The "King of the Ring"

"Torque Affair" (torqueaffair) 04/08/2014 at 22:45 • Filed to: None

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Where to even begin with this car..... the Dodge Viper ACR turns more heads than almost any other car out there. If you don't like attention, then you should NOT be driving or riding in this car. Everyone, and I mean everyone was checking out this car. You simply cannot ignore its presence. Ray and his wife Leslie's 2010 Viper ACR is one of 4 built by ViperExchange - a commemorative "King of the Ring" special edition with the record-breaking Nurburgring lap time stitched onto the the headrests.

If you're not familiar with the Nurburgring, let me briefly fill you in on what little I know about it. The Nurburgring is a legendary race track in Germany where among other things, super car manufacturers compete against each other to build the fastest car. To have conquered the track means that you've reached the pinnacle of automotive engineering. In 2011, the Dodge Viper ACR beat all other cars (including the Corvette ZR1 and the Lexus LFA) to establish the fastest time at 7 min 12 secs.

Here is Ray and the 2010 Viper ACR...one of the fastest cars in the world.

The Wing

I think it's worth it to spend some time talking about the huge wing on the Viper ACR. Every now and then you'll see a Honda (or whatever car) with some huge wing screwed or duct-taped on. Clearly that has no value, aesthetic or otherwise. BUT, on cars like the Porsche GT3 and the Dodge Viper ACR, the wings actually do serve a purpose. For this particular car, the wing was part of the reason the ACR was able to set the fastest lap time at the Nurburgring.

On the carbon fiber wing, there are signatures of the team that worked to make the ACR the fastest car at the Nurburgring.

Ray also told me a couple interesting facts about the wing.

The wing costs $12,000 - that's almost as much as my current car is worth!

It generates so much downforce that the car is limited to a top speed of 169 mph. Can you imagine that concept? So much downforce that you can't go any faster....

The wing is so sturdy that for a photo shoot once, a model actually laid down on the wing. Unfortunately, when we were taking pictures, there were no models around to pose on the wing.

Ok...almost done talking about the wing. The two end panels (there must be a technical term for this, but I don't know what it is so I'll just use the word "panel") on the wing are two different colors. Another unique touch that you can only get away with on this car..

The fact that Ray and Leslie own one of the fastest machines on earth is pretty freaking cool. There was a time where Ray and his wife wanted to sell the Viper, but I'm glad they didn't. These cars are really rare, especially the limited edition "King of the Ring" version. It's worth watching this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that shows the record-breaking lap at the "Ring".

So, what's the car like?

This Viper ACR is incredibly raw and powerful. When you sit inside the car, you almost feel as if you become part of the car. The interior is fairly tight and narrow and there is just enough room to squeeze in between the massive engine and the side exhaust pipes (you're actually sitting on top of the side exhaust). It's a visceral experience - you feel everything... the engine, the road, the exhaust.... In recent years, Dodge has made the cabin more insulated and added more luxuries. Previous generations didn't even have A/C, power windows etc. Check out the vicious and venomous snake below.

The Viper ACR is so visually appealing, bold and "in-your-face" that it looks like it's breathing fire. Actually, Ray mentioned that the engine can get so hot that you can see the heat rising from the vents in the hood distorting the view. I wish I could've seen that.

Every other car looks so boring around it. It's one of those cars you see in magazines and video games but when you see it in real life you have to stare at it in amazement. Nothing about the Viper ACR is practical and it really is quite ridiculous - but that's what makes it so awesome. I could stare at these pictures below all day....or should I say drool over these pictures.

Check out the video below to get only a little taste of what the Viper ACR looks and feels like in motion.

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