Re-Inventing the Past

Contemporary Brazilian car designer Rafael Reston took on an interesting personal project wherein he asks the question: What would the ’60s ancestral origin of today’s Dodge Viper look like? It’s an interesting idea and makes this vintage sportscar fan wonder what might have been if the Corvette and Cobra had a direct competitor from Chrysler. I think it looks fantastic.

Rafael kept true to the technology and techniques common in the mid-60’s for his theoretical ’67 Viper so that this vehicle could have existed. He did make some logical deviations from the Viper’s hallmarks that might trouble a Viper fan, like substituting the Viper’s signature 10 cylinder with the more period-appropriate 440 Magnum engine that Chrysler used in the Charger R/T. The interior uses true-to-the-era leather and wood, but I find this to be the weakest link in the exercise and looks much more like a muscle car interior than a sportscar—although I feel the same way about 60’s Corvette interiors, so don’t take my word for it.

Rafael estimates the ’67 Viper would have been priced at $4110, putting it in direct competition with the Corvettes of the time. I wonder what one would fetch at Barrett-Jackson today?

Jalopnik has a huge gallery of renderings here.