All language subtitles for Supercar.Superbuild.S01E07.Dodge.Srt.Viper.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-RAWR_track4_[eng]

(somber music)

- [Narrator] In a failing city,

a dying supercar is on the ropes.

When Detroit's automotive-based
economy goes south,

the last true muscle car from
the Motor City is laid off.

- Those were dark days.

The economy deteriorated, and
we were left without a Viper.

- [Narrator] In the depths of despair,

in the middle of bankruptcy,

a former designer is thrust
into a moment of choice.

- It was a strange time.

Cars like this are not natural

when you're rebuilding a car company.

- [Narrator] The solution is simple,

put pen to paper, and redesign an icon.

(engine zooming)

- What could be a better symbol

of resurgence than
bringing back the Viper?

(tires screech)

- [Narrator] The result: a
clandestine project hidden

in plain sight,

that culminates in a machine
known the world over simply as

(engine zooming)

the Viper.

(engine zooming)

(dramatic music)

(engine zooming)

(tires screech)

(dramatic music)

It's the peak of a 20-year
long quest for American speed.

(engine zooming)

A massive 8.4 liter V10 roaring loudly

(engine zooming)

to the tune of 640
tire-torching horsepower,

(engine zooming)

and 600 foot pounds of
frame-wrenching torque,

all of which rockets the machine

to a top speed of over
320 kilometers an hour.

But as of April, 2009,

the fifth generation of the Dodge Viper

was permanently grounded.

- The company went through a bankruptcy,

and we were left without any
prospect of doing a new Viper.

- [Narrator] The 2008 financial
crisis affects car makers

around the globe, forcing
Chrysler into bankruptcy,

including their Dodge division,

which manufactures the Viper.

- Chrysler was in financial troubles.

The economy was bad.

- The automakers were struggling.

They were running out of cash.
There was talk of bankruptcy.

- I actually lived in Detroit
during all the bankruptcies,

and the mood was just awful.

- [Narrator] A bad mood made worse

when Chrysler kills the Viper.

- I can only imagine that the reason

that Chrysler killed the Viper

is 'cause it just wasn't selling anymore.

It had run its course.

- Have to understand the
company's going through so much

at the time, had so many other priorities.

- [Narrator] Ralph Gilles,
a former head designer,

is thrust into the CEO role

for Dodge's SRT performance division.

- We were building new plants,
we were fixing older cars,

really trying to become a relevant car,

but at the same time, develop a future.

- If there's one person

in the entire automotive industry

that PR people never want
in front of a camera,

it's Ralph Gilles, because
he curses like a sailor,

but he tells it like it is.

- [Narrator] Tasked
with raising the spirits

of a now-beleaguered company,

(engine zooming)

Ralph decides the best
cure is to dream big.

Supercar big.

- The depths of the worst
time is the darkest hour.

We actually gave a sketch assignment,

and had a lot of the
designers kind of doodle on

what the next Viper could look like.

- At least they could dream,

and they could look beyond the bankruptcy.

- What better elixir than
having a job like that?

So you know, the designers
were sketching these beautiful,

passionate things, and it was gorgeous.

- [Narrator] So gorgeous, in fact,

that Ralph Gilles is compelled

to do something financially irrational,

yet emotionally satisfying.

He greenlights a secret project determined

to bring the Viper back.

- There was a room in the back

of the design studio that
was under lock and key.

The designers would sneak back there

and work on Viper concept,

'cause it wasn't an approved project.

- I remember the first
time Ralph called me.

He said he wanted to
put together a proposal,

keep it really quiet.

- Nobody had signed off on this.

They actually went so far
as they built a whole, real,

full-size model all under
Ralph Gilles's direction,

and completely without
the boss's knowledge.

- I think Gilles was genius
in saying to the guys,

"All right, look, let's
just have some fun.

Let's see what happens."

- [Narrator] Like all good spy thrillers,

before you can have a clandestine project,

you need a code name.

- The term that we had been using

in our meetings and in the hallway was,

"Hey, we gotta keep this below the radar."

And Dick said,

"Well, why don't we call it F-117,

'cause that's the stealth fighter."

- [Narrator] A stealth project
for a very rowdy machine.

