Viper Car Vs. Viper Plane
In mechanical circles, the term "Viper" elicits visions of sleek, high performance vehicles with blistering performance and astronomical speeds. For this reason, the "Viper" moniker has been applied to some of the most high performance vehicles in production: the Dodge Viper performance car and the line of small performance jets manufactured by Viper Aircraft. Aside from the name and extremely high performance, however, these vehicles have few things in common.
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About the Vipers
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At its 1990 introduction as a concept car, the Dodge Viper already stunned automotive enthusiasts with a high-performance 360 V8 engine. Despite the already high power output of the Viper, engineers further expanded its performance abilities by introducing a 10-cylinder engine available in production models. The car was designed in conjunction with Italian performance company Lamborghini, which was partially owned by the Chrysler corporation at the time the Viper was developed. In contrast, Viper aircraft were developed with the intent of making high-performance jet aircraft available to individual buyers as opposed to commercial aviation companies or military buyers. The jets were designed to provide maximum range and speed, hallmarks of the Very Light Jet (VLJ) market.
Performance
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The term "Viper," whether in automotive or aviation use, is almost synonymous with performance. In the Dodge Viper performance car, a 10-cylinder engine with 505 cubic inches of displacement produces 600 horsepower at around 5,600 revolutions per minute--just short of the car's 6,000 RPM red line. The vehicle transfers this power to the ground through a six-speed manual transmission to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just four seconds. According to its manufacturer, the Viper has a drag-induced top speed of 199 mph. By comparison, Viper jets employ a single General Electric GE CJ-610 jet engine to generate up to 2,850 pounds of thrust, or about 4.5 pounds of thrust per pound of vehicle weight. This thrust accelerates the Viper jet to its takeoff velocity of around 100 mph in 1,200 feet and allows the vehicle to cruise at an average speed of about 460 mph.
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Physical Dimensions
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The Dodge Viper car is considered a performance car, so its dimensions are somewhat smaller than a typical road vehicle. The Dodge Viper measures 175.6 inches in length and 75.2 inches in width. The side view mirrors add an additional 3.2 inches. The car has a curb weight of 3,380 pounds and sports a drag coefficient of 0.40. The Viper jet is also considered a small vehicle for its class, but is considerably larger than the Viper car. A Viper jet measures 27.5 feet (330 inches) in length and is much wider than the Dodge Viper with a wingspan of 30 feet or 360 inches. The actual cabin area is considerably smaller than the Dodge, however, with a width of only 30 inches. Despite being a much larger vehicle, the Viper jet is much lighter, with a curb weight of only 2,600 pounds. When the jet is fully loaded with fuel and pilots, though, it weighs in at about 4,800 pounds.
Seating Capacity
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The Dodge Viper car and the Viper jet offer seating for two individuals: a driver and passenger or a pilot and passenger respectively. The seating arrangement is somewhat different, however, as passengers in the Viper car sit beside the driver while passengers in the Viper jet sit behind the pilot. Both vehicles allow for approximately the same amount of luggage in their confined cargo areas.
Price
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Just as there are significant differences in performance and physical dimensions, there is a marked difference in price between the Viper car and the Viper jet. Considered expensive for a road vehicle, the Viper car carries a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $88,590 for a typically equipped Viper. By contrast, the Viper jet costs around $541,000.
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