Preview: SRT Viper TA

Reviews I By Bradley Iger I November 11, 2013

This is the Master Landing Page for the SRT Viper TA. From now on, as we further review this car, we will be updating this page with whatever fresh content we create. Future drive reviews, updated specifications, videos, and other relevant information will all be found right here, in one convenient spot.

SUMMARY

There are a rare few people out there that like things more extreme. The people that order their Thai food extra spicy, or that prefer 100-proof liquor over the “limp-wristed” stuff, or when it comes to cars, find a standard SRT Viper is just too docile.

For them, SRT is offering this, the Viper TA. With the “TA” standing for time attack, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this Viper is designed for track duty (although it is, in fact, street legal). First and foremost for the TA is a bespoke suspension tune, oriented towards on-track ability. A two-mode Bilstein suspension offers stiffer damping over the “standard” Viper, while springs and sway bars have also been refocused. A carbon-fiber x-brace takes the place of the of the aluminum unit found in lesser Vipers.

The exterior is notable not just because of the Crusher Orange paint (the color that all TAs will wear) and matte black Sidewinder II wheels, but because it features a few notable aerodynamic tweaks. A carbon-fiber front splitter and a hefty, CF rear spoiler deliver a greater degree of downforce at speed, while the taillight and license plate surround is also finished in carbon fiber. Under the hood sits an unmodified version of the 6.4-liter V-10 found in other Vipers, good for 640 horsepower and 600 pound-feet of torque.

DRIVING IMPRESSIONS

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.

LINKS

Autoblog: FIrst Drive: SRT Viper TA

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