I Once Had A Viper GTS Press Car For A Week

"SteveLehto" (stevelehto)
02/26/2016 at 11:30 • Filed to: None

The topic of press cars comes up from time to time. How do you get one? What can you do with one? Isn’t this really just a big scam? The last answer borders on Yes , but you have to solve the first two riddles to get there.

Back in the 1990s I wrote articles and helped edit a magazine called Michigan Explorer . The magazine was a cool project but none of us quite understood what the internet was going to do to the print medium. So, as we struggled to keep the issues coming out, we looked around for fun things to write about.

My brother, who had come up with the idea for the magazine in the first place, found a neat angle. He would suggest to car manufacturers that they ought to let us test drive their vehicles - particularly if they were “Made in Michigan.” It apparently made enough sense to someone because he managed to get us three (3) different press cars for extended periods of time. Including this beautiful Viper GTS coupe, which we had for a week.

Sadly, this was in the day when film still ruled the photography world and all I have of this - proof-wise - is photos I recently dug out of a box in storage and a copy of the magazine itself. Since I was taking pics of the car, I am not in any of my pics. (That’s how it worked back in the day, kids, before some gen x-er invented the selfie. And trust me: a selfie with a big old Nikon film camera is not as easy as it sounds.)

I am in the passenger seat of the car on the cover; Rick, my brother, was driving. And Steve Brimm, a professional photographer, took the pic from the back of a pickup truck driving in front of us.

We took the Viper to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula for two reasons. Brimm had shot all our cover photos to this point and we thought it would be nice to have him shoot the Viper. And he lived in Copper Harbor. This gave us an excuse to make a once-in-a-lifetime road trip.

We headed north on I-75 late one night and saw the sunrise in the rearview mirror while on the Seney Stretch. We eventually wandered up to Copper Harbor and spent a day or two photographing the car. And seeing how well it stuck to winding roads like the one on the cover. We got some great pics and I took notes which I turned into an article later. Among my observations:

The Viper GTS Coupe will draw waves and thumbs-up from pedestrians and other drivers - motorists at gas stations will want to give you a high-five. Let them, and wave back to those who acknowledge the car. Not everyone gets to drive one; those who do should be polite to those who don’t.

It was true. Everywhere we went, no matter what time or how out-of-the-way, people would materialize to ask us about the car. Some of it was certainly because the Viper was still a relatively young car then - it being 1997 and all.

That trip was over 1,200 miles and I’m sure we put more than 2,000 on the car in the week we had it. From what I have been told, the Viper will hit 150 MPH with such little effort it might not even wake up your brother in the other seat. But the really cool part was what it would do from a dead stop. The thing accelerated like something in a cartoon. I would take my friends for rides and then ask if they were ready; I’d stomp on the gas when they foolishly said Yes . Passengers often climbed out of the car giddy from the ride. A few had headaches from when they bounced their head off the headrest.

So, how do you get a press car? Go back to 1997 and publish a magazine. At least, that’s how we did it. I suspect they may have tightened their criteria up a bit in the last few decades.

Now if I can only find the pictures I took when we drove the Hummer through the flooded quarry on Drummond Island . . .

Follow me on Twitter: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Hear my podcast on iTunes: !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

Steve Lehto has been practicing law for 24 years, almost exclusively in consumer protection and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! He wrote !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

This website may supply general information about the law but it is for informational purposes only. This does not create an attorney-client relationship and is not meant to constitute legal advice, so the good news is we’re not billing you by the hour for reading this. The bad news is that you shouldn’t act upon any of the information without consulting a qualified professional attorney who will, probably, bill you by the hour.

DISCUSSION (97)

Wacko > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 11:36

I don’t think a gen x created the selfie, I am part of the last GenX and at 36, still have never taken a selfie.....

It’s all the millennials fault.

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 11:38

I love the slightly grainy 90's photos. It just fits the theme here real well.

JR1 > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 11:38

Motivation for going to law school right here. I love a good GTS.

Also if I lived in Michigan I would have totally bought this magazine. Neat concept.

SteveLehto > Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis
02/26/2016 at 11:38

Thanks!

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > Wacko
02/26/2016 at 11:38

Kinja'd!!!

The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 11:43

That body as aged so well.

