The 2003 Viper does 60mph in first before the limiter but you were changing gear at 58mph and that’s why the time was so far off the claimed 0-60.

Matt kept shifting at like 55-59 mph instead of just running out to 60. That’s why the times were all way slower than advertised

Gen 2 has always been my favorite. It was so sleek.

Getting the owners on camera was a nice touch.

Hilarious Matt - changes the gear at 59mph and guesses where did the second go.

I love how the Vipers get younger, the owners get older 😂

I drove one of these built as a S-GT class trans am car for one lap on Laguna Seca on a track day. I had my old mk2 VW GTI cup car in the paddock and the viper driver mentioned he'd had a base model mk1 rabbit as a kid... and asked if he Could take my car around a couple times. I jokingly said sure, if you'll let me have a go in yours (i was TOTALLY joking... i mean two of his TIRES cost more than my car when i bought it, lol.) And then tossed him my key. He went out and put in 4 laps, and came back grinning like a kid. "Its like a gocart! I gotta get one of these! You just stay in it and just railsthat around. I bearly had to lift, let alone brake" And then he says. Mine don't have a key. Go get buckled in and i'll run you through the start sequence. So, I hopped in he started it up and i took her round. It was the most raw, brutal exerience I've ever experienced in a car. That thing SCARED me. and I barely got into it. I mean this was a prepped GT car - it was worth more than my frigging house - so i wasn't gonna hot dog it.. but i couldnt have even if i had the balls and the bankroll to do so. I can drive. I mean im nothing special but i can drive. And that thing was way beyond my skill level to drive at anything close to its full potential. The thing WANTS to kill you. I've never driven a street legal viper, but if its even half of what that GT car was... WTF?!

Density altitude plays a huge factor in a car’s performance being that high above see level these times are about spot on

Matt is the master than changing gears at 59mph

Thanks for having us out! Was an absolute blast 🙏🏼

I love the torque curve solution they used with the floating bearings on the drive shaft to work like overhead valves but with no fancy computer

The first one was that, I loved how it looked then. It’s iconic! But I now do love the curves of the second gen. And then again, the fifth is a worthy competition.

Viper by name, Viper by nature. These cars were legendary for biting owners when pushed really hard.

Mat, the 3rd gen can do 0-60 in first gear, the one second loss is due to the gear change at 58/59 mph.

One of the best vehicles ever made. Wish I’ll own one, one day.

Great review - thank you! Always fancied a viper - I was expecting a bit more from them in terms of performance, perhaps a 1/4 mile test would have shown their true bite (lol)

Gen 2 still manages to look good after all these years

2:26 brings changing blinker fluid to a whole new level :)

Love this video. Please do more of these. It's the first ENTIRE carwow video i've watched in a loong time.

What cool cars! I've got a 992, and yes, even as a base, it performs much bettter, but as Mat said, there is a sense of occasion to these cars. Makes you proud to be American!

You’d hit a faster time 0-60 if you went to redline, gear ratio would definitely allow it!

Boy oh boy, that 2nd gen looks insane on The outside. Aged perfectly ❤

Gotta agree - the 2nd gen was the best looking Viper they ever made. In this video I think it sounded the best too, but it's hard to know what sort of aftermarket exhausts each of these might have so not really a fair comparison.

the gen 2 and the gen 5 are just by far the best cars in the viper line, favourite car line and im genuinely gutted that it got discontinued, it would have been great to see where they wouldve taken it, rip the viper, you rollercoster of a production line

Gen 2 has just the right amount of retro style & class to it. Very clean and unique looking car. Thanks to the melted cheese era (1990’s) where most sport car looked ever so unique.

