Anytime you bake in high performance and motorsports pedigree, you have an almost sure-fire recipe for a car that will be worth more – far more – in years to come. The original Dodge Viper RT/10 is one of the better values out there in terms of modern-day collectible classics, but prices seem to have stagnated for all but the delivery-miles-only examples. A clear exception to the rule is the first-generation GTS coupe which corrected some of borderline-unforgivable flaws of the early cars and offered searing performance with a legitimate connection to numerous successful racing ventures. The 1997 GTS listed here on eBay is offered with a fair degree of mystery, which only adds to the allure.
The first-gen GTS coupe had so much going for it. The chassis and brakes were improved, making it a far more pleasant car to be in. The fixed roof certainly addressed scuttle shake and reduced some of the noise, vibration, and harshness the RT/10 was known for, but it was still a ruffian with no driver aids of any kind. Horsepower was bumped to a staggering 450 b.h.p. from the Lamborghini-designed V10, and there’s no denying that at this point, Dodge had built the car it always intended to when it rushed the RT/10 from concept car to production. And the obvious visual connection to the original Shelby Daytona coupe is no accident, especially when you tally up the GTS’s competition success.
The GTS became a favorite of privateer SCCA racers and full-fledged teams, racking up numerous wins at the world’s most prestigious tracks. The ACR edition coupe is even more sought after for getting all the more closer to the razor’s edge of being a road car with great track manners versus a track car allowed to drive on the street. The seller’s GTS is offered with very limited information and even fewer photos, aside from noting it sports a Borla exhaust system and “…custom CCW wheels.” The values of the GTS have shown it to be quite sought after, handily outpacing the Corvette Z06 that ironically ended the Viper’s reign on international road courses. Do you think the seller will get his $117,000 ask with a listing like this?
Give Dodge credit. When other American manufacturers were still quaking in fear of building a real performance machine (the Corvette was just waking up from its decades-long slumber), Dodge took the “ram” by the horns so to speak and built this hairy-chested pavement scorcher. Kudos to them, it helped establish Dodge as a “performance” car company and kept the nameplate on the road, since that’s about all they build these days.