(engine zooming)

- We call it a war room
where we kinda write down,

here are the things we want
the new car to be like,

and here are the things
we don't wanna lose

about the old car.

- The Viper didn't happen initially

through corporate channels.

- [Narrator] In typical Viper fashion,

the first element discussed is speed.

- We wanted to actually
reduce the aerodynamic drag,

so that we could achieve a top
speed of 206 miles an hour.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] 331 kilometers an hour

would make project F-117 the
fastest production Viper ever.

(engine zooming)

But to do it,

the iconic body needs to
be completely redesigned.

- It was purely driven

by what the wind tunnel was telling us.

So to hit our top speed target,

a lot of the front end
design, we had to change.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The team decides
to add some more muscle.

- We felt like we were
toughening it up a little bit.

(engine zooming)

- There's a lot about the car

that harks back to another era.

I mean, it's a simple,
unfettered, uncomplicated machine.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] New CEO Ralph
Gilles embraces a harsher facade.

- It's meant to be flexing its muscles.

When you behold a Viper, you
see the tension in the system.

So we wanted the car to feel heroic.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] To save weight,
the new body would be made

from aerospace grade carbon fiber,

a proper material for a project
named after a fighter jet.

But redesigned body
work and materials alone

don't get you over 330 kilometers an hour.

A covert team would also need more power,

(engine zooming)

lots more power.

- When you achieve speeds in that realm,

you have to add a lot of
horsepower to go faster.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] To build
a better afterburner,

Ralph turns to the wily old
veteran of Viper engines.

For the past 20 years,

Dick Winkles has
continually found more power

for the V10 power plant.

- Ralph had kind of
challenged us for horsepower.

- [Narrator] Dick and his team
squeeze another 40 horsepower

out of the engine,

yet they also reduce its
weight by almost 12 kilograms.

(engine zooming)

- The engine's outrageous,
you know, at 8.4 liters,

512 cubic inches.

Nobody's doing engines that big.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] In the world of supercars,

power to weight ratios are everything.

(engine zooming)

More power and less weight
translates into only one thing:

(engine zooming)

faster acceleration.

- It's about motor.

I mean, this car is a motor
strapped to a transmission,

and rear wheel drive, and a
bunch of seats and airbags.

- [Narrator] The proposed upgrades

to the fifth generation
Viper would give it

a ratio rivaling million-euro exotics,

but at a tenth of the price.

(engine zooming)

Yet high performance alone isn't enough

in the rarefied air of the supercar world.

- If you think of the original Viper,

we spent all the money on the
horsepower and going fast,

and it was really an
engineering-led exercise.

You go to today, and
that isn't good enough.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In 18 years of production,

the Viper averages 1,500 units a year.

The expectations for the new
Gen 5 machine are set at 2,500.

- We've always been a low volume producer.

I mean, the Viper's best
year was 3,000 cars.

- [Narrator] To be more successful,

the new machine needs to
appeal to a wider audience.

- The biggest challenge
that that Viper faces

is trying to appeal to
people who are used to more,

shall we say, traditional supercars.

- [Narrator] Two very
different constituencies

must be courted: current owners,

and drivers who historically
don't care for the Viper.

- We spent time interviewing
competitive owners,

people that wouldn't buy a Viper

if their life depended on it.

- If you lose your core base

and you fail to attract new customers,

that could be the real danger for them.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] The perception of the Viper

is a crude, raw sports car.

- What makes a Viper a
Viper is the rawness of it.

That's always been the appeal of the car.

I mean, you got a big engine,

a manual transmission, rear wheel drive,

and it was up to you to make it all work.

(tires screech)

- [Narrator] For years, the raw,

back-to-basics feeling
was a selling point.

- You have to remember
it didn't have windows,

didn't have air conditioning
back in the day.

So it was a pretty interesting car to own,

and that's what people
liked about the Viper.

- [Narrator] The modern
supercar landscape is different.

Drivers have evolved.

(engine zooming)

They want more technology, more comfort,

and more performance.
(engine zooming)

To succeed, team Viper will
have to walk a very thin line.

- We obviously wanted to mature the car.

We didn't wanna lose
that edge that Viper has.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] It's a battle
for the soul of the machine.

- We knew we had to take
the car to the next level

in terms of refinement,
quality, materials, finish.

