The previous Viper had to meet more than just racetrack performance goals to continue production. Its low sales volume, about 1300 per year, meant it had to be a low-tech roadster. (The rival $49,000 Corvette sells 20 times as many.) So anti-lock brakes and other technologically advanced systems weren't found on the original Viper.

The new Viper was designed to make money through better design and a less complicated build process, says Chrysler. Anti-lock brakes now come standard. The new refinements and performance lead us to guess the '03 Viper's price to be just below $80,000. At the astounding performance levels of this car, which rival that of $300,000 exotics, we think it's a car nut's bargain.