Dodge Viper: BBC Top Gear - 1992 - Road Test with Jeremy Clarkson

[@71Asrogers]

Def Leppard playing in the background is just about perfection for the Vioer.

[@texasforever7887]

No trunk room? Are you kidding. It has a full size spare tire. Future Clarkson would be shocked.

[@DrDrift-rl6cc]

How times have changed..

[@RS-uo2nd]

That spare tire is there as additional protection in a rear end collision, the only thing between it and the seats is the fuel tank lol

[@mayhanamin3538]

Jeremy Clarkson knew this car was dangerous, and yet he wasn't afraid to go all wild in it

[@prosto_potomuwto]

wow

[@moogle68]

It wasn't dangerous if you simply understood how careful you needed to be in certain weather conditions in a V10 powered RWD car... I swear, people act like this thing would spontaneously self-combust or something. There was nothing mechanically wrong with it whatsoever, just a bunch of idiots bought it and paid the price for overestimating their own abilities/knowledge.

[@w.e.s.]

​@@moogle68lmfao no dude do some research these things would spin out on the Interstate just driving normal

[@supremegodemperordonaldtru3563]

​@@w.e.s.Thats not how it works you potato. Cars dont randomly spin out. Rich idiots back then bought the "new hottest car in the neighbourhood" to show off without realising what the viper was. It had no ABS, no TC, no Air bags etc. It was a racecar for the road and people found out the hard way.

[@stephenhill1716]

I just love how you could tell Jeremy had this sort of…silent fear of this car. They weren’t safe. AT ALL. He knew that..

[@moogle68]

IDK what you were watching, but he seemed just as he does in all his other old reviews, if not a bit more enthusiastic about this than he was about most of the other stuff he reviewed, especially positive for an American car. Besides, this thing isn't that dangerous, it's just the cockiness and overestimation of the driver's own skill that caused most of the accidents with it. Nothing was mechanically dangerous about it.

[@MrWolfSnack]

@@moogle68 EVERYTHING was dangerous about it. You are immensely ignorant to think not.

[@mesicek7]

@@moogle68 Weren't like half of the first gen Vipers crashed?

[@C.Fecteau-AU-MJ13]

Those three spoke mags were the bizniss... Peak '90s design

[@MichaelOKeefe2009]

The same exact Dodge Viper Doug DeMuro reviewed.

[@kmdiecast9669]

I think he best described it as an " Automotive Volcano" sure is one.❤🌋

[@SatanKarma1]

this will always and shall always be my dream car

[@jacobstep7153]

Same ngl (corvette stingray is pretty cool too)

[@o.l.ashman9696]

For me it would have to be the Ram SRT10, you get the practicality of a truck with the performance of a Viper

[@Decenium]

lets hope it stays that way so you will live a bit longer....

[@paulwalker2988]

And this was the only time in his life when Jeremy used a tooth brush.

[@tobiaskeseberg1445]

Loved that car in my childhood. I had 1:18 sized model of it. Also from the coupé

[@higherstandard710]

Clarksons Hair is why he drives like this today. 😂 never forget!

[@peonmyhall]

I love how Jeremy dogs on Hammond for being a secret American when we all know who the real secret American is.

[@PlasticRocket2]

This is my first time seeing jeremy as a young guy, wow

[@majorhemroid]

When this came out, I'd ride my bike all over town to see if any of the Dodge dealers had one in the showroom. One of them did, but you couldn't get in it unless the sales staff took you and your bank account seriously. Teenage years. So no get in for me.

[@jaysheeze]

1992, no one was talking electric cars lol.

[@ras4782]

Lmbo I said the same

[@chrisvovra6790]

Ford was actually prototyping electric rangers, GM had prototype electric cars. Can't remember what law or bill, but California (surprise) was working on legislation to reduce emissions. As soon as it failed the electric prototypes were revoked from their leasees and scrapped.

[@Skidracer21]

GM EV1? No?

[@MrCrazyTart]

They were most certainly talking about them. Producing them? No. Talking? Yes.

[@Killler_102]

1982-72 maybe

[@petejohnson8397]

kind of nice to NOT hear Clarkson ripping on american cars. even if it was 3 decades ago

[@gmain1977]

He was fine early on as soon as he got famous and rich he had head in clouds

[@undividual3891]

@@gmain1977 It was a character

[@MrPrajitura]

Don’t know what you talking about, he loved the C6 Z06 Corvette and he bought a Ford GT

[@gmain1977]

Love these and GTS was a beast

[@TheFinanceKings]

So 1992 Americans were talking about electric cars. An then they invaded Iraq an forgot about their fuel crisis.

[@Stevenlee-vl7rx]

No. We delivered "freedom". We just happened to find some oil laying around with no name on it.

[@TheFinanceKings]

@@Stevenlee-vl7rx lol 😆 😂

[@jdcp8976]

@@Stevenlee-vl7rx yeaaah about that...

[@dpelpal]

America now has _more_ oil reserves than Iraq. Thank you, fracking😮

[@Fatboymk]

There never was an all aluminium Truck Engine in 1992 Viper was designed on a V8 LA engine, (the LA engine was a cast iron block which had be used in trucks), Chrysler with Lamborghini added 2 extra cylinders and developed an all new aluminium engine with the similar bore and stroke to the Truck engine, hence Clarkson's journalistic comment. Later in 2003 Chrysler/Dodge put the engine into a dodge Ram making it an SRT/10, the ram truck was a 2 wheel drive 6 speed manual.

