	$400	$200	$600
8th	$300	$200	$500
9th	$200	$200	$400
10th	$100	$200	$300

The 2011 Dodge Viper Cup series champion will win an additional $10,000 cash award. Dodge Motorsports also is reducing the weekend entry fees for series competitors by 43 percent from $1,400 to $800 in 2011.

Celebrity Driver and Charity Payout Program

Celebrity drivers also will be back competing in the Dodge Viper Cup series in 2011. In 2010, Dodge Motorsports donated close to $50,000 to various charities as part of the program.

Dodge Motorsports selects each celebrity driver and trains them for on-track series’ competition. Similar to 2010, as many as two celebrity drivers will be invited to participate on each race weekend. Guaranteed payouts to celebrity drivers following all 10 races will be donated to their charities of choice, with the highest finishing celebrity earning $2,000 and the next highest finishing celebrity receiving $1,000 for donation.

The ‘Ultimate’ Special-Edition Viper

Unveiled at the 2010 Performance Racing Industry show, the Dodge Viper ACR-X combines the best performance attributes of the record-setting, street-legal Dodge Viper American Club Racer (ACR) and the safety equipment of championship-winning Dodge Viper Competition Coupe. Powered by the SRT-developed 8.4-liter V-10 engine and equipped with factory headers and a low-restriction exhaust system, the Viper ACR-X produces 640 horsepower (40 more than the production model) and 605 lb.-ft. of torque (45 more than the production model).

The suspension also is tuned and upgraded specifically for on-track usage with unique springs, two-way adjustable shocks and adjustable sway bar links.

Curb weight is a full 160 pounds lighter (compared with the standard-production Viper) to take on even the most challenging road course. Additional aerodynamic upgrades, including quad-dive planes and underbody ducts, improve downforce, while enhancing stability and significantly improving grip in high-speed cornering.

Similar to the Dodge Viper Competition Coupe, the Viper ACR-X contains factory-installed safety equipment such as a factory-designed roll cage, fire suppression system, fuel cell and race seat. Additional racing components, including a transmission cooler, rear differential cooling system, unique front rotors with larger surface area and improved brake cooling via scoops in the front fascia, are added to meet the significant durability and reliability requirements for on-track competition.

“The Dodge Viper ACR-X is designed and built specifically for the race track,” Gilles said. “The Dodge Viper Cup series continues the racing legacy of the Dodge Viper right before our eyes, and we’re looking forward to another chapter being written in 2011.”

The production of Dodge Viper recently came to an end, but the fans may now rejoice as it’s coming back for Dodge Viper Cup official racing series. Twelve race-spec Viper ACR-X have been prepared for ten races which will start from July 10 at Virginia International Raceway. All events will be aired on VERSUS network across America.

They have also signed Michelin as official tire sponsor. Chrysler will pay more than $200,000 in cash and parts to the winners of each race. The 2010 champion will win $25,000, second-place will receive $10,000 and third-place will pay $5,000. And to make it more interesting, each race will also feature one or two celebrity driver chosen by by Dodge Motorsports and specially trained for all on-track competition in the series by professional racer Cindi Lux of Lux Performance Group.

As for the car, the Dodge Viper American Club Racer (ACR) Ultimate Edition, features a SRT-developed 8.4-liter V-10 engine, equipped with factory headers and a low-restriction exhaust system that produces 640 horsepower (40 more than the production model) and 605 lb.-ft. of torque (45 more than the production model). It also has race-tuned suspension, aerodynamic upgrades, and factory-designed roll cage, fire suppression system, fuel cell and race seat.

Additional racing components, including a transmission cooler, rear differential cooling system, unique front rotors with larger surface area and improved brake cooling via scoops in the front fascia, are added to meet the significant durability and reliability requirements for on-track competition. They have made 25 units of this special model.

“The Dodge Viper ACR-X is designed and built specifically for the race track,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand. “Now with VERSUS on board, race fans will have the opportunity to see our untamed and unmatched road-racing machine along with some of our talented Viper owner/drivers compete on five of the best road courses in the county as part of the Dodge Viper Cup series.”

