Growing up in Metro Detroit as a diehard Mopar fan, I was lucky enough to know many people who gave me extraordinary opportunities to do a number of things. One of those opportunities came when I was 17 years old.
It was June 2002, I had just spent the weekend with a group of my high school friends camping at Michigan International Speedway to watch the Sirius Satellite Radio 400 NASCAR Cup race and had returned home late that evening when my father told me that the next day we were getting a private tour of the Conner Ave. Assembly Plant (which built the Dodge Viper). It would be the first time of several trips to the Conner facility over the years, but this would be the most special as I would get to not only see the plant for the first time but get a chance to see the last of the Gen2 Final Edition GTS Coupes being produced.
This came within days of the last Final Edition being built. At the time, pictures were not allowed inside the plant area as the Viper team was getting ready to make the switch over to the Gen3 car along with the production of an all-new 8.3-liter VIPER V-10. Nevertheless, it was one of the highlights of my youth. So, as you can imagine there is a soft spot in my heart for those final 360 Gen2 Final Edition Viper GTS cars.
While browsing through the automotive classified this morning, I noticed that one of these Final Edition cars has been listed on the popular automotive auction site, BringATrailer.com.
For those who aren’t familiar with the Gen2 Final Edition, it was Dodge’s first goodbye model for a Viper.
Produced in stunning Viper Red exterior paint and highlighted with dual Stone White stripes, the combination caught a lot of attention. Each car was serialized with a special plaque on the center console. Customers could choose from the luxurious GTS Coupe or GTS Coupe ACR (American Club Racer). The ACR package included a revised air intake (which added 10 additional horsepower), deletion of the fog lights, air conditioning, and radio, and a unique set of 18-inch BBS wheels.
This more luxurious GTS Coupe Final Edition is serialized as No. 299 / 350. Its odometer states that despite being almost 21 years old, it only accumulated roughly 5,300 miles since it rolled off the hand-built assembly line at Conner.
The Gen2 GTS Coupe is one of the most gorgeous cars to come out of Detroit and even though it was shown off in 1994 as a concept and went into production in 1996, the design never truly aged. Even though it only wears 18-inch polished aluminum wheels, from a distance you would be hard-pressed to say there were bigger due to the car’s proportions.
Inside, the cabin features the classic Viper bucket seats upholstered in Black leather. A premium Alpine sound system with AM/FM/CD head unit sets the tone. The Viper GTS was a huge leap forward from where the Viper RT/10 Roadster was when it debuted in 1992, as the coupe had amenities like air conditioning, power windows, power-adjustable pedals, dual front airbags, and power door locks.
Its massive 8.0-liter VIPER V-10 produced 450 horsepower and 490 lb.-ft. of torque, was no slouch either. Mated to a Tremec T-56 6-speed manual, if you could shift fast enough, the GTS Coupe would reward you with a 0 to 60 mph time of 4.3 seconds and a 1/4-mile time of 12.4 seconds @ 115 mph.
This particular car shows a Carfax report with no accidents or damage and lists the car as being registered in Florida, Missouri, and Louisiana throughout its life.
Another cool thing about the car is that it is offered with its original manufacturer’s literature, a Viper brochure, and two keys with remotes. The original window sticker also comes with it, showing that the car was originally bought from Sunset Dodge of Sarasota, Florida with a price tag of $79,000.
The car will be listed on BringATrailer.com until the auction ends on Sunday, February 12th at 3:50 p.m. EST. Hopefully, someone will bring home this Viper and make it the perfect Valentine’s gift (especially with its color scheme) for someone.
2002 Dodge Viper GTS Coupe Final Edition No. 299 / 360 Image Gallery:
