Taking inspiration from the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR, the Chrysler Group’s Mopar Underground tuning team applied a similar hardcore treatment to the latest Challenger SRT8 392 before it debuts at the upcoming SEMA Show in the States.

The hard-tuned model is staunchly track-focused but remains street legal and has been upgraded with a range of Mopar performance parts. The new additions include a coil-over suspension, front-and rear-strut tower braces, short-throw shifter, front splitter, cat-back exhaust, custom exhaust headers and a set of Goodyear F1 Supercar tyres.

Mopar Underground didn’t stop there either and made changes to the modern muscle car’s interior and exterior appointments. The car wears white paint with a charcoal coloured roof, there’s a carbon fibre bonnet and rear boot lid, red flame stripes, painted mirror caps and “ACR” badging. (more…)

Being America’s number one Dodge Viper dealership for 11 years has its special perks — like being able to ask the top brass at Dodge for a drop-top version of the hardcore Viper ACR. Apparently  that’s exactly what Nebraska-based Woodhouse Dodge did after hearing that the Viper was soon to be extinct, and Dodge obliged. What resulted was a very limited run of 20 examples of a drop-top ACR, complete with the coupe’s tweaked suspension, mammoth brakes and special final gears in the transmission.

It’s not as simple as just hacking the roof off of a standard ACR-X either. The ACR production crew had to completely rework the roadster’s aero package with a new rear wing and a redesigned front splitter to suit the topless car. Dodge built the 20 cars just for the Woodhouse dealership, complete with its own build code. If you want to get your hands on one, make an international call to Woodhouse Dodge in Blair, Nebraska. But be sure you’ve got $107,310 ($148,500 NZ) to blow.

Dodge Viper ACR record Nurburgring lap

Track driving and testing

This week it’s all about the Dodge Viper with it’s record-breaking lap at Laguna Seca and rumoured Ferrari involvement. But no matter how much current interest there is in the Viper the 2010 model year marks the last run of the 600-hp beast. So to keep sales and consumer interest high for the next 12 months, Dodge is adding new colors, enhancing performance and releasing several limited-edition models.

Standard Viper SRT10 models receive two new exterior colors – Toxic Orange Pearl Coat and Bright Silver Metallic Clear Coat. Performance tweaks include a new shorter fifth gear ratio (changing from .74 to .80) this improves high speed acceleration with the 0-200 mph run dropping by 14 seconds. The track-ready ACR models get a new short-throw shifter, and some aerodynamic tweaking to the rear wing to lower drag while improving downforce.

From today, the automaker has announced the first two special editions of the Viper, and more are set to come.

The Dodge Viper ACR 1:33 Edition, pays tribute to the recent record-setting run at Laguna Seca, it’s easily identified by its unique two-tone Black Clear Coat/Red Clear Coat exterior color (the opposite of the original Viper ACR color). Other cosmetic enhancements include piano black console plastics with red gauge highlights and red stitching in the interior.

The Vooodoo-edition Viper ACR gets an all Black Clear Coat exterior with a Graphite stripe outlined in red. It’s highly exclusive with only 10 cars being produced with the unique striping on both the exterior and steering wheel.