Xyl0c41n3 > Wacko
02/26/2016 at 11:44

Kinja'd!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

That’s Ansel Adams . It’s a self-portrait taken in 1950.

And meet Robert Cornelius , who took the first recorded self-portrait in 1839:

Kinja'd!!!

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

And that’s just photography. Artists have been creating self-portraits almost since the dawn of art. Millennials just aren’t that original.

Wacko > Xyl0c41n3
02/26/2016 at 11:46

hey you, I wanted to say sorry for being a major Dick the other day.

You may post about whatever you want, and whenever you want.

Sorry.

Dru > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 11:49

There are two cars that come to mind when anyone asks me what is your dream car. This is one of them. I have a 1/18 version on my desk. I am deeply jealous.

SteveLehto > Dru
02/26/2016 at 11:52

It was a blast but I’m here to tell you: If I owned that car I’d be in jail or dead by now (or both).

Xyl0c41n3 > Wacko
02/26/2016 at 11:57

Thank you for apologizing.

However, what I say and when I choose to say it has never been dependent upon your permission.

Thanks anyway. No hard feelings.

Wacko > Xyl0c41n3
02/26/2016 at 12:00

that’S what i was just trying to say it’s not up to me what you want to say.

You are entitled to your opinions just as everyone else here.

I will not get in the way of what you say, but I may discuss with you even if i agree or not.

so once a again sorry

My bird IS the word > Dru
02/26/2016 at 12:29

1st gen viper r/ts are down to 30 grand, I don’t know what the gts’ are going for but now is the time, I don't think they will ever be cheaper. If only i already had my job, can't graduate soon enough.

My X-type is too a real Jaguar > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:35

Deserted roads of the UP and a Viper GTS talk about heaven.

atfsgeoff > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:36

Still easily one of the best looking cars ever made.

zeontestpilot > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:37

Fact: Michigan has awesome products. Like Faygo, Vernors, and BetterMade chips.

Driver > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:38

In 2007 I was one of only two video cameramen allowed on the starting grid for the Daytona 200 motorcycle race. It’s fun to brag!

cazzyodo > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:39

I was a passenger in a Mustang GT500 when a dealer was bringing me to see a car I was interested in (not on site) and that thing but a stupid grin on my face.

I can’t imagine the maniacal laughter from your time with this beauty. I love Vipers.

Color me jealous.

Vin > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:40

It's aged so well IMHO. Love it!

Fred Zirmerhof > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:40

I just made the headlight photo the background of my corporate issued FCA laptop.

jimz > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:47

back when I worked for Alpine, I picked up a 2003 Viper test car from DCX to take back to our office. Back then the Viper’s tires were considered hilariously wide, and that became apparent on a stretch of freeway which was asphalt and “grooved” by years of traffic. That car tramlined so badly it nearly ripped the steering wheel out of my hands more than once.

as a side note, I just listened to one of your older podcasts where you mentioned your Daytona R/T’ appetite for timing belts. that brought back memories because my dad had his Spirit R/T (same Turbo III engine) for almost 20 years. I think he usually got 20,000 miles out of a timing belt which is still way better than your situation. As far as I can remember, the belt life was so short because they really needed a back-side idler pulley on the other side of the belt, but the 2.2 common block didn’t have any way to mount one, so the only way they could keep “belt flap” from causing valve timing wander was to make the belt tension incredibly high. which is consistent with what I saw; most timing belts on other engines I’ve seen fail usually failed by the crank sprocket shearing off a run of belt cogs when the owner went to start the engine. Turbo III timing belts always snapped.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:47

Absolutely gorgeous. The photo quality is excellent considering they're almost 20 years old.

GreenN_Gold > Xyl0c41n3
02/26/2016 at 12:48

I’ve heard of the “sorry, not sorry.”

But I think you just invented that “thank you, not a thank you.”

Takuro Spirit > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:51

When I worked for a Dodge dealer in the early 2000's there was a guy who brought his ‘97 GTS in twice a year for oil changes. He’d been doing it since new.

The car only had a few hundred miles on it, but he’d have it done when taken out of storage in the spring, and when put back in during autumn.

Same blue with white stripes as seen here, and as once seen on my shelf at home in 1/24th scale painted with a factory matched can of spray paint.