(engine revs)

- [Narrator] Do you continue to be raw,

or cave along the cutting edge?

- We've got a lot of the
modern accoutrements,

but we haven't lost the
soul of the vehicle.

- [Narrator] The result is a
project F-117 presentation.

- We took one of our favorite
sketches, we developed it.

We kind of had a new car sitting
in the middle of the dome.

We had the leadership surrounding it.

- [Narrator] The team of
engineers and designers stand by

as the future of Viper is decided.

- We were sitting in a a
very small board meeting,

and Ralph Gilles made
a very impassioned plea

to sell the car, but that wasn't enough.

- And it's one of those
vehicles until you really see it

and behold it, you don't
understand how special it is,

so we pulled the drapes off,

and the reaction was pretty incredible.

- [Narrator] One look
gives the new Viper life.

- It was an absolute surprise for them.

And they walked around,

they looked at it, and they
said like, "We have to do this.

I mean, look at it."

- We cried, (laughs) I mean,

you'd work so hard to get it done,

you couldn't help it, you know?

We had a nice little celebration.

(audience cheering)

- [Narrator] Gilles's
secret project pays off,

but a grim reality still remains.

How can a car company
riddled with financial woes

in a city devastated by economic collapse,

(engine zooming)

recreate a supercar icon?

(gentle music)

It's dawn in the Motor city,

a place that's had hard
times, but is bouncing back.

Team Viper is one of the
reasons for the resurgence.

They've just been given the green light

to resurrect an icon,

but first, they have to rebuild
the once-storied program

from the ground floor.

- Our staff at the time
was very, very small.

It was a handful.

You could count the
number of people working

on the Viper on one hand.

We needed at least more than 10 times that

just to get started.

- [Narrator] They bring the
Conner Avenue Assembly Plant

back to life.

It's the last car factory
within the Detroit city limits.

- The case of Conner,
that was a commitment.

We had a choice to,

we could've moved it out to another plant,

but we decided to leave it there,

'cause we believe that's
part of the story.

We're very proud of the fact

that Viper's the only car
being built in Detroit.

- That is the center

of the American car industry for so long,

and this car is such a throwback

to old American, muscle car-y coolness,

that it just makes sense for
it to be built in Detroit.

(machinery beeps)
(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] In 2009, when
the Viper ceases production,

the plant's condition
quickly deteriorates.

- We had a good year before production

of the new car to fix the place up,

and that's exactly what we did.

We brought the crew back
about eight months early,

and started refurbishing the plant.

- Frankly, I had to chase
the raccoons and pigeons

and things out of here

before we would actually
bring people in here.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] To build the new car,

the team needs to finalize its design.

- You get approval to go,

you don't have all the questions answered.

A lot of design work, a
lot of engineering work,

and a lot of problems to be solved.

- [Narrator] With Viper's
parent company still recovering

from bankruptcy, the budget is tight.

- We've got a certain amount of money,

a certain amount of time.

We try and get the best bang for our buck,

and make the car really something special.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Time is counting down.

The machine is made up of
over 3,700 unique parts.

The most important are
the ones you can touch.

- The Viper is impervious to trends.

It will remain a Viper, and
that's what a Viper's about.

It's a finger in the face of convention.

It's a finger in the face
of society, basically,

and how society might change.

The Viper's not gonna change.

- [Narrator] They start by
reinventing the Viper's interior.

- When the Viper first came around,

it wasn't about the interior in the car.

The truth is, in the
last 20 years worldwide,

the supercar market has changed a lot.

- [Narrator] Designer Tome Jovanoski

is the man tasked with
bringing the Viper's interior

into the modern era.

- This is a very iconic
vehicle, so with that in mind,

redesigning an icon is
always a big challenge.

- [Narrator] The emphasis
is put on one thing:

leather, and lots of it.

- We wanted to almost
revolutionize the interior,

but still have a little bit of the feel

of the first vehicle.

- [Narrator] 90% of the
new Viper's interior

is wrapped in leather.

- We can customize it.

The owner can make it as
unique as they possibly want.

(bells dinging)
(suspenseful music)

- [Narrator] Combined
with the exterior options,

customers can choose from
over 300,000 combinations.