Race Date – Venue – Air Date / Time (Eastern):

July 10 VIR Sat., July 24, 2 p.m.
July 11 VIR Sat., July 31, 2:30 p.m.
Aug. 14 Hallett Raceway, Jennings, Okla. Sun., Sept. 5, 3:30 p.m.
Aug. 15 Hallett Raceway, Jennings, Okla. Sun., Sept. 12, 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 11 Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. Sun., Oct. 10, 3:30 p.m.
Sept. 12 Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, Pa. Sun., Oct. 17, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 2 Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah Sun., Oct. 24, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 3 Miller Motorsports Park, Tooele, Utah Sun., Oct. 31, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 23 Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, Pahrump, Nev. Sun., Nov. 7, 3:30 p.m.
Oct. 24 Spring Mountain Motorsports Ranch, Pahrump, Nev. Sun., Nov. 14, 3:30 p.m.

In this video you get to see how a road-going 2010 Dodge Viper ACR is turned into an ACR-X race machine. The ACR-X is the track-day version of the mighty Viper which comes with the same 600+ hp V10 engine, but it’s lightened and features many racing stuff such as high-performance brakes, aero kit, racing seats and steering wheel, roll cage and… The car is assembled in the same line as the firm’s official Competition vehicles. It’s a pity that Chrysler will stop making the Viper very soon.

Dodge announced that they have started production of 2010 Viper ACR-X at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit. Now this is an occasion because the ACR-X is the hottest street-legal version of this supercar to date, and also because it is the swansong for this generation of Viper, as it’ll be replaced with a whole new model in the next few years.

The new Dodge Viper ACR-X (American Club Racer) features the same 8.4-liter V-10 engine developed by SRT team, but it’s tweaked to give 40 more horsepower than the last year model. Now it has 640 hp and 605 lb.-ft. of torque which makes it a monster, literally!

The car is also 160 pounds lighter than the regular Vipers and comes with an upgraded track-focused suspension system. The MSRP for the ACR-X is set at just $110,000, which is a bargain really considering what you receive. They will also make a special Competition Coupe version which is for track use and comes with factory-designed and installed fuel cell and race seat and factory-designed roll cage.

“The 2010 model year is going to be unique for the Dodge Viper in many ways both on and off the track, so to kick it off with production of our ultimate special-edition Viper ACR-X is our way of paying tribute to the performance engineering expertise of our SRT team, combined with the passion and dedication of Viper Nation, to keep the tradition going strong,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand. “With its amazing on-track performance, the Viper ACR-X is going to seriously turn the heads of all road-racing enthusiasts, whether it is the grassroots driver all the way up to the professional.”

Chrysler revealed a new editions of the 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10, which is a stripped-down version of the normal Viper built only for track use. Called the Viper ACR-X, the car is a kind of tribute to the brand’s numerous victories in GT championships and Le Mans. It is powered by a tweaked version of Viper’s 8.4 liter V10 which churns out 640 hp. The ACR-X has already been around Laguna Seca raceway and managed to set a time of 1 minute 31 seconds, nearly 3 seconds faster than the road-going model.

Viper ACR-X has also been on a hard diet and is 160 pounds lighter than the standard SRT10. Being a track car, it is also dressed up like one, you get spoilers on the front, a big adjustable wing at the back and fat slick tiers.These parts improve downforce, while enhancing stability and significantly improving grip in high-speed cornering.

“The Dodge Viper ACR-X takes the performance attributes of Viper to an even higher level for a wide range of drivers starting with the grassroots racer all the way up to the professional,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand. “This project is a result of many years of performance engineering expertise from our SRT team, combined with the passion and dedication of Viper Nation, to keep the Viper racing tradition going strong on tracks around the country and the world.”

Since it’s a purpose built car for track enthusiasts, the SRT team has equipped it with a full racing cockpit where you get sport steering wheel covered in suede, a factory-made roll cage, race seats and harnesses.

