This year’s edition of SEMA will feature the usual slew of over-the-top, modified cars with all sorts of wild mods, ranging from crazy paint finishes and liveries, to engine swaps and mechanical modifications – all appreciated in their own way, and by a distinct crowd.

One of the real expected crowd-pullers is this, the Dodge Charger Juiced concept. It features a plain paint finish, with some plain wheels, and a plain and subtle body kit, and that’s about it. However, as it is most often the case, it’s what you don’t see that really makes a difference, and in this case, a very big difference – 8.4-liters-worth to be precise. Read more and see the gallery!

The 1971 Plymouth Viper Custom Cuda is one-of-a-kind thanks to Time Machines.  Here are the details:

Engine swaps have been around from the earliest days of motoring. More sophisticated hot rodders pioneered chassis swaps to get more performance and less weight. But rare is the car that can so seamlessly blend two completely different vehicles as seamlessly as this 1971 Plymouth Barracuda convertible. You see, that body is just an illusion, because underneath it’s a 2001 Dodge Viper, complete with a thundering 450 horsepower V10, 6-speed manual transmission, and fully independent suspension. What’s truly exceptional, however, is how beautifully built the entire car is, and the engineering required is truly mind-boggling. Why, just for starters, note that it’s now a two-seater, just like the Viper, although the proportions of the ‘Cuda body remain unchanged. How cool is that? Read more to find out and check out the large gallery!

One of the sweetest pieces of motorized candy that will be served at this year’s edition of SEMA will be the Dodge Challenger SRT8 ACR, a vehicle that will follow the recipe of the Nurburgring record-setting Viper SRT10 ACR.

The vehicle’s long list of performance mods starts with a Mopar coil-over suspension, a short-throw shifter, front and rear strut tower braces, lightweight alloy rims with Goodyear F1 Supercar tires, carbon fiber hood and boot lid, as well as certain engine goodies, such as a cat back exhaust. Read more!

Dave Thomas Sets NHRA AA/SA ET, MPH Records in Mopar Challenger V-10 Drag Pak

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 8, 2011

* Thomas sets record with a 9.43/143.90 pass in his 2011 Mopar Challenger Drag Pak
* Mopar Challenger V-10 Drag Pak built for sanctioned NHRA Stock and Super Stock configurations
* Mopar offers the only factory-built, V-10 powered race-ready package car

Less than one month after making its competition debut, the 2011 Mopar® Challenger V-10 Drag Pak is already rewriting the NHRA record books.

Dave Thomas, of Westchester, Pa., powered his 2011 Mopar Challenger V-10 Drag Pak to a record-setting 9.43-second elapsed time (ET) at 143.90 mph during a test session on Thursday, April 7 at the NHRA Division 1 National Open event at Atco (N.J.) Raceway (the test session allowed for record attempts). Thomas captured both the ET and mph records in the AA/SA class just two weeks after taking ownership of his Mopar Drag Pak, and with only a few passes under his belt in the new V-10-powered beast. Read more!

Dodge has prepared an extreme, drag strip-orientated incarnation of the 2011 Challenger.

Dubbed the Challenger Drag Pak, the vehicle drops its 6.1-liter V8 engine in order to use the Viper’s 8.4-liter V10 powerplant, which is mated to a drag racing two-speed automatic transmission. The power is sent to the road via a solid rear axle and a set of special tires. The racer can be ordered in Stock Eliminator or Super Stock versions.

Many systems and parts that added weight to the vehicle have been removed. We are talking about the HVAC system, the windshield wiper assembly, the rear seats, the power steering and the underbody heat shields.

The vehicle has been fitted with special parts such as polycarbonate door windows, lightweight racing seats that are six-point harness-ready, custom drag-race only front brakes, manual rack and pinion steering and others.

Mopar (the Chrysler Group’s parts division) will only build 70 units of the car, each one set to retail for a price of $85,512. Read more!

Dodge Viper Cup Series Kicks Off Inaugural Season on VERSUS

Virginia International Raceway Hosts First Two Viper Cup Races

* Ten-race spec series features new Dodge Viper ACR-X – “the” ultimate special-edition model of America’s ultimate sports car
* VERSUS to televise all 10 events in 30-minute show format
* MICHELIN signs on as official tire sponsor
* First two races of Viper Cup series celebrity driver program will feature Shaun Bailey of Road and Track magazine and Army National Guard Sergeant Mike Kohn of U.S. Olympic bobsledding fame
* Growing interest in the new series leads Dodge to produce 25 additional 2010 Viper ACR-X models

July 9, 2010 , Auburn Hills, Mich.

