2010 Dodge Viper SRT10 ACR Sets Nürburgring Lap Record
Proving that there’s still life in the discontinued (but soon to be rebooted as a 2012 model) Dodge Viper, Chrysler’s Street and Racing Technology (SRT) division teamed up with the Viper Club of America and Tomball Dodge’s ViperExchange to recapture the fastest production car lap time at the world-famous Nürburgring Nordschleife racetrack. Professional driver Dominik Farnbacher drove the 2010 Viper ACR to a record 7:12.13 time on September 14th (see video confirming the deed, below), which once again established the Viper ACR as the fastest production vehicle to hit the famed German racetrack.
“We’re extremely proud to set the lap record for a second time at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife,†Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT Brand and Motorsports for Chrysler,  said in a prepared statement. “Our team returned to Germany knowing we’d left some time on the track when we set our first lap record, so this effort shows the incredible depth and capability the Viper ACR has by running a full 10 seconds faster than we did in 2008.”
Unlike less testosterone-filled vehicles, the Viper ACR eschews traction control, stability control, and other nanny-mode frippery in favor of a more direct approach to driving performance that centers around a massive 8.4 liter V10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb.-ft. of torque. There are many tales of how intimidating the Viper ACR can be to drive at the limit by the uninitiated, but in the hands of a true professional like Farnbacher the Viper truly reaches its potential, as this record-breaking Nürburgring run indicates.
Anyone else curious how long it will take Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, or Motown rival General Motors (with the Corvette ZR1) to try and knock the Viper off the top spot?