The Viper engine is a high-performance naturally-aspirated

pushrod A valvetrain or valve train is a mechanical system that controls the operation of the intake and exhaust valves in an internal combustion engine. The intake valves control the flow of air/fuel mixture (or air alone for direct-injected engines) ...

valves A valve is a device or natural object that regulates, directs or controls the flow of a fluid (gases, liquids, fluidized solids, or slurries) by opening, closing, or partially obstructing various passageways. Valves are technically fitting ...

-per-

cylinder A cylinder (from ) has traditionally been a three-dimensional solid, one of the most basic of curvilinear geometric shapes. In elementary geometry, it is considered a prism with a circle as its base. A cylinder may also be defined as an infin ...

90°

V10 engine A V10 engine is a ten-cylinder piston engine where two banks of five cylinders are arranged in a V configuration around a common crankshaft. V10 engines are much less common than V8 and V12 engine A V12 engine is a twelve-cylinder pis ...

commissioned by Chrysler and built by

Lamborghini Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. () is an Italian brand and manufacturer of luxury sports cars and SUVs based in Sant'Agata Bolognese. The company is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary Audi. Ferruccio Lamborghini (1916–1993) ...

for use in the

Dodge Viper The Dodge Viper is a sports car that was manufactured by Dodge (by SRT for 2013 and 2014), a division of American car manufacturer FCA US LLC from 1992 until 2017, having taken a brief hiatus in 2007 and from 2010 to 2012. Production of the two- ...

. Despite its large displacement, it is based on a small-block V8.

Development

Phase SR (1992–2002)

SR I (1st generation)

The Viper V10 is based on the Chrysler LA engine family and appeared with the

in 1992. It was conceived and prototyped as a Magnum 5.9 with two extra cylinders and a longer

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

of . The first-generation Viper V10 engine had a

displacement Displacement may refer to: Physical sciences Mathematics and Physics * Displacement (geometry), is the difference between the final and initial position of a point trajectory (for instance, the center of mass of a moving object). The actual path ...

of and produced at 4600 rpm and of

torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational equivalent of linear force. It is also referred to as the moment of force (also abbreviated to moment). It represents the capability of a force to produce change in the rotational motion of th ...

at 3600 rpm.

SR II (2nd generation)

The second-generation engine, also displacing 8.0 L, produced @ 5200 rpm and of torque @ 3700 rpm. 1999 was the last year for

forged Forging is a manufacturing process involving the shaping of metal using localized compressive forces. The blows are delivered with a hammer (often a power hammer) or a die. Forging is often classified according to the temperature at which it ...

pistons until the 5th gen engine was released in 2012. There was a emissions transition happening around this time that may have influenced this.

Phase ZB (2003–2010)

ZB I (3rd generation)

The third-generation engine, introduced on the 2003 Viper, had a displacement of with a bore x stroke of , rated at @ 5600 rpm and @ 4200 rpm of torque after SAE certification in 2006.

ZB II (4th generation)

For the 2008 Dodge Viper, the engine's output was increased to @ 6100 rpm and @ 5000 rpm of torque via a slight displacement increase to and the use of

variable valve timing In internal combustion engines, variable valve timing (VVT) is the process of altering the timing of a valve lift event, and is often used to improve performance, fuel economy or emissions. It is increasingly being used in combination with varia ...

, among the first utilized in a

engine. The bore was now , the same as Chrysler's 6.1 L Hemi engine.

Phase VX (2012–2017)

VX I (5th generation)

The 2013 SRT Viper kept roughly the same displacement but further boosted power to @ 6150 rpm and @ 4950 rpm of torque. Since 2015, power was raised up to at 6200 rpm.

Other Viper V10 vehicles

In addition, the Viper V10 was installed in the

Dodge Ram SRT-10 The Dodge Ram SRT-10 is a sport pickup truck that was produced by American automaker Dodge in limited numbers. It was introduced at the January 2002 North American International Auto Show, but was not put into production until 2004. Development ...

, earning the truck the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for fastest production truck (later bettered by the Australian Holden HSV Maloo, which uses the LS2,

Corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

engine). The

Dodge Tomahawk The Dodge Tomahawk is a non- street legal vehicle introduced in 2003 by Dodge at the North American International Auto Show, initially as a one-off concept, and then later that year as a limited production vehicle when DaimlerChrysler announce ...

concept vehicle also uses this engine.

Bitter Cars Erich Bitter Automobil GmbH (Bitter) is a premium sports-luxury automobile marque produced in Germany and later Austria. Founder Erich Bitter, a former racing driver turned automobile tuner, importer and ultimately designer began crafting his ...

of Germany produced the Bitter GT1 based on the

Lotus Elise GT1 The Lotus Elise GT1 (also known as the Lotus GT1 and known internally as Type-115) is a race car developed for grand tourer-style sports car racing starting in 1997. Development Lotus Cars had previously been using the Lotus Esprit GT1 –a ...

using this engine. The V10 was also sold to British luxury car manufacturer

Bristol Cars Bristol Cars were manufacturers of hand-built luxury cars headquartered in Bristol, England. After being placed in receivership and being taken over in 2011, it entered liquidation in February 2020. After the Second World War, the car division ...

: the Bristol Fighter was powered by a modified version of the engine which produced , increasing to at high speed due to the ram air effect. Bristol Cars further produced a Fighter S, in which the engine was tuned to give ( at high speed). Bristol had also planned to produce a Fighter T, further modifying the engine with a

turbocharger In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...

to produce at 5600 rpm, however Bristol have since stated that no Fighter T models were produced. * Bristol Fighter *

Millyard Viper V10 The Millyard Viper V10 is a one-off motorcycle capable of over that was built by British engineer Allen Millyard. The motorcycle weighs , of which is the engine, and is powered by an 8-litre Dodge Viper V10 engine producing at 48mpg. Millyar ...

* Spania GTA Spano *

VLF Force 1 The VLF Force 1 is an American sports car produced by VLF Automotive. Based on the Dodge Viper (VX I), the Force 1 was designed by automobile designer Henrik Fisker. VLF Automotive also partnered with American racing driver and Viper enthusia ...

* Alfa Romeo Zagato TZ3 Stradale

References

{{reflist Chrysler engines V10 engines