Video: Dodge Viper ACR Crashes After Its Fastest Nurburgring Lap!

The crowdfunded initiative held at the Nurburgring concludes with the 2017 Dodge Viper ACR crashing right after setting the best lap time for a car of its kind. Epic!

They may have failed in cracking the sub-7-minute lap time. But the crowdfunded initiative has got themselves a new lap record for the Dodge Viper as the beast scored a personal best of 7:01.3 in its final attempt. It’s previous run had fetched a lap time of 7:03.23, While the new time is an improvement, both cars ended their tenure with the team in spectacular fashion. One of them had issues with its differential, while the other crashed out right after posting the best lap time ever for a Viper on the Ring.

The latter was a pretty serious accident which happened because of tire failure at high-speeds. Though it isn’t part of the video below, the crash did end up leaving the snake in a bad shape. Thankfully, in both cases, the drivers weren’t hurt and walked away from the scene.

With the latest lap time clocked by driver Lance Arnold, the 2017 Dodge Viper ACR (in GTS-R Commemorative Edition guise with Extreme Aero package) settled for the seventh spot on the Nurburgring Top 100 leaderboard. Right above it is the Lamborghini Aventador SV and right below is the Nissan GT-R Nismo “Godzilla”. The snake is in good company there and miles away from its predecessor from 2011 which scored 7:12.13.

This is the third attempt from the privateer team which ran the show with support from the GoFundMe campaign, Kumho tires, Prefix and Viper Exchange. The first one saw the Viper completing the lap in 7:03.45 with Dominik Farnbacher behind the wheel. The second attempt had his brother Mario Farnbacher lapping the Green Hell in 7:03.23 – a time which the team said could have been better if it wasn’t for the extreme temperatures which cooked the tires.

With the new lap time, the Dodge Viper also took the honor of being the new all-time record holder for American, rear-drive, and manual-transmission cars.

More from Events

• What if Tesla produced logistical good vans?
• Throwback Thursday: BMW E30 3 series
• Throwback Thursday: Subaru Impreza WRC
• How to follow the 2023 Daytona 500?
• Will Tesla join the motorcycle market?

Lance Arnold set the new record lap time on his first lap. It was on his second lap that the left front tire gave up at 160 mph, leading to the car brushing the guardrail on the left and then running across the track to hit the railings on the right. Airbags deployed and thankfully Arnold didn’t suffer injuries.

The occurrence was strikingly similar to an earlier incident involving Luca Stolz who was driving the other Viper. That car too had a similar left front tire failure at 170 mph, though it didn’t crash. But that vehicle ended up with differential problems, concluding its Nurburgring days.

Though it may have failed to crack into the sub-7-minute realm, the Dodge Viper ACR has got a strong rank which will continue to be a barrier for many machines aspiring to reach the Top 5.

Russ Oasis, the man who spearheaded this whole passion-driven effort spoke to Road & Track, confirming the conclusion of their ambitious scheme to get the Dodge Viper to the top of the Nurburgring leaderboard.

"The combination of this powerful car and this track demands too much from any tire that can also be street legal. This wraps up our effort, trying to bring home the ultimate worldwide production car record at the Nurburgring. It’s been an honor to have worked with drivers of this elite level. Luca Stolz, Lance Arnold, Mario and Dominik Farnbacher, we couldn’t have done this without them."

Next: The Dodge Viper Is Dead (Grabbing Tissues)

This marks the end of not just a magnificent American sports car, but also of the enthusiastic attempt from the Dodge Viper’s admirers to bring this amazing machine the glory that it deserves. The team ran the whole thing without any support from Dodge, with aid from those who loved the Viper and wanted to give it a proper send-off. And regardless of them not achieving what they really wished to accomplish, the effort in itself will be noted as one of the greatest triumphs for car enthusiasts in history.

Source: Road & Track