Gen IV owner is such a cool guy. He was just happy to be there 😂

Gen2. Nice Lines . Sleek and Classy with the Bite. My Favorite. Gen5 closed out The Viper with Brutality. Those are the Two ❤

I was 9 years old when I first saw the original Dodge Viper RT/10 in red in a showroom at Rothrock Dodge in Allentown, PA and I was absolutely hooked. Ever since then I have been dying to own one at some point. I want the OG Viper. Granted, they've gotten better with time, but I remember reading Road and Track magazine, Car & Driver, and many others which displayed the concepts of the Viper RT/10. I remember playing the original Need for Speed with interior views of the OG Viper and how much I have always loved it. That 8.0L V-10 is just a beast. I love it almost as much as I love the 1988 Lamborghini Countach LP5000S Quattrovalvole or even the original Diablo. I'm old school and damn proud of it.

I fell in love with Vipers because of Grand Turismo on PS1. Became a bit obsessed to be honest. Realized my dream of owning one a few years ago, got myself a red 2000 ACR. Such a fun car.

Thanks for having me out! Was a blast hanging with the Carwow team, and i stand behind Gen 4 ACR being the best of the bunch!

Gen 2 and Gen 5 are the best of them. When gen 2 and the bubble roof came out and the tail it was just so damn sexy with a side of evil. Gen 5 kept it all that and cranked it up to 12 plus the ACR wrecking track records!

Hell yeah! The Gen 2 Viper GTS was my childhood memory too on the PlayStation and just looks absolutely stunning!

Launching a viper gen1 is dangerous

Some Viper models actually launch better in 2nd gear on unprepped surfaces due to wheel spin and as others mentioned, 1st gear is usually pretty tall on Vipers with some being able to hit 60 in first, most of the gear changes seemed to happen just before 60MPH.

My favourite will always be the Gen 2 I remember growing up having a die cast model of it. blue with white stripes

Had a guy in my local group with an 03 that he put a nasty cam and a 150 shot on. He was superman to us for about 6 months

Gotta agree that the 2nd gen has the most iconic look. I used to hate the 2nd gen but the looks grew on me. I also like the looks of the 5th gen because it feels like a spiritual successor to the 2nd gen. For performance I think the 4th and 5th gen are my favorites. Both of them are basically track cars disguised as road cars. My looks tier list would be: Gen 2 > Gen 5 > Gen 4 > Gen 3 > Gen 1

I reckon if you just revved 1st gear out on that 3rd gen viper instead you’d be 0.5-0.75 seconds quicker to 60

I love all 5 generations of the Viper. There's something extremely sexy about a muscle car with supercar performance and styling, plus I fell in love with the exhaust note of the 1st gen. I do love the 2nd gen's GTS, but i got a thing for roadsters, and the sidepipes are so sexy. As much as i love the 5th gen GTS, I gotta give it to the one i fell head-over-heals for, that 1st gen RT-10. The Viper is what got me into cars, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Enjoyed watching this layout of all generation Vipers..! Such an American 🇺🇸 icon for a quarter century! Finally bought a 3rd Gen recently and LOVE every moment of being behind the wheel..! Great video!!

Gen 2 is by far the prettiest, something about it, the shot at 10:40 looks like something out of an action movie, it's absolutely stunning.

The Gen 4 dude Kevin is awesome! What a fun dude.

Love these long form videos, great watch

Flashback to childhood when choosing a Dodge Viper in Gran Turismo only to bang off walls constantly. That thing had no control.

Finally. Freaking Vipers! Love these cars. A shame they're not making these anymore.

What a great bunch of guys willing to rock up and let you launch their cars.

this comparison made me want a damn gen 3 viper more than frikin anything! LOVE IT SO MUCH AND WOULD EVEN MORE IF I COULD DRIVE ONE

The 5th Gen is gorgeous, especially in that colour and I like how it's more advanced/more like a super car. But, it's lost the Viper front end, looks more like a Vette. So for me, that 4th Gen ACR would be my choice

The 3rd gen viper can go to 60 in 1st gear, in one of them you went 59 in 1st gear then shifted, I think this is where the lost second is

Would love to see Matt drive every gen corvette like this. Might be difficult to get ahold of some of them, but 5 of the gens are pretty plentiful in decent condition.