LostMyOldPasswordAgain > The Crazy Kanuck; RIP Oppositelock
02/26/2016 at 12:53

The gen 2 Vipers are beautiful cars, even by today’s standard

99GTS > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:54

That’s almost my car, except I didn’t want to spring for the premium the blue/white’s are commanding. They are crazy marked up, I picked mine up for $31,000 with the blue/white combo going for easily $40,000+ for same mileage.

Lab Ninja > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:56

I had a friend in college who was one of two certified Viper mechanics at his dealership. For one reason or another, he needed me to give him a ride from campus down to the shop, so he could go put something back together on a customer’s Viper. I waited around the shop for the better part of two hours for him to complete his work.
He pops out of the shop, and and asks me if I want to come for the post-repair drive. Of course, I agreed, and off we went. After we got a ways away from the dealership, he asked me if *I* wanted to drive it.

Well, duh.

So we swapped seats, and I pulled up to a light.
“These cars are nuts. Put it in 3rd gear.”
“Why?”
“You can launch the car from 3rd.”
“Won’t that hurt the car?”
“Not really.” Totally deadpan. “Just do it. Rev it up to 3500, and dump the clutch.”
So I agreed.
The tires *still* chirped, and the back end hopped a couple of times, and the car surged forward like nothing I’d ever felt.
“How cool is that?” He asked.
“I think you better drive.” I said.

Wyze_Rabbit > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 12:57

Do you happen to remember what the Pines and Mines article was about? I know it’s off-topic but I did a mountain bike race in the U.P. a few years back where part of the course was through an abandoned copper mine. Miner’s Revenge I think it was called.

Ryan Sweeney > Dru
02/26/2016 at 12:58

Honestly I drove one in 2006ish and it was such a huge letdown. One of my all time favorite cars and was one of my biggest driving disappointments.

Birddog > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 12:59

Vernors isn’t as good as it used to be though.

C&C Road Tests > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:02

I always wanted a 90's Viper. Since they came out, it has been my dream car (I was still in elementary school). The Viper MUST be red with yellow wheels. Yup, tacky but that is how it must be!

zeontestpilot > Birddog
02/26/2016 at 13:02

Eh, I didn't drink it much when I was younger so I didn't know. But when I moved out of state, I wanted a taste of home, :).

SteveLehto > Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru
02/26/2016 at 13:11

And they are just in one of those envelopes from the drug store. And curled. Digital photos don’t curl - I miss that.

SteveLehto > Lab Ninja
02/26/2016 at 13:13

Not only that, they’ll hit 60 in 1st. All kinds of crazy is doable in that car.

SteveLehto > Wyze_Rabbit
02/26/2016 at 13:14

That was it. Not sure if that is what is was called back then but it is the race in Ontonagon.

Zoom > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:15

Being a fellow Michigander and a Dodge Dealer Brat, I’ve experienced many similar experiences Mr Lehto.

I remember the first ‘93 Viper I drove, the car literally stopped traffic. People were sooo proud of the car. All people. The fastest I’ve ever driven was in a ‘97 GTS Coupe, just a hair over 170 before I lost my nerve. I distinctly remember the smell of hot resin the car reeked of.

I will own that car someday.

Someday soon.

Xyl0c41n3 > GreenN_Gold
02/26/2016 at 13:16

Eh. It was sincere.

I was treating his comment as two separate things:

1. An apology for his poor behavior, which I’m thankful for (the apology, not the behavior), and

2. The poor word choice he used in his “we’ve all got opinions” statement where it seemed as if he was attempting to grant me permission to speak, which was reminiscent of his initial comments on the thread we’re both referencing just before he jumped off the deep end of anger and bile.

I don’t appreciate the way he treated me or the way he spoke about me to a mod, but I’m also not so petulant that I think future conversations with him are out of the question. It doesn’t serve to stew in anger, y’know?

StuntmanDan > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:16

Gosh, I was in love with that car when I was younger. I’m not as enthused today, but cars have come a long way. Since magazines are basically dead, I think I need to start up my own blog and see if I can get myself something cool. Isn’t there a way to do that around here somewhere?

Dwhite - Powered by Caffeine, Daft Punk, and Corgis > Birddog
02/26/2016 at 13:22

Still better than Canada Dry.

Mark Jacob > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:24

“I suspect they may have tightened their criteria up a bit in the last few decades.”

I doubt it - have you met the Jalopnik staff?

