All 28 1:28 Edition ACRs, made to honor the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR setting the production car single lap record at Laguna Seca Raceway with a time of 1:28.65, were snapped up in 40 minutes. It took two hours for all 31 VoooDoo II Edition ACRs, fitted with special interior and exterior accents, the Extreme Aero Package, and Carbon Ceramic brakes, to be spoken for. The lot of 25 Snakeskin Edition GTCs, wearing Snakeskin Green paint and a custom snakeskin-patterned SRT stripe, sold out in two ordering days. So did every one of the 100 GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACRs, which pay homage to the 1998 Viper GTS-R GT2 Championship Editions designed to commemorate the Viper winning the 1997 FIA GT2 championship. It took a little longer – five ordering days – for all 22 Dealer Edition ACRs, “available exclusively through Dodge’s highest sales volume Viper dealers, Tomball Dodge of Tomball, Texas, and Roanoke Dodge of Roanoke, Ill.,” to find buyers.
If you wanted one of these rare snakes but missed your shot at getting it, there’s good news. Due to strong customer demand, Dodge will be producing up to 31 Snakeskin Edition ACRs. Those will feature a snakeskin stripe, the ACR Package, the Extreme Aero Package, carbon ceramic brakes, an ACR interior, and a serialized instrument panel badge. Dodge will start taking orders for them in mid-July.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