The next chapter in the racing legacy of the Dodge Viper is about to be written when 12 Dodge Viper ACR-X race cars take to the track to begin the 2010 Dodge Viper Cup series season at Virginia International Raceway (VIR) in Alton, Va., July 10-11, 2010.

“The Dodge Viper ACR-X is designed and built specifically for the race track,” said Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand. “Now with VERSUS on board, race fans will have the opportunity to see our untamed and unmatched road-racing machine along with some of our talented Viper owner/drivers compete on five of the best road courses in the county as part of the Dodge Viper Cup series.”

Event Coverage on VERSUS

VERSUS, the fastest growing sports cable network in the U.S. will televise each of the 10 series races in 30-minute shows approximately two to three weeks after each race. Viewers should check local listings for the 2010 Dodge Viper Cup series schedule on VERSUS. If fans miss a certain race, each 30-minute show also will re-air on VERSUS at various times throughout the season.
Click Read more for the full release

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Dodge Announces Dealer Exclusive Program Offering Unique 2010 Viper SRT10s
06.07.2010 , Auburn Hills, Mich.

The 2010 model year just got even more exclusive for the Dodge Viper. The Dodge brand is unveiling three new unique 2010 Viper SRT10 vehicles as part of its “Dealer Exclusive Program.”

Dealers who sold sufficient Viper volume to qualify were given the opportunity to create their own special editions that best meet the dreams of their most loyal customers. A total of 50 cars are being built under this program, and specific combinations were determined by each Dodge dealer who volunteered to participate.

Shown here (from left to right) are the Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Roadster, developed specifically with Woodhouse Dodge in Blair, Neb., featuring a Race Yellow Clear Coat exterior with yellow driver’s stripe; the “Reverse SRT10 ACR” developed with Tomball Dodge in Tomball, Texas, featuring the reverse color combination of the Snakeskin Green Special Edition introduced earlier this model year; and the Black SRT10 Coupe with Plum Crazy dual racing stripes developed with Roanoke Dodge in Roanoke, Ill.

To find all of the Dodge dealers who have 2010 Dodge Viper SRT10s on order including the various special-edition models, check out the new dealer locator function at the Viper Headquarters website: http://www.viperheadquarters.com/viper_nation/dealer_locator

With this being the last model year for the current-generation Dodge Viper, 2010 continues to be the most special year of production for the 600 horsepower V-10 powered “ultimate American sports car.” Approximately 500 cars will make up the 2010 model year production run, and each one is more exclusive than ever before with more than 7,000 different possible appearance combinations.

Dodge Pulls Skin Off 2010 Viper SRT10 Final Edition Models

Auburn Hills, Mich., Apr 6, 2010 – To celebrate the final year of production for the current-generation Dodge Viper, Dodge is building a limited production run of just 50 2010 Viper SRT10 “Final Edition” models.

Available in Coupe, Roadster and ACR (American Club Racer) model configurations, each Final Edition Viper exterior features a Graphite Clear Coat body with a painted black center stripe traced in red. Viper Coupe and ACR Final Edition models include a black windshield surround. All Final Edition models carry unique side sill badges.

The black interior features custom red accent stitching, red painted halo surrounds on the gauge cluster and bright stainless steel screws in center stack bezel. A numbered dash plaque (1-50) is located on the shifter bezel just above the unique Viper Final Edition floor mats. Check out the gallery after the jump.

This incredible machine – the ultimate muscle car – the non-street legal Viper SRT10 ACR-X, priced at $110,000, has officially entered production yesterday. The first example was made at the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant in Detroit. The official debut is schedules on July 9-10, 2010, in the Dodge Viper Cup.

“The 2010 model year is going to be unique for the Dodge Viper in many ways both on and off the track, so to kick it off with production of our ultimate special-edition Viper ACR-X is our way of paying tribute to the performance engineering expertise of our SRT team, combined with the passion and dedication of Viper Nation, to keep the tradition going strong,” Ralph Gilles, President and CEO, Dodge Brand, said in a release.

“With its amazing on-track performance, the Viper ACR-X is going to seriously turn the heads of all road-racing enthusiasts, whether it is the grassroots driver all the way up to the professional,” added Gilles.