So great seeing everyone having so much fun

Also, the only Viper I over drove was a 1999 Viper GTS, but it had a Hennessey twin turbo kit and it pulled SO hard. I had it up to 188 MPH on the interstate in Flaarda at 4AM with hardly any traffic and it was SO much fun.

This was the best clip I've seen in years on this channel. Do it with other brands and models. The list is endless. If Matt had the idea of 1st gear with the 2nd and 3rd gen on launches which he thought of on 4th gen he might have been surprised at the outcome.

1:59 Original will best I love 1st-2nd and 5th. Will always be a fan. The Viper tv show introduced me to the viper. Love that show.

What about the competition coupe? I raced one in Dodges “arrive and drive program”. After racing a gen 1 I could not believe how much more drivable this car was. Should add that to this video.

I can't believe Mat Watson actually made it happen, thank you.

Had a gen1 Viper more than 20 years ago when I was in my mid 20s. Drove it 20k miles in 3 years and totally loved it. It was an absolute blast to drive, took it on racetracks several times, drove it in rain etc. without any crashes. Sold it due to family plans, new owner's brother crashed it a few days later (I adviced him to NEVER let anyone else behind the steering wheel). If you are not respectful to that monster it will kick you of the road within a blink of an eye.

I didn't realize just how wildly slow to accelerate the Vipers are. I know my C7 Z06 Carbon 65 is quick at 3.0 on the Dragy, and my F90 M5 Competition (with some bolts on and tune) is pulling 2.6 on the Dragy. Just didn't realize both my family sedan eats vipers.

Would’ve been cool to see all the owners drag race it against each other

The vipers aged like fine wine

Thanks for a great comparison. Always wanted a viper then I sat in one and my eye line was at the top of the windshield so that wouldn’t work.

Like most UK viewers the Viper is Gran Turismo and growing up with then in games. Probably one of the most iconic cars you never see. Loved this video. Mk2 all the way.

For the true Viper connoisseur there is only 1 perfect Viper: The beautiful 1998 Dodge Viper GTS-R GT2 Championship Edition (commonly referred to as the GTS-R Commemorative Edition). Only 100 ever made. The *definitive* Viper. White with blue stripes and a big ole' wing. The unicorn of Vipers.

The ones with the ACR package looked great!

The jump between gen 1 and gen 2 is amazing! I love the look of the 2nd gen!! The 5th gen is of course best when it comes to performance, truly an American supercar!

Gotta take into account the air density. Magazines use rollout and correct their times to 0 DA. My C6 does 4.4 seconds at 9,500 DA using my Dragy lol. Idk what it would be at sea level with a dead hook but probly mid 3.

Never seen the gen 4 like that ! It looks really nice.

I agree, 2nd generation viper looks very nice and most iconic of the 5. And also a Grand Turismo gamer, the 2nd gen viper is my favorite pick. Though, the most menacing out of the 5 gens, the 5th gen acr in black! 😎👍

Absolutely love the way the second dude handled himself. Laid out all the bullet-points that to him, make the mk2 his favourite generation.

They’re all amazing. But the 2nd and 3rd Gen are just iconic

Let's race a mega car against a top fuel dragster

When you look up the racing history of the Viper in racing you just simply go speechless. The amount of records and times it did during it’s time that still hold up today is mind blowing. It shouldn’t have keep up with the European powerhouses but not only it did but won several times. Nothing about this car makes any sense, but that’s exactly what makes it special. It feels like Dodge could have gone even further but ended it too soon

Gen-1; my grandma gave me a poster of the prototype they were touring the plants with in Detroit. She said workers came out to watch it do 0-60 or 0-100. I love that my GRANDMOTHER thought this car was cool and got me an official picture. The headlights had square-like shapes on the inside of the assembly before the went with those 2 round ones.

Personally I think the second gen looks the best and would be the one I would love to own.