[@Stevenlee-vl7rx]

Correct. There was never an aluminum truck engine in that era. There was however, an option for an iron block v10 for 2500 and 3500 dodge rams of the time.

[@jamesgarvey8402]

This is great! What a special and important car.

[@thecommonsenseconservative5576]

Is that def leppard

[@pepmasters-999]

"Big, isn't it? Big and not complicated." With straps on its sunglasses and a red neckerchief.

[@itzyaboybugz]

My dream car. Bar none!

[@Altezza447]

The way it handles you might stay dreaming.....

[@itzyaboybugz]

@@Altezza447 what do you mean?

[@Altezza447]

@@itzyaboybugz car not balanced at all. High rate of accidents

[@alonso2663]

The song is: make love like a man by def leppard. By the way Nice car still rocks!!!!

[@oler777]

So Jeremy Clarkson is a secret American

[@tonibozic805]

He was good looking back then

[@notoriousl.a.d2427]

Jeremy called a 8 ltr engine a small baby 😅

[@Sammasambuddha]

Dr. Who in style!

[@prosto_potomuwto]

The wheelbase could've been longer. Or engine pushed more forwards.

[@ciaranburke3243]

Clarkson looks like a young lad 😂

[@mikegenesis7484]

How much did they pay him to say all that malarkey?

[@Highgear145]

These cars had overheating issues so bad that and aftermarket company had to create a cooling system better than Dodge

[@Lucerd127]

Still a beautiful car. Shame you can't find much good ones at home in Europe.😂😂😂

[@mbdulka]

Lots of them in Europe still -- for a pretty penny.

[@jclafi]

Great Car!

[@ElindorBG]

15 000 pounds ?! I would like to order 4 of those please .

[@gmain1977]

He said £50,000

[@daeone1514]

So that’s basically a death 🪤

[@landyachtfan79]

0:29!!!!

[@Mart-E12]

People were already thinking about electric cars back then?

[@Daniel-dg3np]

And even 100 years before that

[@MrWolfSnack]

original viper is still one of the most anti-boomer cars out there they cant drive it the steering is set in concrete and you need the foot of an elephant to get it off the line they made it easier to drive through subsequent years but the first few years it was still basically "beta001" lol

[@kylegilmore3810]

Those same people see a wiggle of countersteer from [favorite driver on the talking picture box] and praise the driver as a prodigy with exceptional talent. Seem to treat everything as an on/off switch

[@bluemutt9964]

Making a boomer joke in 2023 is cringe, not even knowing what a boomer is and making a boomer joke in 2023 is mega cringe. Thinking boomers didn't rip this around when they grew up with Dodge at Nascar is retarded

[@MrWolfSnack]

@@kylegilmore3810 Come back when you've actually studied the first 2 model years of the Viper as well as the pre-production model.

[@jaybabe7767]

I love dodge is still in the same mindset. Every other company making electric and hybrid nonsense like the new electric mustang and dodge is like fuck it let's put a 750hp hell cat engine in a mini van.

[@aaronvargas4939]

This aged bad

[@jaybabe7767]

@@aaronvargas4939 yes literally like a week after this they announced to end of the challenger hemi and only electric. Its such a bummer dodge was the last hope for American muscle.

[@fartloudYT]

@@jaybabe7767 basically it means there is no reason to buy their cars. Genius.

[@texasforever7887]

Great powertrains. Its a shame everything around it will break and disintegrate around it. Almost all the hellcats will be trash in 5 years.

[@adorablecenturion8436]

damn this aged really really badly ford and gm still got the camaro, corvette, mustang etc for a few years and dodge is stopping the charger and challenger V8s for god knows what reason

[@ElindorBG]

so the car has no roof at all ?? damn. never seen another one like that before ^^ what if it rains ?

[@joshmahto7258]

then you drive faster, so the rain hits your windshield instead

[@joshmahto7258]

Joking aside, however, this is how every real roadster is. Today the term is conflated with "convertible", but you cannot "convert" a real roadster. The Viper also had a factory tonneau cover you could put which would protect the interior from the elements when parked, and had a removable section for when you were driving alone

[@MrWolfSnack]

The Viper did eventually have a hardtop and soft-top but the first models were convertible only.

[@F8Tributo]

They only spent 30M developing the Gen 1. (Typical was 300M back then) Early production examples had welded pipe control arms! The Gen 2 is arguably much better, with real electric windows, outside door handles, lockable with key fob, forged aluminum control arms, etc.

[@Heatherrrrr-uh2sl]

Why are you playing music we want to hear the car

[@SodiumWage]

Clarkson might be a complete neanderthal and totally ignorant 99.999% of the time, but he at least know his cars.

[@raftonpounder6696]

Unto the breach. Not into.

[@ebutuoyYT]

Dull sounding truck engine, with low BHP per litre, the Viper would have been much better with a big cubic inch V8.

[@jasonbrooks4219]

Amazing how far we have xome. A hyundai elantra N would beat this in a race.

[@majinevolution7878]

Yeah in your dreams

[@majinevolution7878]

You probably don’t even know how to operate a manual transmission.

[@adorablecenturion8436]

nnah it wouldnt, the elantra N weighs the same, has less power and is a worse handling car

[@jamesfranko5098]

Look at group b rally.cars from the 80s. 500bhp from 1.8 4 cylinder engines. This was just a typical high displacement American car.