The Factory That Built Dreams Will Soon Close
With the Viper Plant closing its doors soon we thought it would be great to look back on the place that birthed snarling American dream machines daily.
1. A dark day for lovers of burning rubber
It was a bit under two years that Dodge announced that the Viper would be put out to pasture at the end of August 2017. With that date looming just a few of weeks away word has recently come down that the Conner assembly plant where the car is built will be shuttered.
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2. Taking care of the employees
The assembly plant made just a small volume of Vipers but they did it all by hand. A letter from a Fiat Chrysler human resources rep is how we all found out that the plant will close on the fateful day of August 31st, 2017. However, Fiat Chrysler is doing right by the 87 people who were employed at the plant by offering employment to them at other locations.
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3. A workshop for aluminum body cars
The Conner assembly plant was built in 1966 and was bought by Chrysler in the mid-nineties. The Viper has been built at the plant since 1995 except for a brief break that went from 2010-2013. From 1992 to 2016 the plant produced more than 25,400 Vipers with the car coming to an end on its 25th anniversary. Fun fact about the Conner plant is that the Prowler was made there as well from 1997 to 2002.
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4. Too much of a niche car?
Dodge did what it could to move Viper units by dropping the price on the bespoke supercar from $100,000 to a steal of just $85,000. From its use of carbon fiber to the lightweight wheels the Viper was a machine that was not to be trifled with. The long hood gave shelter to the massive 8.4-liter V10 that pushes out 645 horsepower. Unfortunately, the public seemed to be more into the Hellcat Challenger and Charger siblings than a two-seat rocket ship with a near six-digit price tag.
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5. A great loss indeed
Fiat Chrysler renovated and reopened the factory back in December of 2012 to accommodate the newly revived Viper. Unfortunately, sales failed to meet the marker of 1,500 cars per year and thusly, as I mentioned previously, the price of the car had to be lowered. In a notice sent to the press, Fiat Chrysler says "The plant closing will be permanent and will involve the entire facility. We are still committed to the City of Detroit and the Connor Avenue facility will remain part of that. We have nothing further to announce at this time."
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6. We may see it again
As disconcerting as this is that a modern figure in the supercar world is leaving it should give enthusiasts some sense of solace that the time may only be somewhat brief. According to Fiat Chrysler's CEO, Sergio Marchionne, the Viper can make a comeback in the near future. "Given the architectural development within the brand, there is a possibility that a new version of the Viper may surface." Marchionne isn't a fan of the platform that the Viper currently sits on and so a new model would be on a hypothetical RWD all-new platform, such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia. Be that as it may, seeing is believing and we'll keep our fingers crossed that the Viper can once again make a return to the land of the automotive living.
To see inside the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant to watch the Viper being built, just click here.
>>Join the conversation about the Viper Plant Closing right here in the Dodge Forum!
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