The only role Lamborghini had on the V10 motor was to show the engineers how to "cast" the engine. The block itself is engineered much like an old school small block Chrysler/Dodge v8 engine. All the engineering of the engine is ALL Chrysler/Dodge, only the casting related water jackets were Lamborghini's doing. These V10s are the most robust V10s ever produced. A 2v per cylinder over-head-valve design is simplistic, easy to maintain, and will produce gobs more torque than any flat-plane crank motor design. I think it is also good to note that these engines are one of the most reliable stroked out motors available. I love how this video allows us to witness the Viper slowly refining throughout the years.

Looked like he could've pushed it a tiny bit more and reached 60 MPH in 1st gear 15:15. He shifted at 59.7 MPH

I like the deep engine sounds more than the noisy high-pitched ones. Just sounds more powerful and raw!

I like the looks of the newest viper. All the driving assistance and updated systems brought this car to a new level. My favorite is definitely the newest one.

While the OG may not have aged as well - It was a sight to behold against everything else on the road back in 1992. It was a truly holy s**t moment when you ran across one.

I was surprised to see each owner's reaction, when asked to let the keys go for some hard launches. There seemed to be, not only no inhibition, but encouragement. If you did such a comparison with any other make, I would be curious if you would get the same reaction.

I am so triggered by the fact that he shifted so close before 60mph in the next gear (3rd gen)😭😂

That 5th Gen is the true Batmobile if there ever was one.

Fun fact, the first gen viper had the highest torque of any production car at the time. It was the first car to beat the 1970 Buick GSX in torque

They all sound unbeleivably aggressive. Amazing!

Jason didn't seem like he wanted you driving his dream car😂😂

As far as looks go Gen 2 is one of the most timeless car designs I've ever seen. The RT/10 was awesome but the flaws were apparent from the get-go. It seems like a test-run for the GTS. The GTS fixed a lot of those issues and made it a complete vehicle. Compared to other vehicles of the time such as the C4/C5 Corvette, Mustang 4/5, and later on Z06/WS-6. The Viper is just special. I think it looks more exotic and aggressive than other standouts of the era such as the Supra, NSX, GT-3000 VR4, Rx-7. It's up there with a F50 in terms of aesthetics. I'd rank it above a Diablo in purely looks. As far as American cars go, The Prowler aged well and holds up, but people never got over the V-6. Kind of like the XJ-220 which is a masterpiece as well in looks.

Lucky enough to own a gen2 back in the day was never the fastest but you respected it and luved it its an all time great very under rated like a TVR analogue

This was actually very good exhibition of Matt's driving. He makes a lot of jokes at his own expense but he's a real wheelman.

The way these Vipers would sound with the NA V10 and rev up to the redline was glorious. Still one of my favourite American Sports cars to this day

Matt Watson+granny shifting=Watson shifting. Friends don't let friends Watson shift.

There's just something about the curved front vent of the first two gens that sets it apart. 2nd gen is my favorite because that's what I remember most. Although I do have to say that the Gen5 looks to be a good summary of all previous generations. It combines the curves with the straight lines and brings it to the modern era. It was a great design to end the Viper line.

I was thinking the first gear of nearly all Vipers will go up to more than 60 mph?! So why shifting up when you measure 0-60 mph? Matt just recognizes it from Mark IV on ;)

Gen 2 is my favourite. Been to the USA once, and i saw one drive down a car lined street; all of the alarms went off due the virbation of the V10. Incredible.

The gen 5 viper ACR is one of the most beautiful cars ever made.

Love the owners of these awesome machines! 👍

They must have worked hard to get those shut-lines so big on the gen 1. Well done to the shut-line massiveness department at Chrysler.

You are simply constantly pushing limits, amazing! You are full filling my every car dream. Love it, please keep it up till the end of time. Never retire Matt, please!

What an amazing piece of art work and power

This is the best sounds check I’ve ever heard on Carwow

Great video The Gen 1 is my absolute favorite My dream car when I was a kid - was watching the Viper TV show with the red Gen 1 that could transform into the bulletproof silver defender My dreams came true when I got myself a red Gen 1 in 2017 Absolutely love it