With only 26,000 Vipers ever made,

that gives owners a high chance

of having a one-of-a-kind machine.

- We wanted the new car to be as close

to a custom car to the
individual as possible.

- [Narrator] The top-to-bottom redesign

also gives the team a chance

to incorporate the latest technology.

It takes 30 computer modules,

5.8 million lines of code,

and over one and a half kilometers

of wire to power the Viper's electronics.

- I think that's one of
the beauty of the Viper

is its simplicity.

It makes a lot more timeless.

So the way we approached it
is to have all the technology,

but give it almost an analog feel.

- After years of avoiding
new technologies,

the team decides to give the reborn Viper

a 21-centimeter screen
for driver information.

It sounds pretty basic,

but Team Viper has its own
twist on the instrument panel,

(engine revs)

an illuminated snake face tachometer

when you reach high RPMs.

- A big part was to have a vehicle

that will still look
good 10 years from now

or 20 years from now.

- [Narrator] While the interior
design is an easy upgrade,

evolving the machine's exterior
is a more challenging task.

(dramatic music)

Engineers modify the body for performance,

and make minute changes
inside a secret wind tunnel.

The two-story building
features a 6,300 horsepower fan

that helps Viper engineers seek

the perfect aerodynamic shape.

- Swoopy, sexy curves are
kind of A, more American,

and B, I think easier
to do in a wind tunnel.

(engine zooming)

I respect the SRT guys

for giving it as many curves as they have,

and making it this complex
shape that's still sultry,

but doesn't lift off the
ground at high speeds.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] Wind tunnels are a chance

to see not only how air actually
moves around the vehicle,

(computer warbling)

but also how the air moves through it.

- All the ducts you see on
the Viper, all the scoops,

all the vents are all functional.

Now we spend a lot of time

in the wind tunnel to shape the ducts

so they not only look
good, but they work well.

- All of the vents are actually working.

It takes a lot of aerodynamic
know-how to get a car

to not take off at 200 miles an hour,

so to keep it on the ground.
(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] Cutting-edge aerodynamics

and an extreme power-to-weight
ratio allow the Viper

to achieve tremendous performance figures.

But not every driver can
safely reach those levels

without some help.
(engine zooming)

- A major goal was to introduce
the modern stability control

in a way that allows people
who haven't experienced

the extremely high limits of a Viper

to kinda get into it, slowly,

experience it and find out,

wow, this car's not gonna kill me.

It's fun.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] Modern stability
control assists drivers

so that they can push the limits safely.

(engine zooming)

- Stability control is
basically a computer

that watches everything the car's doing.

It's looking at all four wheels,

and if you start to spin any tires,

(computer warbling)
or you start

to get sideways at all,

it can apply individual brakes
to straighten the car out.

- [Narrator] When the Viper

first started production in 1992,

the mere idea of electronic driving aids

fought the back-to-basics approach.

Now it's mandated by the government.

(engine zooming)

To sell a modern Viper,

engineers have to add it to the machine.

(engine zooming)

Team Viper's solution is as
rebellious as it is simple.

- You can dial it back when you want to,

you can turn it completely off.

- [Narrator] Drivers have
an option of which kind

of Viper they'd like to drive:

(engine zooming)

raw,

(tires screech)

or refined.

- You can turn it completely off,

and go do donuts all day long,

and have a grand time if you want to.

(tires screech)
(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] Some high performance

upgrades require computers.

(engine revving)

Others aren't that technological.

- The cross brace,

which is now becoming an
iconic detail of the new car,

it actually comes

straight from a race.
(engines zooming)

- [Narrator] The cross brace

increases the body's rigidity by 50%,

(engine zooming)
significantly improving

the vehicle's handling.

- The race car terms that
the car just feels so stable

and so solid like a race car.

- [Narrator] All that work
on the track means nothing

if the car doesn't look sexy.

- This car evolves,

but it evolves in a way that
you don't necessarily see.

It evolved by becoming more powerful.

It evolved by becoming better driving,

better handling, better brakes.

They improved all of that stuff,

but it remained very much a Viper,

and the Viper is sort of its own thing.

- [Narrator] When it comes to getting

a top-of-the-line paint job,

the Viper utilizes a factory
like no other in the world.

