Of all the more-modern supercars one might buy, here’s one that should be sought after immediately before the values fly out of sight. The 1996-97 Dodge Viper GTS coupe has been priced basically as a used car for years, but not for long because collectors are starting to take notice.
The Pick of the Day is a 1997 Dodge Viper GTS that has covered just 19,300 miles since new, according to the seller, and appears to be in fantastic condition.
Finished in Viper Blue Pearl with black leather, the coupe has been modified with Borla Mopar exhaust with high-flow catalytic converters and has had the 1997 recall frame reinforcement done, according to the Milpitas, California, dealer advertising the Viper on ClassicCars.com.
The GTS was effectively the homologation car for Dodge’s 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign. Not only did the Viper compete at Le Mans, it won its class in 1998, 1999 and 2000. The GTS also won overall in 2000 at Daytona. It was truly the modern incarnation of the legendary Shelby Daytona Coupe.
The first-generation GTS is the finest Viper ever built, offering GT car-like creature comforts combined with simply staggering performance for the era. The 1997 GTS is powered by the 8.0-liter V10 that generates 450 horsepower and 492 pounds-feet of torque, making the car capable of zero-60 in four seconds, the quarter mile in 12.4 seconds and a top speed of 175 mph. In other words, serious performance.
The Viper GTS is also a throwback to a time when driving a powerful sports car at speed required you to know what you were doing, without electronic nannies to keep you out of trouble. The GTS does not suffer fools.
The GTS cost more than $70,000 when new and Dodge built only 1,671 in 1997. So the asking price of $38,000 adds up to a tremendous bargain. But mark my words, it won’t be long before the GTS doubles in value.
These were hand-built cars, and we likely will never again see a car like the Viper GTS coming out of Detroit. Which is sad as cars such as these are what performance machines are all about.
To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day
