Update: Autoblog Drives the SRT Viper TA

Autoblog editor and Winding Road alum Seyth Miersma recently got some seat time behind the wheel of the SRT Viper TA, Chrysler’s most potent road-going track weapon to date. When phrases like "world class" and "close-to-sex" litter a review, it’s safe to assume that this is a very good car indeed.

 

Seyth remarks that the Viper’s brutal 640 horsepower V10, while intoxicating, was not the highlight of the drive. Instead, it’s the confluence of expressly track-oriented adjustments made to the TA’s load-out which allow drivers wring every ounce of potential out of the Viper’s considerable performance envelope.

 

Stiffer front and rear sway bars, revised spring rates, and an aero package which sacrifices 10mph on the top end (bringing the TA’s top speed down to a still-ludicrous 196mph) while increasing downforce significantly all contribute to a car which is much more communicative and controllable both at the limit and while driving around town. Praising the straightforward and tactile control from both the steering and pedal inputs, Seyth remarked, "You probably don’t tend to think of the Viper in terms like "nimble" or "tossable," but the truth of the cone course proved those descriptors to be pretty accurate."

 

When asked to scrub the incredible speeds the TA is so eager to reach, bite from the model-specific Brembo brakes fitted to the TA was reported to be "instant and progressive" and the phenomenal grip offered by the immense 295-section front and 355-secition Pirelli Pzero tires – the largest contact patch of any production car in the world according to SRT – provided a level of confidence never before experienced in the Viper.

 

However, Seyth is quick to point out that the TA may not be for everyone. The V10’s baritone exhaust note is still one of the loudest found in any production car around, and the same suspension revisions that make the TA a joy around the race track may be a bit much for some on less-than-perfect public roads. But even so, the "heart-over-head passion" employed in the execution of the Viper TA makes this "flawed, original and completely charming" beast a viable contender for the best sports car in the world.

 

For the full review, click over to Autoblog’s website. Click here to visit the SRT Viper TA’s Master Landing Page.