Have you ever had a picture or a thought in your head that you wanted to put down on paper? It’s hard, right? Somewhere in the translation process, something gets distorted and you wind up producing a sketch or a poem that fails to completely convey what you originally imagined.
I’ve got to hand it to Dodge for trying to digitize the daydream. The company’s certainly included plenty of options in its Dodge Viper GTC Customizer. It should help you (at least digitally) create your ideal American exotic.
After you go to the SRT website, you can build your own Viper GTC, which is based on the GT model and starts at $94,995, and make it your own unique creation in a variety of ways. Of course, you can choose the exterior paint color from a set of standard options. You can also create your own. The same goes for the color of the stripes you pick. You even get to dictate whether your GTC gets a GTS- or SRT-style hood and much more.
According to Dodge, “With 8,000 exterior color options, 24,000 custom stripe colors, 11 wheel options, 16 interior trims and seven aero packages, three brake packages and four suspension options there are more than 25 million ways for buyers to customize their one-of-a-kind Dodge Viper.”
If you happen to order a GTC, Dodge will send you a complimentary 1:18-scale Viper speed form replica so you can confirm your exterior color choice. Your car will come with a personalized instrument panel badge with your name on it, Concierge Service, and access to the Viper Ambassador Owner’s Portal, which will allow you to track the build of your GTC and share the progress with your friends and family.
Once your custom Viper comes in, you won’t see a clone of it out on the road because “no two customers can order the same configuration, including color, in the same model year.”
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.
