We formed Team Viper to find new ways to create vehicles. And in the process, we created a lot of excitement from the moment Viper left auto show turntables, we knew we had a winner.

Once the first vehicle rolled off the assembly line, evolution and refinement became Team Viper's mission. Hence, the development of Viper GTS Coupe and the GTS-R race car, which was derived from it.

Team viper went racing to improve the breed and to prove a point The world's finest sports cars have always been just a step removed from the track like a right foot mashing the accelerator, that step was taken.

The result? Practically instantaneous gratification. First, in 1996, a top-10 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The next year, a double world championship. And in 1998, our second consecutive double world championship, following the first victory ever at Le Mans for an American-built production-based sports car. It kind of makes you wonder what's next.

Where maximum strength is important, you'll find steel. Forged steel for connecting rods and crankshaft and stainless steel for exhaust manifolds. Magnesium is used for the rocker covers.

This artfully crafted mass of metal is designed to do just one thing: generate huge quantities of raw power unmatched by any other American production automobile. This output of 450 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 490 pound-feet torque at 3,700 rpm seems mindnumbing, until you consider that the world-beating Viper GTS-R racing team has been able to extract upwards of 700 horsepower from the 8.0 liter engine.

Sequential multipoint electronic fuel injection feeds the premium unleaded gasoline to each cylinder. Engine cooling is provided by a cooper-core radiator, a dual speed 17-inch electric fan, the aluminum water pump, and a front-mounted air-to-oil cooler.