(upbeat music)

- We had to find the perfect facility

that was wide open,

that would fit the
equipment that we needed,

and have the room that we
needed for all the people here,

because people are what
makes this paint job great.

(cans spraying)

- [Narrator] In a city
wrecked by economic downturn,

the perfect facility was in
the last place you'd expect:

a former discount store.

- We found a former retail space.

(cans spraying)

- [Narrator] The 11,000 square meter space

is home to 115 craftsmen,

who prep and paint up to six Vipers a day.

- When we launched a Viper,

it came in one color, and that was red.

Today we have upwards of nine,

possibly 10 colors at any given time.

- There are very few shapes
in the automotive world

that you can paint any color,
no matter how outrageous,

and the car still looks good.

The Viper's one of 'em.

- [Narrator] It takes 150 man
hours to paint a single car.

- The Viper has one

of the world's highest
paint specifications

that are out there.

The only way to really achieve the colors

and the finish is by people.

(can sprays)

We find some of the
world's best car painters

from the custom world,

from the concept car and show world,

and people who are huge enthusiasts

that would have that kind
of talent and craftsmanship

and attention to detail

that you just can't get
through any kind of automation.

- The idea there is, you know,

first of all, get the paint
quality to be show car level.

It's a multi coat, completely
buffed out paint job.

I would say today that
nobody offers paint quality

like we do.

- [Narrator] Once the body
work is done being painted,

it's ready to head to the
Conner Avenue Assembly Plant,

a factory that was once left for dead,

but like the Viper itself,

has now risen from the
ashes of economic disaster.

- We've invested over $12 million
in refurbishing the plant.

It looks unbelievable.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] The 16,000
square meter factory

is rebuilt by the same employees
that now work on the line.

During the factory renovation,

each station is customized
for comfort and efficiency.

- It was very exciting for them.

It's almost like they got

to renovate their own
home before moving in.

- [Narrator] The Conner
Avenue Assembly Plant

is back in business.

(can sprays)

Team Viper hopes that they've
developed a world-class car.

(somber music)

The Conner Avenue Assembly
Plant in Detroit, Michigan

has just come back to life,

along with it, the Viper.

A small team within the SRT
program has worked tirelessly

designing and engineering the
rebirth of this American icon.

(machinery beeping)

- The employees in this plant

are really passionate about
this car and about this plant.

- The people here are amazing.
They're more like family.

- And some of 'em live there.
Really, it's their life.

It's all they know,

and they've been there for over 20 years.

- [Narrator] The process starts

with the machine's
beating heart, the engine.

- It's an evolution of the engine

that's really evolved over the years.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] The Mammoth
V10 has been roaring

to life for 20 years.

- If you would've told me
back in, you know, 1991,

you know, that engine that we'd struggled

to get 400 horse out of

was gonna be making 640 horse one day,

I'd have said you were crazy.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] The Conner
Avenue Assembly Plant

is the only Chrysler
facility in the United States

that still builds its own engines.

- They rely on old, you know,

hot rod principles of, you
know, guys working on an engine,

guys bolting it together,

and being responsible for that one engine,

and that's something unique
in the automotive world.

- The V10 is a staple of the Viper,

and it doesn't have a lot of gizmos on it,

but the way the engine makes
its power is what's beautiful.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] The source of that
power starts coming to life

when the massive engine
block is moved to the line.

(upbeat music)

(machinery whirring)

The enormous crankshaft is installed.

(metal clangs)

It's rotated by the engine's pistons.

Those 10 pistons are
assembled next to the line,

(machinery whirring)

and then installed by hand.

(upbeat music)

Craftsman attach the oil pan,

a massive

aluminum flywheel,
(tool whirring)

first of its kind in a Chrysler product.

- You know, aluminum flywheels,

that's something that the
hot rod industry has used

for years, you know, as a
way to decrease the weight,

and get faster acceleration
out of the car.

(engine zooming)
(upbeat music)

(machinery whirring)

- [Narrator] Finally, the cylinder heads.

While the engine continues being built,

(upbeat music)

the Viper frame is being
prepped for assembly.

It starts in a state-of-the-art
automated station

referred to as Net Form and Pierce.

- When it goes into the
Net Form and Pierce,

it'll measure the frame,

and it'll make all the
necessary adjustments

on how the frame is built.

