America's Answer to the GT3 RS — Viper ACR Spotted for Sale

Remember when American cars were known for nothing more than being fast in a straight line, even though it was a task to even keep them in a straight line? Well, thanks to a few much more impressive all-round efforts in recent years, that reputation is gone, and none were more extreme than the Viper ACR.

if I didn’t have time to tell you about it, I’d just tell you to look at it, and that would tell most of the story — from the way it looks to the way it drives, the ACR is an animal in every sense. First off, in true American tradition, cubic inches are well and truly adequate with an 8.4-litre V10 putting out 654hp and an absolute wallop (814Nm, to be more specific) of torque. All that power goes through the rear wheels, but fear not, the 355-section tyres claw themselves to the tarmac like peanut butter to your tongue. Oh, thankfully it has carbon ceramic brakes too.

This is a true old-school experience, with a hefty manual gearshift, very minimal interference from driver aids, and it’s an intimidating beast before you even get moving. Created as an uncompromising machine for the race track, it has a revised chassis with carbon bracing, redesigned lightweight bodywork, adjustable Bilstein suspension and some of the wildest aero you’ll ever see on a car with number plates. With the optional Extreme Aero Package (seen on this car), the ACR is said to be capable of generating up to 900kg of downforce.

Fun fact, the rear wing is 1,776mm wide, giving a nod to the year 1776, the year in which the United States declared its independence — MURICA!

All that adds up to a monstrously quick car, with a Nurburgring lap time of 7:01.67 and 13 track records including Laguna Seca and Willow Springs.

More than its sheer pace though, they simply don’t make ‘em like this any more. Not just because the Viper is no longer in production, but because of the raw, involving driving experience. You need to mean it to drive this quick, you need to be on your game, you need to learn the car, and you darn sure need to respect it.

This car has 7,100km on the clock and is for sale at €299,000. I guess it depends on what you want if that represents value or not. On one hand, you can get a box-fresh Porsche 992 GT3 RS for that which is even faster around the ring and a much more polished proposition, but if you want a hold-on-tight experience and a real rarity — less than 1,000 in the world but only a handful in Europe — the Viper ACR is one of the great driving experiences and shouldn’t be overlooked.

View the full details of this car for sale with our friends at Mechatronik here. A few years ago, we were fortunate enough to live with one of these absolute beasts on the road for a while, so see it in action and hear my thoughts below.