The Dodge Viper RT/10 will always be cool, but the desirability factor spikes a bit when you find one with color-matched wheels and a blue steering wheel from the factory. The original Viper with its tri-blade gray wheels and red body will forever be an icon, but the models that came immediately after it are desirable in a different way as it was the same crude targa-topped roadster with an added dash of style thanks to some new wheel and paint color choices. This Viper has just 29,000 miles and is offered for $41,000.
Outside of the classic red over a gray interior, white and blue are the most classic Viper colors. Although the GTS coupe with its blue body and white stripes is the most prominent of that color scheme, a white body with blue stripes and corresponding white wheels is the next best thing. To me, this is the best value in Viper ownership, as the RT/10 has struggled to break into the low six figures and the non-red examples add a layer of rarity that is hard to find in the early models. Yes, every Viper is rare but there’s a familiarity to the red RT/10s that may make them seem slightly less special.
The blue steering wheel, shift knob, and parking brake handle add a layer of randomness to the Viper that seemingly wasn’t allowed in the original incarnation. What I mean by this is the Viper was a hammer, a tool with one purpose, and it was sold as a bare-bones car with lots of rough edges and loose panels. Adding to the factory paint wheel and splashing some additional color to the cabin was a jolt the Viper needed, helping to distract you from the acres of hard, grey plastics. With such low miles on the odometer, it’s no surprise this RT/10 still looks relatively fresh inside.
Just 721 Viper RT/10s left the factory in 1996, and I’m sure the figure is even lower for cars with this particular paint combo. The rest of the package, however, was fairly standard at this point, with a thundering V10 producing a prodigious 415 horsepower. While that number may seem tame today, it is absolutely still a handful in this car and takes a talented driver to keep it under control. The Viper RT/10 is still a tremendous value on the collector car marketplace, and this one seems like a fair deal at the current ask. You can find it here on craigslist, and thanks to Barn Finds reader Mitchell G. for the find.
Needs an LS! Just kidding, that’s complete nonsense, but it’s hard to remember when 415 hp from the factory seemed unbelievable. Now we have Hellcats and multiple other cars with incredible warranty backed power levels from the factory. Still, these were fantastic vehicles for their time. Powerful and unrefined just enough. Like a latter day Cobra.
One of the best sounding cars, I’ve ever heard on the road.
I get a kick out of seeing the built in ash tray in the center console. Who could smoke and pilot this beast at the same time?
Me!
Men
It was more of a rhetorical question really. I suppose that’s what I get for tossing the internet a softball.
I wonder what condition the tires are in, they are not cheap??? It would be nice if ALL sellers included a “lemon report”, no unnecessary endless Emails???
I know nothing about Viper values, but my first thought was that was a great price for this car. I guess I will find out.
This is a driver’s car, no faint hearted wanna be. No traction control, no abs, no creature comforts, just raw car. Many were torn up unexpectedly by casual drivers thinking they might get into the go pedal, then they realized they couldn’t stop it. Great cars! That steering wheel is over the top by the way.
I don’t think this car should be listed here. It’s a current car, with current technology, with current pricing. I can look in my newspaper classified ads and find this car.
Skip it if it doesn’t appeal to you. Complaining about what BF features when you have zero interest in it, is just a waste of your time.