- We've added robotics,

which is something that the
people at the plant were like,

"What are these things?"

You know, they've never
seen a robot before.

(upbeat music)

But other than the initial robotics,

the rest of the propeller
is still handmade.

- [Narrator] The sophisticated
robots create mounting points

which are accurate to within
a tenth of a millimeter.

That's less than one-eighth the thickness

of a standard credit card.

The frame will begin its
journey down the main line,

where 30 stations will
transform the empty frame

into a finished car.

- When the frame first hits the line,

it receives the differential.

It gets a lot of the pieces
that are hard to install later,

(upbeat music)

the wiring harnesses, fuel
bundles, the brake lines,

all of those things.

- [Narrator] The smaller
pieces are installed

with precision to make room
for the 8.4 liter engine

and its massive six-speed
manual transmission.

- It's probably the biggest
naturally aspirated engine

you can find.

I mean, I think it's
just an absolute monster.

- Most cars, the engine
decks from beneath the car.

Viper, it actually comes up from above,

and it is an amazing thing to see.

- [Narrator] Decking a car
is an old Detroit auto term

for installing the engine and powertrain.

Adding the motor and
transmission doubles the weight

of the car at this stage.

- And this motor that is almost bigger

than the frame,

and you almost are amazed
that the thing could fit.

- The transmission has to
deal with 640 horsepower,

and more importantly, 8.4
liter V10 worth of torque.

So if you have a dainty
little transmission

with a dainty little shifter,
it'll just rip it apart.

(engine zooming)

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] To accompany
the massive drivetrain,

355 millimeter Brembo
disc brakes are installed,

followed by performance shocks.

- This car is probably too
firm for a lot of drivers,

but if you're the guy
that goes to the track,

you'll appreciate why
it's got a crisp ride.

(upbeat music)

(machinery hisses)

- [Narrator] Workers add
the custom engine covers

and the cross brace.

To get the wheels set correctly,

craftsmen use something you won't find

at the local tire shop.

- This is one of the most
unique machines in the world.

It's a contact aligner.

It does all four wheels at the same time,

and this is what sets the
alignment for the vehicle

to be an actual racing type vehicle.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] Now it's time
for custom engineered tires.

(upbeat music)

A quick bit of petrol, some fluids,

and an air box so the machine can breathe.

- The vehicle is a rolling chassis.

You could literally drive the
vehicle without any panels on,

and go down the road and everything,

'cause it's a hot rolling chassis.

- [Narrator] In most car factories,

the dyno machine is at
the end of the line,

but not inside Conner Ave.

The Viper will stretch its
legs for the first time

and hits speeds over a
hundred kilometers an hour.

- We're inside the rolls booth.

This is where we test the
vehicle for full drivability,

for quality and for braking, for shifting.

All of the aspects of
the car will be tested.

(engines zooming)

- [Narrator] It's time for a
quick ride to final assembly,

where the naked chassis transforms

from a 300 kilometer per hour
dune buggy into a real car.

It starts with more handwork

as the wrapped leather
trim pieces are installed.

(upbeat music)

Italian leather seats.

The leather-wrapped emergency brake.

Finally, the Viper's carbon
fiber skin is set in place.

- When you see the skin go on,

when you see the bright
colors go on, it's amazing.

It's almost like a model car.

- [Narrator] They add the roof,

(upbeat music)

the quarter panels,

all of the aerospace grade
panels are fit precisely.

If a panel doesn't fit correctly,

it comes here to station 270,

where they check for dimensional accuracy

using a robot-controlled laser.

- The car is a hand fit car.

If you slow the production process down,

it's a 70-minute cycle, if you're lucky.

- [Narrator] It's the only
car still made in Detroit,

and they assemble it the
slowest way possible.

The finishing touch is
the redesigned badge.

It's the last of 3,700 pieces
that make up the machine,

all of which are now inspected.

- Right now, we're at the very end

of the final assembly line.

The car is completely built at this point,

and it will be going from
here to final inspection.

(upbeat music)

These robots go in and
measure the gap and flush,

how the car fits.

It scans a laser stripe on the vehicle,

and then another camera
measures the way the line bends,

and then the computers can
extrapolate the way that gaps

and the flushes are actually performing.

