Mopar Muscle Cars - SRT - The Rebirth of the Musclecar

The Viper started life as a stripped-down, zero-frills racer in 1991. Dubbed the RT/10, the first Vipers were rough, unrefined, and free of rolling side windows, radio, A/C, and other interior commodities. By 1996, the Viper had matured slightly, offering a stiffer GTS coupe model and more cabin creature comforts. A drastic redesign was introduced in 2003 with 100-plus changes to the mean machine, including a swelled all-aluminum V-10 to 505 ci from the previous 488, bigger brakes, wider stance, and sharper body lines. The Viper, given the name SRT10, became smooth, trimmed, and sophisticated, while still retaining its beastly powertrain and brutish demeanor

Sharing the most DNA with its Mercedes Benz cousin, the C-Class roadster, the SRT6 Crossfire is an unsung performer, offering 330 RWD horsepower delivered from a German-refined, 18-valve, hand-built 3.2L V-6. Pressing the plant is a helical IHI supercharger and a water-to-air intercooler that delivers an impressively flat torque curve, punching out 90-percent of its peak twist between 2,000 to 6,200 rpm. All that output is routed through an upgraded five-speed AutoStick-equipped automatic.

The first non-Viper-powered vehicle in the SRT lineup-the Neon SRT4-was nimble, agile, and the quickest production car available for less than $21,000 in 2003. Propelled by an aluminum-headed, turbo-charged, 2.4-liter four cylinder, the SRT used up every inch of its advertised 230 hp. Nowadays, the SRT4 Neon has been replaced with the SRT4 Caliber boasting an incredible 300 ponies out of a massaged version of the same 2.4. Consumer Reports recently reported the SRT4 Neon is still one of the hardest vehicles to insure because of its aptitude at competitive, though illegal, street racing.

If the SRT10 Viper is Dodge's "halo" vehicle, then the Viper-powered Ram SRT-10 is its meaner, grittier, big brother. The mad scientists at DCX's Performance Vehicle Operations dropped in the venerable Viper V-10, six-speed manual crash box, along with all new body cladding, snow shovel-like front fascia, performance exhaust, functional hoodscoop, and an angular rear spoiler. The interior features high-grade quality leather seats and SRT-specific details. Meant to be the baddest truck available from a showroom, it proved itself the fastest production truck in the world in February 2004 by hitting an astounding 154.587 mph. The Ram is now available as an automatic-equipped Quad Cab, but the six-speed standard cab is still our favorite.