ASC (American Specialty Cars) at the Detroit auto show unveiled the Diamondback Viper — a super-light and super-fast customized Dodge Viper. ASC, which helped the Chrysler Group bring the new Dodge Viper SRT10 coupe to life, also enlisted the help of McLaren Performance Technologies to increase power under the hood. The 615 hp Diamondback Viper features a carbon fiber roof, deck lid, rockers, fascia inserts, body trim and a massive OmniCarbon hood that shows off ten unique trumpeted air intakes, with individual port throttles, peeking through — a McLaren Performance Technologies feature reminiscent of McLaren Can-Am engines of the past. It can hit 60 mph in around 3.5 seconds.

The hood also shows off ASC’s expertise in compression-molded carbon fiber, both painted and woven. It’s displayed beautifully, with a broad, clear-coated racing stripe down the Artic White-painted expanse, subtly outlined by “Viper
Blue” and “McLaren Red” pinstripes.

In all, ASC removed about 85 lbs of weight from the vehicle — including cutting the weight of the hood by nearly half versus the production model. Taken together with the powertrain modifications by McLaren Performance Technologies, the power-to-weight ratio was increased, resulting in an estimated increase in 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. And, importantly, ASC’s OmniCarbon(TM) isn’t just light and nice to look at: ASC has reduced cycle times in the process by 80 percent versus conventional molding methods, and is confident its process meets OEM production specifications.

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