Sold for £44,438
(including buyers premium)
Registration No: M2 VPR
Chassis No: 1C3CRC5E3RV101059
MOT: June 2026
PLEASE NOTE: This lot is offered with a no advisory MOT until June 2026.
Wonderfully politically incorrect, the Dodge Viper was launched in January 1992. A pure American muscle car, it was conceived by Bob Lutz, Tom Gale, Francois Castaing and Carroll Shelby. Built around a tubular steel backbone frame equipped with all round double-wishbone independent suspension, vented disc brakes and power-assisted rack and pinion steering, it did without ABS or a traction control system. Extensively reworked by Lamborghini (another Chrysler subsidiary at the time), its 8 litre V10 former truck engine gained a new aluminium block and cylinder heads. Quoted as developing some 400bhp and 465lbft of torque, it was mated to a six-speed Borg Warner T-56 manual gearbox. Clad in lightweight resin transfer moulding glassfibre body panels, the targa-roofed RT/10 claimed a 0-60mph time of 4.6 seconds and a top speed of 165mph. Remaining in production until 2017, the Viper has long since attracted a cult following (though, later versions came with a far fuller complement of driver-aid electronics).
It may have been the embodiment of Americana, but a very small number of Dodge Vipers were supplied new to Europe, and this aggressive RT/10 was among them. It was originally shipped to Germany, with a German identity card stating that it was granted approval on 31st January, 1995. The service book carries the stamp of Gewerkstatt GmbH, a Chrysler-Jeep dealer in Bochum, western Germany, which presumably sold the Viper new, though the first entry in the service book is dated 6th July, 1995, and stamped by Autozentrum 2000 GmbH in Cologne.
It seems as though our Viper was treasured as a collector’s piece virtually from the day it left the showroom floor. It had been brought into Britain by 2000 and was registered on 21st June that year, originally as 'M768 FWV', although the private number 'M2 VPR' was issued weeks later on 10th July. It was subjected to its first MOT in April 2000, at which stage it had covered only 4,798km (2,981 miles). The first British owner sold the Viper in February 2001, and the second kept it until April 2009, using it only very lightly. By the time they parted with it, it had covered less than 8,100km (approx. 5,000 miles).
Since 2009, the Dodge has been with the same enthusiast owner, a former member of the Viper Club of America, who has appreciated it for its condition and rarity, and has opted to preserve it as a time-warp rather than take to the roads like a bat out of hell (strong though the temptation must be with that tantalising V10 under the bonnet). It saw some light use up to 2012, when its most recent MOT was issued, but has been kept off the road since, so that it survives today having covered a grand total of 9,061km (5,630 miles).
Its condition is correspondingly outstanding. The paint is very good, the engine bay presents extremely well and the interior barely looks as if it has been sat in. Despite its rather Spartan appearance, a heater and air-conditioning, the original radio-CD player and a cigarette lighter make the cabin a surprisingly comfortable place, provided one enjoys the background soundtrack of an irrepressible V10 – but who doesn’t? And while Vipers are typically reserved more for dry-weather motoring, it’s reassuring to know that the car retains all its original weather equipment, including the Targa top, side screens, and tonneau cover – again, all in excellent condition.
As well as the weather equipment, the car is complete with some original German-language owner’s literature, specifically the Kundendienst Scheckheft (service book), Bedienungsanleitung (instruction book) and the European dealer directory. It is additionally supplied with the current V5C, MOTs issued between 2000 and 2012 and some Viper Club of America material. While there are a few invoices on file, it goes without saying that the Dodge has barely required any maintenance with such little use.
Having been off the road now for more than 10 years, some recommissioning will probably be required before the car is driven again, but the Viper started readily and ran well during the recent photography session. It would be a pity not to drive the car at all, even if the focus is on preservation, and it is really worthy of being shown. While Dodge Vipers may not be typical concours machinery, we can’t help thinking that if this one was judged on originality, it would probably score excellent marks. It is by no means easy to find survivors like this – so many have suffered at the hands of heavy-footed speed merchants – so for any connoisseur of supercars, muscle cars or ‘youngtimers’, this example presents an opportunity not to be missed.
For more information, please contact:
Paul Cheetham
paul.cheetham@handh.co.uk
07538 667452
Auction: The Millbrook Sale | Milton Keynes, Bedfordshire, 25th Jun, 2025
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