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Automotive Lifestyle
AUTOS: First 2013 SRT Viper Built, Presented to Barrett-Jackson Auction Winner
Rights to the #001 Viper, first off the assembly line, went to the winning bidder of a charity sale during the 2012 Orange County event.
The first 2013 SRT Viper is celebrated at the assembly plant by workers, executives and the winner of the Barrett-Jackson charity sale. (Photo: Chrysler)
The first production 2013 SRT Viper, serial #001, rolled off the Detroit assembly line Thursday and was presented to the Oklahoma City man who purchased the rights to it during last year’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Orange County, Calif.
Winning bidder Scott Thomas bought the first example of the new-generation Viper – donated by Chrysler – in a charity auction in June at Barrett-Jackson for $300,000, with all proceeds benefiting the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. Described as an avid car collector, Thomas, 40, is president of a precious metals company called APMEX, Inc.
A pre-production 2012 SRT Viper was unveiled during the Orange County event, where the auction crowd was able to see the new V10-powered performance coupe for the first time.
On Thursday, Thomas was on scene with his wife and children at the first-Viper assembly-line celebration, which was also attended by Chrysler Group chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne, SRT brand president Ralph Gilles and employees of the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit where the car was built.
The 400,000 square-foot Detroit assembly plant, idled in July 2010, had been slated for permanent closure before it was tapped to become the home of the new SRT Viper. Every inch of the factory has been refurbished during the past year for Viper production, and about 150 employees were specially selected to hand assemble each of the 12 Vipers that will be built daily at the plant.
The 2013 Viper is the first product from Chrysler’s new SRT brand, which was formerly a performance wing of the company. Previous Vipers had been part of the Dodge brand.
The SRT Viper returns for 2013 with greater refinement and more performance from its 8.4-liter V10 engine, which boasts 640 horsepower and 600 pound feet of torque. Suggested retail price is just under $100,000.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
Winning bidder Scott Thomas bought the first example of the new-generation Viper – donated by Chrysler – in a charity auction in June at Barrett-Jackson for $300,000, with all proceeds benefiting the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. Described as an avid car collector, Thomas, 40, is president of a precious metals company called APMEX, Inc.
A pre-production 2012 SRT Viper was unveiled during the Orange County event, where the auction crowd was able to see the new V10-powered performance coupe for the first time.
On Thursday, Thomas was on scene with his wife and children at the first-Viper assembly-line celebration, which was also attended by Chrysler Group chairman and CEO Sergio Marchionne, SRT brand president Ralph Gilles and employees of the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit where the car was built.
The 400,000 square-foot Detroit assembly plant, idled in July 2010, had been slated for permanent closure before it was tapped to become the home of the new SRT Viper. Every inch of the factory has been refurbished during the past year for Viper production, and about 150 employees were specially selected to hand assemble each of the 12 Vipers that will be built daily at the plant.
The 2013 Viper is the first product from Chrysler’s new SRT brand, which was formerly a performance wing of the company. Previous Vipers had been part of the Dodge brand.
The SRT Viper returns for 2013 with greater refinement and more performance from its 8.4-liter V10 engine, which boasts 640 horsepower and 600 pound feet of torque. Suggested retail price is just under $100,000.
Bob Golfen, Automotive Editor for SPEED.com, is a veteran auto writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, with a passion for collector cars, car culture and the automotive lifestyle. SPEED.com fans can email Bob Golfen at
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