Bumblebee Alternative: 2001 Dodge Viper GTS
While a Camaro found big-screen fame thanks to its iconic yellow and black paint job, I’d take this second-generation Viper GTS in the same colors any day of the week. This example has under 20,000 original miles and presents in like-new condition inside and out, and as the seller points out, the second generation Viper GTS coupe is the one to buy. Even collector car experts like Hagerty Insurance have noted a rapid escalation in values in recent years. This has to do with the increased livability factor compared to the first run of the Viper, which was a crude creation even when new. Find this clean GTS coupe here on eBay where bidding is just over $34,000 with no reserve.
The second generation Viper introduced some new creature comforts that made Dodge’s supercar easier to live with but without sacrificing any of the performance. If any of you have spent any time in a 1994-1995 Viper RT/10, you’ll likely note that the final assembly quality feels somewhat low, and that this supercar lacks basic features like windows, air conditioning, and an airbag. The cabin got hot, and I can attest to having burnt my leg on the huge lower sill that covered the side-exit exhaust more than once. You may have loved it for the raw horsepower and insane looks, but the crude cockpit would wear on you in short order. Many of these ills were fixed in the second generation GTS coupe.
You got A/C and a driver’s airbag, to start, and cabin comfort was increased across the board. But Dodge was smart and didn’t add anything that would appear frivolous, and still increased horsepower to 450 b.h.p. so performance was only enhanced. Seeing one of these with time-capsule mileage makes the Viper cockpit almost seem luxurious by today’s standards, even if the NVH factor was likely still significant even with these improvements. Suspension and brake systems were also improved, and road test editors of the day reported finding the GTS more predictable at speed, unlike the RT/10 that could bite you if drivers didn’t pay attention.
The GTS gets further plaudits for its motorsports pedigree, which included wins at almost all of the major racing events at both the amateur and professional level. To me, the only real disappointment in the Viper’s history were the models that came after and failed to live up to the original RT/10’s raucous reputation. The third-generation was likely a better car overall, but some of that original swagger and excitement was gone. Factor in a changing landscape on the big racing circuits courtesy of the Corvette Z06, and it’s of little surprise that the second-generation GTS is the darling of the Viper lineup. As far as modern classics go, the GTS is one of the best.
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Comments
Bumblebee ugly if you ask me.
Is that an automatic I see?
no viper ever had an automatic….all 6 speed manuals…
There was only 1 “true” Bumblebee, and it wasn’t a plastic Camaro.
As far as the Viper, I would love to have it in my garage!
As far as yellow cars go for Tv shows you must remember Don Johnson as Nash Bridges with his 1971 Plymouth Barracuda yellow body with white interior convertible.. What a pretty car!!!!! It would be nice to know what ever happened to that car and the other question I have was it built at the Hamtramck plant plant code 4030 or was it built at the Los Angeles Plant before they closed it up?