When Chrysler Meets Viper

January 14, 2018

The rat rod is something of an acquired taste. Coming as a blow to the snobbery that once pervaded the hot rod scene, they may not be as visibly striking, but underestimate them at your peril: they’re just as quick. This car in particular is far more than meets the eye. When you first see it, what do you see? A rusted old Chrysler 300, right? Nothing special, the sort of thing you’d more expect to see rotting outside a farm building than tearing down the highway. Looks, however, can be deceiving. The car, created by Classic Car Studios of St. Louis, Missouri, has had its original 440 V8 ripped out, and replaced with the 488 V10 from a second-generation Dodge Viper. In its stock form, this engine produces 450 horsepower and 490 lbs-ft of torque.

The improvements don’t end there: speaking to The Drive, Noah Alexander of Classic Car Studios revealed that the T-56 six-speed transmission is paired with a 9″ rear end with 4.11 gears. Improvements have also been made to the suspension: despite the car’s rusted and busted appearance, the Chrysler sits on Ride Tech air-ride suspension, giving it the air of a consumate cruiser that can break when it needs to. Disc brakes can be found on all four corners, naturally.

Inside, you’ll find only the steering wheel and dash are original. Everything else has been custom-made for the restomod, with an interesting quilted metal look bedecking the interior. There’s another cool little feature, the original Golden Tone stereo head unit remains, but has been hooked up to a modern Kicker “Q” sound system. In a way, said system represents the car in a microcosm. It’s a machine of contrasts, where old meets new; a real wolf in clunker’s clothing.

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