Photos: GTSpirit.com

Who could have imagined that a glimmer of hope and an idea in the 1980’s would have led to the creation of an iconic car. With the thought that Chrysler needed to get back in the muscle car market the “Team Viper” effort was formed with 85 engineers that were chosen and led by Roy Sjoberg, Chief engineer at Chrysler. The Vipers fame was almost instantaneous as it rolled of the production line with its 488 cubic inch V10 backed by a six speed manual transmission. The Dodge Viper’s fame was short lived with only ten years of production, but their dynasty lives on through organizations like Viper Club of America.

The Viper Club of America recently gathered in Charlotte, North Carolina, for the 12th annual Viper Owners Invitation. Over 1000 owners convened for the exciting event that far surpassed all expectations of what this event could become. A little bit of everything was on tap for the owners and fans of the Viper, including autocross, go karts, a scenic cruise and runs down the dragstrip. Attendees were treated to a formal dinner on Saturday night with a special look back at the history of the Viper.

Capping off the event were several special presentations that were led by a trio of the “SRT” management team. Beth Paretta, Director of operations for SRT brand and SRT Motorsports, and Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of Street and Racing Technology Brand and Motorsports, were handling the presentation in front of a record crowd. If you’re a Viper owner you will surely want to put this one on your schedule for 2013 as a must see event!