[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iS2HVVVeS4[/embedyt]This car is probably one of the most extreme sports cars ever built. It’s definitely the most extreme car in American automotive history. And now – after almost 30 years and 30,000 units with a beastly V10 engine – Chrysler is winding down the production in Detroit.

The Dodge Viper was conceived back in the late 80’s by sports car legend and Chrysler executive, Bob Lutz. All he wanted to do was kick-start a dying Car giant, so he and his team came up with a 400-horsepower concept, named Viper RT10. This first concept was built from just corporate parts-bin components, but to differentiate the beast, Lutz equipped it with a huge and unique V10 engine. At first, the giant engine was too heavy to install, so they gave it to Lamborghini (which was owned by Chrysler at the time) – who re-engineered it, made it out of aluminum, which lowered the weight immensely.

But it wasn’t enough, so they installed hubs and axles from Dodge’s pickup trucks (these use six-lug wheels and hubs!), which were the only ones strong enough for the car’s extreme power.

Back then, the Dodge Viper was a unique drop-top sports car that mimicked the classic Shelby Cobra. It hardly had any competition.

Two years after it was launched, Chrysler came up with a genius Marketing campaign. It produced an action TV series featuring special agents fighting crime in California, whose main weapon was a Viper Defender, James Bond style. The TV-Series Viper was equipped with all sorts of high-tech weapons, rocket launchers, stingers, torpedoes and even anti-missiles systems. The Viper was a STAR !

WATCH THIS:

[embedyt] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng9mcGbFSmQ[/embedyt]

Today, powerful two-seat sports cars are quite common, and the competition is fierce. Chrysler just couldn’t afford it.

We’ll miss you, Dodge Viper…