Hirsch > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:28

I think it was one generation after X that invented the selfie. Gen x is my generation and we’re in our 40's now!

Justin Hughes > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:28

So basically, to get a press car, you need a modified DeLorean first. Or a TARDIS. Or Bill and Ted’s phone booth.

SteveLehto > Justin Hughes
02/26/2016 at 13:29

Precisely.

GreenN_Gold > Xyl0c41n3
02/26/2016 at 13:29

I missed round one of the battle. I was just here for the sorry/thank you exchange.

Dru > My bird IS the word
02/26/2016 at 13:31

Roughly 50K for a GTS like this one. Still a bit out of reach for me.

noRWDnoCARE > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:33

As someone who was born in 1985, I was OBSESSED with these cars in the 90's. My #1 childhood dream car for sure.

ICwater > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:33

“And trust me: a selfie with a big old Nikon film camera is not as easy as it sounds.”

hey now, tripod and shutter timer. i’m old and self absorbed

SteveLehto > ICwater
02/26/2016 at 13:35

I’ve taken a few selfies with film but it is always more convoluted than what you can do with a cell phone.

Sethersm > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 13:35

Whelp, that’s it, it’s Vernors and whiskey tonight!

Xedicon > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:36

I got to drive one of these once when it was new, it was a 00' model year.

I’ve never stopped wanting one since.

Illegal Machine > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:37

I just walked by a graphite Viper GTS in the Houston Chronicle parking garage next to my building.

I literally stopped talking in mid-conversation when I saw it and lost my train of thought.

That car is timeless. And I should have bought one last year before prices started climbing.

Frenchlicker > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:38

I’m about to say something that sounds hipsterish and very much like an average millennial(so heads up):

That's what I like about film, you actually have to care about what you are taking a picture of. It has to be something that matters.

zeontestpilot > Sethersm
02/26/2016 at 13:39

And now I want Faygo....preferably peach or candy apple....

pedal-force > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 13:39

There’s probably an instagram filter for that.

SteveLehto > Frenchlicker
02/26/2016 at 13:39

Learning with film first also makes the digital pics come out better.

Zoom > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 13:49

Founder’s

Bell’s

Mmmmmmm

jimz > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 14:11

I drove by the bottling plant this morning.

Greyscale2006ST > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 14:12

Maybe it was the timing of the car’s release in relation to my lifespan, maybe it was the panache of a freight train engine dragging around a GT coupe, or maybe it was just an overall magic that enveloped the entire Viper program; but there is still something so incredibly magical about the original Vipers. They are an utterly timeless car.

TractorPillow > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 14:12

Good write up. I listened to the podcast version a while ago and remember thinking that you were right on about the car. I’ve put 7000 miles on my 2002 GTS since I bought it in July. So much fun, but it’s about time for it to go and move on to something else. It’s definitely the most iconic, American, and beautiful car I think I’ll own in my life.

qwerty54321 > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 14:13

For at least a decade after we moved from Michigan, whenever we’d go back to visit family we’d come home with the back of our Suburban filled with Vernors...

zeontestpilot > jimz
02/26/2016 at 14:18

I drove by the MSU campus this morning. Nothing of interest though....

My bird IS the word > Dru
02/26/2016 at 14:18

Yea, I can understand if you are dead set on a gts. I am the same way with the lamborghini diablo, I would have to get an SV and I think they are twice as expensive as the VTs/roadsters.

zeontestpilot > qwerty54321
02/26/2016 at 14:19

It’s a family tradition now, it’s illegal to stop it now.

jimz > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 14:20

difference is most white people aren’t afraid to drive by the MSU campus ;)

move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop > Frenchlicker
02/26/2016 at 14:24

Counterpoint: With digital, you can take 100 pictures and pull out the few that are meaningful. With film, you have to hope that what you think is meaningful, actually is meaningful.

move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 14:24

Probably the coolest lawyer car I've ever seen.

Powershiftmedia-ResidentDSMGuru > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 14:28

I miss the simplicity of back then too. Back when a basic Olympus was the cat’s ass lol.

zeontestpilot > jimz
02/26/2016 at 14:28

Ha! I been near the Faygo plant, I wanted to see if they have tours. It was completely fenced in, so I took that as a no. I instead went to visit that abandoned train station, it's much safer, :).

drdude > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 14:36

Did anyone ever get a lemon press car?

