Although entering its 11th season, this snake is still the behemoth of the jungle, suffocating its rivals with outrageous styling and brutal torque. The Porsche 911 and Chevrolet Corvette are each more refined and easier to drive. They each possess a longer pedigree in the sports car world. But they also convey a very different image. If the Porsche is Wagner, and the 'Vette is Jim Morrison, then Viper is Mettalica. Armed with sledgehammers.

And in just over a decade, the Viper has established a pedigree of its own: Vipers won the GT Class at Le Mans in 1998, 99, and 2000. They earned international GT2 and GT championships in 1997, 98, and 99. A factory Viper team won the class title in the American Le Mans Series in 1999. Then a Viper won the 2000 24 Hours of Daytona outright, bettering the European prototypes that were assumed to be faster. It remains the hot setup among production street cars, if Car and Driver magazine's One Lap of America is any indication. As a sports car with real credentials, the Viper doesn't have to apologize to anyone. Not that it looks like it's going to be making any apologies.