The production of Viper SRT10 ACR-X will start in Spring 2010 with MSRP of around $110,000.

The 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) has proved once again that even in today’s world of sophisticated electronics and 100-way traction controls, raw horsepower can still cut it very well when it comes to braking records! And it did it by recapturing the lap record for production cars at Laguna Seca Mazda Raceway. Driven by engineer Chris Winkler, the Viper set a lap time of 1:33.915, bettering the previous record by 1.1 seconds.

Press Release

The Street and Racing Technology (SRT) team from Chrysler Group LLC arrived at Laguna Seca raceway today on a mission – to recapture the production car lap record at the world-renowned road course in Monterey, Calif.Mission accomplished.

Chris Winkler, an SRT vehicle dynamics engineer piloted a black and red 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR (American Club Racer) to a lap record of 1:33.915 as recorded by Motech in-vehicle data recorder (1:33.944 – as unofficially recorded by trackside clock) around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn course, shattering the previous lap record by more than 1.1 seconds.

“It was definitely exciting but a somewhat uneventful lap overall from behind the steering wheel,” said Winkler, who is still learning the intricate details of Laguna Seca raceway, having spent only one other session on the course. “The Dodge Viper ACR has amazing power and handles like a dream, so following my first practice here last month, I came away pretty confident that we’d be able to set a new record.”

In 2008, professional road racer Randy Pobst, drove a 2008 Dodge Viper ACR to a one-lap, production car record of 1:35.117 at Laguna Seca raceway while working with Motor Trend. That record stood until August 6, 2009 when the most recent record of 1:35.075 was established by a one-off exotic prototype.

Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand and Senior Vice President, Product Design Office, Chrysler Group LLC, was impressed with the Viper’s performance. “I’ve been closely tied to this car my entire career and even after owning one myself for some time, I’m still amazed with what the Dodge Viper can do on and off the race track,” Gilles said. “After our record-setting lap at the Nurburgring circuit, we’re excited to set a second performance benchmark record at another world-famous road course.”

The Dodge Viper is going into the final year of production for the current-generation model. Approximately 500 Vipers will be produced in 2010.

“We’re going to keep Dodge’s performance icon alive and well by not only producing some of the most special Vipers ever built, but we’re also investigating what the next-generation Viper is going to be,” added Gilles. “When we have partners across the ocean who are known as the best sports carmakers in the world, the future opportunities are huge.”

2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR

The Dodge Viper ACR remains the ultimate purpose-built, street-legal track car since its introduction in 2008.

New for the 2010 model year is a shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from 0.74 to 0.80) for improved high-speed acceleration and higher straightaway speeds. This improvement is a direct result of SRT’s experience at the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife circuit in Germany where during the lap-record run in 2008, it was found that a revised gear ratio would have resulted in a higher speed capability and potentially a shorter elapsed time.

The Dodge Viper ACR also receives a new short-throw shifter in 2010 for enhanced driver experience and better performance. The rear wing profile and end plates are redesigned to further optimize the vehicle aerodynamics and improve rear yaw downforce. These changes result in an increase in top speed of 4 mph (to 184 mph).

Powered by the venerable 8.4-liter, V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque, the Dodge Viper ACR continues to offer extreme performance, including 0-60 mph acceleration in less than 4 seconds, quarter-mile time in the mid 11-second range and 0-100-0 mph in 11 seconds flat.

The Dodge Viper ACR with optional Hard Core Package is more than 80 lbs. lighter than the production 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.

We got used to car makers lying about their cars power figures but they normally announce numbers  greater than the real power output. Not Chrysler! The company claimed horsepower for 2009 Dodge Viper ACR is 600 hp but guys at dragtimes put the car on dyno and arrived at a different number, 642 hp!! For no logical reason imaginable they advertise Viper ACR is less powerful than it really is! So no wonder they are going bankrupted!via : Jalopnik