AeroSport Photography > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 14:47

This^^^^ X 1,000,000!!!!

SteveLehto > drdude
02/26/2016 at 15:01

Not that I’m aware of!

delongedoug > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 15:13

Kinja'd!!!

I’ve driven my friend’s 96 GTS (same color scheme) and it’s brutal. We swapped cars and I warned him my track Evo has a heavy clutch. When I got back into my car at the end of the day, I thought I lost all hydraulic pressure and the pedal went right to the floor. My Exedy twin disk HD was like a cloud compared to the Viper’s. The suspension was incredibly firm and responsive as well. And that engine, oh that engine! It almost made the ignore the Dodge Durango-esque interior quality. All in all, it was a great eye-awakening experience comparing a hopped up econobox and a purpose built supercar. I could still outdrive him, though. :p

dave the swede car guy > drdude
02/26/2016 at 15:32

the Press Fleet used to receive the best of the best cars, but now? not so much, there was an article a few years ago and the Caddy in it was the same one James May flogged on the salt flats and apparently the car was not refreshed before being handed off again

Frenchlicker > move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop
02/26/2016 at 15:40

I understand that completely. I love that aspect of digital photography, it allows me to take pictures now that seem meaningless but in the future may actually be important. But with film there are less selfies and pictures of food. Both have their uses.

Frenchlicker > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 15:42

I had never really thought about that aspect.

Sneaky Pete > C&C Road Tests
02/26/2016 at 15:49

Eww, no one likes the McViper color combo!

caincha > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 15:49

It really does. I can point-and-shoot with my phone and get pictures that would leave my friends wondering ‘how did he do it?’…

SteveLehto > move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop
02/26/2016 at 15:54

Of course. But it helps to understand how the pictures work.

C&C Road Tests > Sneaky Pete
02/26/2016 at 15:55

They did in the 90's. That little kid in me still wants that color combo that I seen in the 90's.

Sneaky Pete > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 15:58

20 years later (mine’s a 96) and they still attract attention like crazy. The scary part now, that you didn’t have to deal with in 97, is the people driving next to you that decide they want to take a picture and whip out their cell phone and drift all over the place on the road trying to get that terrible, blurry photo. People are always shocked to hear its a 20 year old car. It really is a beautiful and timeless design, unlike many of the supercars and sports cars from the 90s. It really is a unique, visceral experience driving the car.

Kinja'd!!!

We just had a photo shoot for the 20th anniversary of the release of the Viper GTS.

Kinja'd!!!

If anyone in Northern California (east bay, specifically) wants to go for a ride, feel free to contact me.

Kinja'd!!!

the 1969 Dodge Charger Guy > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 16:18

Love driving the Charger since it’s great in its own ways, but yeah, I’ll admit it. I’m envious that I’ve never driven a Viper. Lucky you—congrats.

And have you ever noticed how many Chrysl er car names end with “er”?

ronmler3 > SteveLehto
02/26/2016 at 16:24

Isn’t going 150mph on a public road highly illegal?

I wouldn’t think an officer of the court would tolerate that. I presume you turned in the guy who told you it would do that?

ronmler3 > move-over-peasant-I-have-an-M5-in-the-shop
02/26/2016 at 16:26

The pros who I saw shooting using film were shooting like they were shooting digital!! Lots of work for the darkroom!

SteveLehto > ronmler3
02/26/2016 at 16:34

Ah, you assume it happened on a public roadway.

(As an officer of the court, I also know what can be admitted and what cannot be . . .)

slapya > zeontestpilot
02/26/2016 at 17:15

Faygo Red Pop.

zeontestpilot > slapya
02/26/2016 at 17:37

Amen to that.

I-Apparatus-U > Frenchlicker
02/26/2016 at 22:21

You have to care with digital if you want to take something good as well. The difference is that your mistakes are free with digital. Going slow and taking your time produces the same results whether you use digital or film in terms of quality. That can be said for most hobbies.

Frenchlicker > I-Apparatus-U
02/26/2016 at 22:28

I’ll make the easiest comparison for myself here:

Ot’s like working on cheap vs expensive cars. Cheap cars you want to do a good job on but if not, screw it you get back to it later. Expensive cars however you make sure you do it right the first time. Both you can take time on but man do not on one.