It is fair to say that the Corvette Stingray has stolen the thunder of every other new sports car that launched in America in the same period, namely the SRT Viper, with its all-consuming attitude in everything media related. Now SRT is trying to win some of the hype back by releasing fresh details and pictures of the new Viper TA (Time Attack).
This car was designed just to save face when the standard SRT Viper lost to the old-gen C6 Corvette ZR1 on the track. It did beat the ZR1, only just, and is now pitching itself as the hard-core, track-focused version of the Viper – as if the normal Viper is soft and gooey.
SRTi Viper Time Attack prides itself as the best-handling Viper ever thanks to ultra-low center of gravity, 50/50 weight distribution and largest contact patch in the production car world. What’s more, it has totally different chassis dynamic characteristics thanks to new spring rates, dampers, sway bars and brake components. It even comes with an aerodynamic package that helps all those things work more efficiently.
The ingredients of the suspension system in the TA include two-mode Bilstein DampTronic suspension system, retuned springs, shocks and road-racing derived sway bars offer firmer levels of damping and a smaller spread between modes than what is found on the Viper GTS. It also comes with a carbon fiber structural X-brace instead of the aluminum one in the standard car that helps with the weight distribution.
The new Brembo two-piece, 32-millimeters wide, high-thermal capacity rotors and pads address one of the main issues with the normal Viper that is terrible brake fade on the track. Meanwhile an aero kit consisting of carbon fiber front splitters and rear spoiler makes high-speed cornering more precise by creating massive downforce.
Powering the SRT Viper Time Attack is the standard all-aluminum 8.4-liter, mid-front V-10 overhead-valve engine with 640 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque. Thanks to a set of Pirelli P Zero Corsa tires it delivers its power to the ground more efficiently.
