Chrysler orders 93 rare, early Vipers to the crusher

The original Dodge Viper revealed in 1992 was a beast of a machine — an attempt by then-Chrysler exec Bob Lutz to revive the spirit of the Shelby Cobra and give Chrysler a world-class sports car. Powered by a massive V-10 with 400 hp, the early Viper's brute force overwhelmed many drivers.
Today, the power that made the Viper a legend appears to be at the heart of an order from Chrysler to dozens of trade schools, demanding the immediate destruction of some 93 early Vipers, including a preproduction model that could likely fetch a couple hundred thousand dollars at auction.

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That's a shame to just crush those cars, I my self am a truck guy but i do like nice sports cars as well. instead of crushing them like you said they could fetch some good money at auction. That would be the best bet to make a little money back, because with chrysler just crushing them they are just loosing money that they could have been made. Although it seems that all these big companys seem to just think money grows on trees.

RitualJman

Law suites over these Vipers that were never intended to be on the street would cost more than the Vipers will ever bring at auction. Yes they are worth millions of dollars but that would just be a down payment for the lawyers in law suites.

Layback Bear said:

Law suites over these Vipers that were never intended to be on the street would cost more than the Vipers will ever bring at auction. Yes they are worth millions of dollars but that would just be a down payment for the lawyers in law suites.

Excellent point but it still galls to see classic iron get mangled.

I wish they could find a better way of solving the problem.

If Chrysler sold them they would not be liable any more. The reason they are now is because the only loaned these cars.

The cars were donated "for educational purposes" not loaned. That means Chrysler took a tax credit for the cars. If the cars ever change hands or enter the market, then Chrysler could be on the hook for back taxes or at least for the difference at current market value. That's why they must be destroyed. There's plenty around to maintain a historical image of the car. I know of one in the Cleveland, Ohio area and one in this area that have/had less than 10 miles on the odometer when they were stored. There's probably a slew of them in California.