(water spraying)

- [Narrator] 2,650 liters
of recycled water are used

to check for leaks.

That's the same amount of liquid

as in an eight-person hot tub.

(upbeat music)

Finally, every millimeter
is looked over by a man,

and a machine.
(dramatic music)

Workers get one last chance

to ensure the Viper is perfect.

(can spraying)

- It takes approximately
five days to make a Viper

from start to finish.

(engine zooming)

- Viper's built like a model car,

and it's really neat to see
it come together so quick,

and it reminds me of that,

you know, that incredible feeling

when the car's coming together.

(tires screech)

They don't need to do these cars.

They're not necessarily profitable,

but they show the spirit,

and that's what the auto
industry always was about.

You know, it was about
proving who you are,

proving your medal.

(engine zooming)

It's the gladiator side of a car company.

(engine zooming)

(dramatic music)

- On a brisk January day
in Detroit, Michigan, 1989,

Chrysler unveils a

radical new concept car.
(engine zooming)

(engine revs)

The results will change
both Ralph Gilles's life

and the American auto industry itself.

- I think everyone was thinking, holy-

(engine zooming)

They were back on the map.
Everyone was noticing them.

And you look at this thing and say,

"Where did this come from?"

- At the late eighties,
Chrysler wasn't in a great spot,

and they needed something to
sort of build up the engineers,

to tell the world

that there were car
guys alive at Chrysler,

and they came up with this.

- So I'm a student going to school.

I came to Detroit to be a car designer,

and I went to the 1989 Detroit Auto Show.

I'll never forget when I saw the Viper.

- It just blew everybody away.

It was something that nobody expected.

- It stole the show, you know,

it was like 10 people deep
surrounding the turntable

just staring at the car.

- [Narrator] The concept car
was the original Viper RT/10.

- Originally it was the RT/10,

but there's no emotion
in a bunch of letters.

Viper, it tells you right out
the way it's gonna bite you.

It's rough and gruff.
It kinda looks sneaky.

It always did.

- At the time, you have
to understand, you know,

for Chrysler, this was
a pretty amazing moment

to have something so radical to be seen.

It purely was an exercise

by a bunch of enthusiasts
inside Chrysler that said,

"Hey, let's show the world
that our mojo is still there."

And they never intended to build a car.

(machinery beeps)

- [Narrator] But they did build it,

because fans around the
world forced them to.

- Of course, you know, letters came,

people were waving checks,

and the company was compelled to do it.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] One of those
letters is from Graham Henckel.

- When I was a 24-year-old
engineer coming home,

getting my automotive
news out of the mailbox,

there on the cover is
this sleek, sexy sketch

of this black Viper,

rumored to be the new
sports car from Chrysler.

And oh my God.

- [Narrator] Fast forward to today,

where Team Viper is hoping
to recreate that same buzz,

and restore one

of the most prolific
American supercars ever made.

(engine zooming)

(tires screech)

(dramatic music)

(engine zooming)

- It's not just a sports
car, it's the most extreme,

most exaggerated version

of a sports car you can possibly get.

(engine zooming)

- When you hit the gas,

that thing lifts up and
takes off in a straight line.

You're just looking at the
world rushing past you,

and these big old fenders sticking up,

you can't not smile.

(engine zooming)

- The interior's a lot
nicer than the original one.

It's still not what you'd
call up to the standards of,

for example, a Ferrari or
some of the other cars,

but the Viper's not that expensive either.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] At just under 73,000 euro,

half the price of any
Ferrari or Lamborghini,

the SRT Viper is one of the
most affordable supercars.

- This is the most
over-the-top American car

you can possibly buy.

(engine zooming)

It's got the fattest tires in the back.

(engine zooming)

It's got a huge hulking
V10 under the hood,

8.4 liters worth.

(dramatic music)

(engine zooming)

- Look, it's the ultimate
Acme rocket strapped

to the back of Wile E. Coyote.

(engine zooming)

- The crankshaft itself is
about the size of your leg.

This is just a massive
car on a massive scale,

and there's really nothing
more American than that.

(engine zooming)

(tires screech)

- [Narrator] The Viper blasts from zero

to a hundred kilometers an
hour in just 3.3 seconds.

That's two-tenths of a second better

than the previous generation.

