2013 SRT Viper at Roebling Road Raceway: Photo Gallery

The third generation of the erstwhile Dodge Viper returned from a three-year hiatus not only a "better car overall," says Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder, but no less outrageous. Faithful to its rep, the 2013 SRT Viper boasts showy features like a forward-opening hood, 18- and 19-inch wheels in front and back, respectively, and lightweight carbon-fiber and aluminum components. Similarly impressive are interior upgrades, which in the GTS trim Wiesenfelder drove at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah, Ga., included abundant Laguna leather that muted memories of its previous inferior interior. Check out the gallery below.

2013 SRT Viper GTS at Roebling Road Raceway Video

Admirers of the former Dodge Viper should be thrilled with the 2013 SRT Viper GTS. Those who would never dream of paying $100,000 for a less-than-practical sports car aren't likely to become converts. Whatever one's attitude on it, the third-generation Viper is an all-around improvement on its predecessor, says Cars.com reviewer Joe Wiesenfelder. The new Viper has shed 100 pounds thanks to lighter-weight materials, helping its 640-horsepower, 8.4-liter V-10 achieve a low-3-second zero-to-60 time and a 206 mph top speed. Better yet, the track-ready SRT Viper has become an overall more manageable performance sports car without sacrificing its essential "Viper-ness." Watch the video above.

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Recall Alert: 2003-04 Dodge Viper

Chrysler is recalling 3,660 model-year 2003 and 2004 Dodge Viper performance sports cars due to a problem that could cause the airbags to deploy unexpectedly, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The affected vehicles were manufactured between Nov. 1, 2001, and June 30, 2004. A component in the airbag control module may fail, causing the front airbags or seat belt pretensioners to deploy inadvertently, increasing the likelihood of a crash.

Chrysler will begin notifying owners of the recall this month, and dealers will repair the vehicles for free once a remedy is made available later this year. Owners with questions may call Chrysler at 800-247-9753 or NHTSA’s vehicle safety hotline at 888-327-4236. They also can go to www.safercar.gov.

The Viper recall is an expansion of one last year involving similar airbag and seat belt pretensioner issues in 744,822 model-year 2002-03 Jeep Liberty small SUVs and model year 2002-04 Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs.

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2013 SRT Viper: First Drive

If you told me three years ago that I had written my last Dodge Viper review, I wouldn't have blinked. Certainly this noisy, crude, gas-guzzling ode to testosterone wouldn't survive an era defined by hybrids, soaring gas prices and its own manufacturer's bankruptcy.

No one counted on such a quick rebound for the Fiat-owned Chrysler Group or the lunatic vision of Fiat/Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne and designer/gearhead/leadfoot/executive Ralph Gilles, now the CEO of the SRT division. We found out at the New York International Auto Show earlier this year that the Viper would be back as a 2013 model.

As I made clear in what I thought would be my last Viper review, which was of the second-generation model in 2008, I liked the car. I respected it. But a car like that has no place in today's market. To make any sense at all, the 2013 will have to be more grown-up and refined. If my time in two development Vipers at South Haven, Mich.'s GingerMan Raceway is an indication, SRT has nailed it.

SRT (Sort of) Teases New Viper

After a lot of hype, Chrysler's SRT Viper reveal turned out to be a dud. The group announced a Viper sneak peek on its Facebook page and then unveiled just a partial sketch of the forthcoming 2013 SRT Viper. 

The drawing doesn't say too much about the new performance car, but we do know that the Viper trades the Dodge name in for the SRT brand for 2013. It's going into production later this year in Detroit.

The new Viper will meet the public at the 2012 New York auto show in April.

Diesel Jeep Grand Cherokee Coming Next Year

Chrysler announced that not only was it hiring a third shift of workers to build more of its popularly redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee in Detroit, but that it would also add a diesel version of the SUV to the lineup sometime next year.

There weren’t more details about the vehicle itself in terms of specs or mileage, but the company also confirmed the next SRT Viper sports car — not called a Dodge — will go on sale this year as a 2013 model.

2013 SRT Viper To Arrive in Late 2012

The latest Viper is coming sooner than expected, but when it does go on sale it will no longer be sold as a “Dodge." It will be known as the 2013 SRT Viper, and the super car will go into production in late 2012, Chrysler says.

The car will be built at a specialty shop in Detroit — the same factory where the original Viper was built — employing 150 workers. This marks the return of the Viper nameplate, which was put on hiatus shortly after Chrysler’s bankruptcy and reorganization; Chrysler's previous owners even tried to sell the brand but couldn’t find an appropriate buyer.

The next Viper promises to be more advanced as Chrysler touts it will have “stability control tuning for the first time.”

The SRT group, which creates high-performance variants of Chryslers, Jeeps and, mainly, Dodge cars, was recently reorganized by Chrysler corporate, giving the team more sway. SRT works similarly to BMW’s M brand or Mercedes’ AMG brand. Models like the 2012 Grand Cherokee SRT8 or Chrysler 300 SRT8 feature race-inspired performance parts and exterior/interior looks. People behind the SRT brand were previously responsible for the first Dodge Viper and the Plymouth Prowler in the 1990s.

The fastest SRT ever produced was the now-dead 600-horsepower 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10, which could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than four seconds.

Dodge Viper Will Return

We really don’t miss the Dodge Viper. Chrysler killed its supercar during its bankruptcy and reorganization under Fiat, but today, it released photographic proof that the next-generation Viper is undergoing testing and will be a reality in 2012.

The last Viper was so unappealing to some — yet loved by others — in part because it was an unrefined brute with an abundance of horsepower and not much else.

The next Viper promises to be more advanced as Chrysler touts it will have “stability control tuning for the first time.”

You may be looking at the image above and thinking, “Gee, that looks like the old Viper,” but the development team is using the existing chassis to test the new engine and other parts before being fitted to a new body.