1998 Dodge Viper Race Car

Your 16-year-old son would probably be happy lighting incense in front of it and inviting his friends over to worship

by Thor Thorson

ew cars in the history of the American automobile have captured the imagination of car enthusiasts like the Dodge Viper. What started as an outrageous concept car at the 1989 Detroit auto show led to a bold corporate experiment, with a street-legal production car readied in just 32 months. A factory-backed racing effort soon followed, which led to the GT-2 Le Mans and FIA Championships and the Championship in the American Le Mans Series. Roy H. Sjoberg was named to head up the Dodge Viper Project team in 1989. Sports car racing had been in his blood since he pit crewed for his brother in the mid-1950s. This developed into SCCA car preparation and race driving, including an IMSA stint at Mosport. One of Sjoberg’s most memorable activities was the three years he spent as development manager for his long-time friend, Zora Arkus-Duntov, the father of the Corvette, and the man who nicknamed Sjoberg “Father Viper.” After he retired, Sjoberg decided to build a GT-3...