The machine's top speed of
over 320 kilometers an hour

is a remarkable 14
kilometers per hour faster

than its predecessor.

- This car does not wanna coddle you,

it doesn't wanna take you to dinner,

it wants to strap you down
and beat you mercilessly.

(engine zooming)

That's what makes it so much
different than anything else.

- It's quick.

(engine zooming)

It's really, really quick,

and it's basically held back by traction,

because I mean, it's got 640
horsepower under the hood.

(engine zooming)

The Viper is still one of the
quickest cars on the road.

- Current generation Vipers
will hang with any supercar.

Matter of fact, it has
records all over the US.

(upbeat music)

- [Narrator] The Generation 5 Viper breaks

the track record

at the infamous Laguna
Seca Raceway in California.

(engines zooming)
(upbeat music)

- We wanted this to be America's supercar.

- [Narrator] An American supercar

with a totally manual transmission.

- Thank God for it.

I mean, paddle shifts might
be faster around a track,

and might be easier to
sit in traffic with,

but American muscly sports cars

should have a manual transmission,

because it makes you work for it.

In the case of the Viper,

it wants you to break your kneecap.

It wants you to break your wrist.

(upbeat music)

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] The Generation
5 machine is the most modern

and the fastest Viper to date.

- SRT will go on and on about
their seats being comfortable

and the interior being nice.

This is not about that at all.

It's about going out for a
two-hour drive on a weekend,

on a nice day,

and then being exhausted
by the time you get home.

(engine zooming)

- It's just staggering.

The hood is ridiculously long.

The proportions are ridiculous.

It's got the short deck, the long hood,

the ridiculously huge tires.

The car's all ridiculous.

I mean, a superhero would drive this car.

This is totally the Batmobile.

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] A supercar for a superhero

that started life as a
back-to-basics racing machine.

(dramatic music)

(engines zooming)

- These raced at the 24 hours of Le Mans,

and as the car developed,

it became better and better to drive.

But it remained very much a Viper.

Viper is sort of its own thing.

(suspenseful music)

(engine revs)

(engine zooming)

- [Narrator] When the
Viper debuted in 1989,

no one saw it coming.

Since then, it survived the ups and downs

of the United States auto industry,

(upbeat music)

(engine zooming)

(computer warbling)

and along the way, helped to redefine

the American high-performance
automotive landscape.

But the core of the car's
soul is a very simple machine.

(engine zooming)

- And the Viper isn't really high tech.

It's an old school, huge American engine

(suspenseful music)

(engine zooming)

with rear wheel drive and a stick shift.

It's simple. That's part of its beauty.

(engine zooming)

It's part of what makes it American.

- The car's been refined over the years,

and this one is the
most refined Viper ever,

but there's still that rawness to it.

(engine revs)

- [Narrator] It's a car that
should never have been born,

(somber music)

a machine that survived
an economic collapse,

and exists purely due to a group

of dedicated designers and engineers

who wouldn't let their
clandestine supercar dream die.

(dramatic music)

- Not many cars are actually
built in Detroit anymore.

Most of the factories
are out in the suburbs.

It's a point of pride to be
able to say that our coolest car

is being built in Detroit
in the Motor City.

(dramatic music)

(engine zooming)

- But when you have the ability

to take the car to the limit,

(engine zooming)

and you realize how
much capability it has,

there's nothing like it.

(engine zooming)

And that's the beauty of the Viper.

(engine zooming)

(tires screech)

- It's as irresponsible as you were at 17,

and it hasn't grown up,
and it's never changed,

and it probably never will change,

'cause it's one of those
things that'll never mature.

- [Narrator] It's been
a long trek to get here,

but Ralph Gilles and his
team of designers, engineers,

and craftsmen have battled the odds

to resurrect an American icon.

- It kind of scares you
to death on the street,

and I think that's the point.

You wanna be scared, you
wanna be exhilarated.

And then the big secret is,
you get it to a racetrack,

and it's actually a pussycat.

It doesn't do anything
you don't want it to do.

(engine zooming)

- This is a stand-in for a mistress.

It's a stand-in for drinking too much.

It's a stand-in for overconsumption,

because the car itself
is about overconsumption.

(dramatic music)

(engine zooming)