Viper owners are a bit of a different breed. They're successful enough to afford a $90K sportscar, but they don't like the idea of buying something typical like a Porsche or a Ferrari. They're not the conservative, old money crowd and they seem to want people to know it.
Case in point, the fellow Viper driver I saw on the freeway this weekend. He was driving a SRT-10 convertible in Anaconda Green. He pulled up alone side me, gave me a wave and a nod and continued to dice through traffic like he was having the time of his life. Nothing too crazy, just making use of the Viper's nearly limitless supply of torque.
I paced him for awhile and we had fun finding holes in traffic that the Viper could exploit. When it was time for me to peel off, he slowed down, gave another friendly wave and sped off. It was a fun 10 or 15 minutes that probably wouldn't have happened in any other car. Nice to know there are still cars out there that inspire that kind of camaraderie.
Ed Hellwig, Editor, Inside Line @ 17, 322 miles
ampeg500 says:
02:58 PM, 10/12/10
Green and orange...those loud colors suit the Viper perfectly.
Rage0329 says:
02:58 PM, 10/12/10
Awesome, thanks for posting this story.
cah11705 says:
06:02 PM, 10/12/10
Had a similar experience driving the Vette. There's always something fun about seeing someone else who enjoys seeing someone else enjoy the same car.
dougtheeng says:
06:52 PM, 10/12/10
I've had hhis happen in my MINI. It's loads of fun.
santiagofdz says:
07:01 PM, 10/12/10
"Anaconda green"
F$ck yeah! That's a color!
slickersdrip says:
07:59 PM, 10/12/10
Anaconda Green is so badass. I love it.
It's great to have cars with a community about them. I used to get that kind of stuff with my SRT-4. Not so much with my RX-8-- though I have the occasional person with one park out in the parking lot with one with me or start chatting with me.
lostboyz says:
04:34 AM, 10/13/10
it would be equally fun to see two vipers tearing up the freeway on a commute
feloniousmonk says:
07:46 AM, 10/13/10
There's an odd kinship we often build up through our possessions or, I should say, mutual possessions. I noticed this when I used to dabble in building Harleys, when I owned an old Triumph Spitfire (car), when I owned a Tacoma and now with my Wrangler . I hear it's the same with high end car audio and even the choice of barbecue brand, and I know it's the same in the collecting world. It's an odd thing to receive recognition/acceptance simply because you have a possession in common with someone else.
audisport says:
08:47 AM, 10/13/10
Same crowd that drives Lambo Gallardos.
bankerdanny says:
10:15 AM, 10/13/10
You assume that the owner of that car bought it new. You can buy older Vipers all day long for $30k. Still a fair amount of coin for a toy, but doesn't necessarily require a giant salary.
Cars.com shows 7 Vipers for sale within $100 miles of Chicago for less than $31k. There is even a 2008 in that exact shade of green for $75k.
elantonius says:
05:44 AM, 10/14/10
I get this a lot in my 2010 Camaro SS. A little bit of light playing is about the most fun you can have in a car.
The Fast and Furious generation seems to forget this fact, though. It's a shame that they don't recognize loving cars as an inherently social thing, not one that always has to be a balls to the wall race for some sort of invisible score.
BigFordFan150 says:
02:37 PM, 10/14/10
Suprisingly there is a bit of camaraderie with Fords Flex with occational waves and chasedowns the Flex is probily the coolest family car ever and will be for a while. I love the Flex hope Ford doesnt drop it in 2013