Will mankind ever get over its desire to put every new sports car on a dynamometer? The answer, we believe, is a resounding no…and that’s a good thing. There is something almost hypnotic about seeing high-powered performance cars belting out their full potential while standing in place, and it keeps manufacturers honest. If a company is going to claim 640 horsepower, they better be able to deliver.

Edmunds had a chance to take the 2013 SRT Viper out for a day at the track, where they laid down some impressive times. However, what really drew our attention to this video was the time on the dyno, and hearing the 8.4 liter Viper V10 engine spilling its guts.

We also got a chance to see some of the Viper’s other awesome features, including a tachometer that glows bright red when you approach redline.

Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before? It’s a brilliant feature, though not quite up to the epic song that the Viper’s massive V10 engine sings. There is something special about the sound of a naturally-aspirated engine!

But of course we’re all here for one thing and one thing only: dyno numbers. Rated at 640 horsepower and 600 lbs-ft of torque, we expect big things from the Viper, and weren’t disappointed. Edmunds found that the 2013 SRT Viper put down 558 horsepower and 528 lbs-ft of torque to the wheels. While this is technically a “pre-production car”, those numbers are both impressive and intimidating. The Viper is back…and it means business.