When it comes to who invented the Dodge Viper, the credit cannot go to one individual. There were many people who were behind the invention of this wonderful automobile. However, the initial idea to build a sports car came from Robert A. Lutz, the president of Chrysler in 1988. He talked about this idea to Tom Gale, the chief of design.
Francois Castaing, the head of Jeep and Truck Engineering Division of Chrysler, and Carroll Shelby, who was associated with Chrysler to manufacture limited edition of Dodges, were also involved in the development of the Dodge Viper.
All these people worked together to come up with the ultimate American sports car that packs a power with its V10 engine, 600 horsepower and 560 pound-feet of torque. This car became so popular that the first generation Vipers were sold out in no time.
The delivery of 196 first generation Dodge Viper started in May 1992. These cars went around 2,800 dealer. The 1992 Dodge Viper had a retail price of $50,000 along with $700 for destination charges, $2,600 for gas guzzler tax and $2,330 for luxury tax. This made the final price of the Viper $55,630. However, the consumers wanted this car so badly that some dealers added a mark up of $100,000 on the final price. Even the mark up did not do anything to reduce the demand. Therefore, dealers were instructed to take orders 3000 Dodge Vipers that would be produced as 1993 models. By July 1992, 70 percent of the 3000 were already booked by consumers.
