By Darryl

With every new automotive product comes the fine-tuned scrutiny of publications when they put them to the test. Case in point, Motor Trend recently put the new SRT Viper through its paces and pitted it against the current Corvette ZR1. They took it to the infamous Mazda Laguna Seca Raceway where the ZR1 came away with the over-all win at helm of the ever-so-consistent driver Randy Pobst.

The results, despite Randy Pobst hinting at his “…hard time with cars that don’t handle well,” ended up in a preverbal up-setter on the SRT side with SRT CEO Ralph Gilles in an upset state of mind. As an answer by Gilles and his team, SRT shot back in the end with an updated Viper dubbed the Viper TA, TA standing for Time Attack. The SRT Viper TA looks to be a track-focused version standard with the Carbon Fiber Aero Package (adds a functional two-way front splitter and rear wing adding 300 pounds of downforce at 150mph, re-worked suspension (different spring rates), the Track Package taken a step further (lighter brakes about twice as thick, lighter matte wheels, Pirelli P Zero Corsa performance tires) and it even gets emblem stickers to save weight. Over-all, the Viper TA is said to be about 11 pounds lighter than the base SRT Viper.

To conclude, the Viper TA put the smack-down on the track as Randy Pobst took the wheel setting a production car record around the Laguna Seca Raceway, beating the Corvette ZR1’s time by just .08 seconds.

Hit up the Motor Trend video below for the full recap and test run of the SRT Viper TA, which there will be only 33 fine examples produced and sold in 2013 at a price of about $116,000.

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Source: FULL ARTICLE at Automotive Addicts