Viper

Make
Dodge
Segment
Coupe

The beloved Dodge Viper may be gone, but the front-engined V10 monster will never be forgotten. Last year, it was revealed that Chrysler considered building a mid-engined Viper back in the mid-1990s since the first and second-generation Vipers weren't making money.

Sadly, the project never got the green light but these renders show us what the car could have looked like if it went into production. Produced by independent designer Abimelec Arellano, the renders envision a third-generation Viper with a mid-engine layout, and it looks glorious.

Photos of a prototype mid-engine Viper surfaced online last year, but the artist explains some of the key changes applied to their design. "My concept is a little bit different to that in the prototype photographs, it's a bit more production-like with some stuff like the interior materials borrowed from the (at that time) sister company Lamborghini and without the side vents or hood vents. What do you think? I reckon this would be a handful to drive, with that massive V10 dragging the rear."

It's hard to disagree as the regular Viper was notorious for being a handful to drive. The design looks striking, the proportions are perfect, and we love the Ferrari-style exposed V10 at the back. Looking at these stunning renders make us sad that the mid-engine Viper went into production.

By now, you probably know how this story ends. Chris Theodore, general manager of the small car platform in Chrysler's engineering department in 1995, left the company to join Ford where his dream of building an American mid-engine supercar was realized with the new Ford GT in 2005.

As for the Viper's future, reports have claimed it's making a comeback next year to mark the old model's 30th anniversary. Nothing official has been confirmed, but the reborn Viper is expected to replace the old model's V10 with a naturally aspirated V8. We're keeping our fingers crossed the reports are true.