Tag Archives: Ralph Gilles

New Book Goes Behind the Curtain of the SRT Viper

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In this day, keeping something secret seems almost impossible. Not a day goes by where I don’t see one story featuring someone grabbing a spy picture of a new car secretly on the highway. That makes it harder for companies to keep things secret, and for car companies, it is a long time for a car’s life. There’s designs to pour over, prototypes to build, prototypes that don’t work as intended, rebuilding, and so on and so on. Years pass by before something is ready to be presented to the public and begin to build hype. That makes it very surprising to find out that Ralph Gilles, President and CEO of SRT, invited someone to document the entire process in building the new SRT Viper.

Gilles had author and photographer Maurice Liang on hand for the two years that it took to bring the Viper back to life. The entire experience has been put together and being sold in the book “SRT Viper – An American Supercar Returns.”

The books tell the story of what Liang went through as part of seeing the Viper come together. In the two years, he watched as the team tested the Electronic Stability Control in freezing weather. He later roasted and sweated as the Viper was tested in Death Valley.

None of those extremes diminished the once-in-a-lifetime experience. As Liang put it, “I’m not complaining. It was the experience of a lifetime.”

In order to bring Lian in, trust was necessary. Like I said before, in this day and age, it’s hard to not have work uncovered by the public. Giving someone such access to meetings, testings, and other such things seemed like a one-way ticket to leaking information about the Viper before the company was ready. That was a risk Gilles was willing to take in order to give fans the full look at what it takes to make a supercar.

The book is available for purchase and a leather-bound verison will be given to owners of the 2013 and 2014 SRT Viper.

For more information on the SRT Viper, contact us at Bayside Chrysler Jeep Dodge.  Visit our website to view a complete list of our new and used inventory.  Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for more news and specials.

Source: DriveSRT.com

SRT 2015 Dodge Challenger Hellcat Prototype Spotted!

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Give any American a smartphone and they have the chance to capture the next great thing when they least expect it. Such is the case in Death Valley California where one lucky person got a glimpse, and the photographic evidence to back it up, of SRT’s latest treat out for a test drive. Based on the look, the car world believes this to be the Hellcat prototype of the SRT’s outing with the Dodge Challenger.

Ralph Gilles said awhile ago that his SRT team was putting together the competition for the newly revealed 2014 Chevrolet Camaro Z/28. While he was vague on the how, he did let it slip that it was the Dodge Challenger being worked on. The vehicle was codenamed Hellcat, would be home to a supercharged Hemi V-8.

Motor Authority breaks down much of the news and speculation going into the Hellcat Challenger and also shows that this will be the last time for the current HEMI V-8 design.

Their evaluation of the photos taken of the presumed Hellcat Challenger prototype show a new lower air-intake design that would get more air to the engine to help keep it cooler. Also new are the mufflers at the back of the car. The writer makes note of a new rear bumper but clarifies that it is only temporary and the final production version should be different.

SRT has been on a roll of late with their popular Viper and the rest of the catalog filling out. While the Hellcat prototype of the SRT Dodge Challenger hasn’t been officially named yet, it’s only a matter of time now that people have a good idea of what to expect of the finished version.

New SRT Viper GT3-R Unveiled

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SRT-Viper-GT3-RWhile the SRT automakers are enjoying their run over in France with the Viper performing well at Le Mans, that didn’t stop them from creating new ideas.  The Viper now has another brother to add to the line-up.

SRT has added the Viper GT3-R with a V10 engine and improved aerodynamics.  It’s the next step in racing cars as far as SRT and Ralph Gilles are concerned.  Gilles believes that the GT3-R is the culmination of two decades of racing development from across the world.

The GT3-R is a collaboration that between Riley Technologies.  The Viper is the progression of the GTS-R that was built for the American Le Mans and uses alot of the technology that was developed for it, from the engine to the chassis and the suspension.

The V10 is a powerful engine as well, capable of providing 507kW which is more than 30kW of a regular Viper.  That and the GT3-R has an even lighter body.  Expect to see the GT3-R, as Ralph Gilles believes, to be a serious GT contender.

For more information on the SRT Viper, visit Bayside Chrysler Jeep Dodge’s website. We are located conveniently in the Queens area and provide top-quality aid to every customer that walks in. Make sure you like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter as well so you can see our monthly specials and deals.