Footnotes

• That a major US manufacturer could come up with such an exciting concept car was startling enough, but Chrysler's decision to put the Viper into production was nothing short of astonishing. Inspired, as its name suggests, by the legendary Cobra, Tom Gale's design study made its auto-show debut in 1989 following discussions between Chrysler boss Bob Lutz and Cobra-creator Carroll Shelby, its appearance triggering an avalanche of deposit cheques. Without doubt, a large part of the Viper's 'back to basics' appeal stemmed from its unique selling point: a massively powerful 8-litre V10 engine. The latter had been born out of the requirement for a larger unit to power the Dodge Ram pickup truck, the prototype being created simply by grafting two extra cylinders on to the Ram's existing 5.9-litre V8. Despite being relatively 'low-tech', the Lamborghini-developed pushrod V10 churned out 400bhp and a brutal 450lb/ft of torque at a lowly 3,600rpm, figures which the 3,280lb Viper translated - via a six-speed manual gearbox - into a 0-60mph time of 4.7 seconds and a top speed of 165mph. Compared with this paragon of power units, the Viper's running gear made somewhat less interesting reading: a multi-tubular spaceframe chassis endowed with all-round independent suspension and four-wheel disc brakes residing beneath the svelte glassfibre bodywork.
  
  Little more than 12 months after the Viper roadster had commenced production, a closed coupé version, the GTS, debuted in prototype form at the Los Angeles Auto Show. 'Where the Viper follows the classic sportscar gospel, this time we looked at some of the great Grand Touring cars such as the Cobra Daytona Coupé and Ferrari GTO,' revealed Chrysler's vice president of engineering, François Castaing. By the time the production GTS coupe arrived for 1996, the original Viper concept had undergone considerable refinement. Thus the coupé boasted air conditioning, dual airbags, adjustable pedals and power windows in glass rather than plastic, features soon extended to the roadster. Concerns that the Viper had been needlessly 'sanitised' were dispelled by the revised engine that now produced a staggering 450bhp, and a succession of weight reductions achieved by the use of alloy chassis components.
  
  Endurance events were an obvious target for a car with such obvious competition potential. The result was the Viper GTS/R-T. Developed in conjunction with the French racing team ORECA, the GTS/R-T clinched the 1997 FIA GT2 Championship, won its class at the 1998 24 Hours of Le Mans and took overall victory in the 2000 Daytona 24 Hours, in addition to countless successes in the domestic American Le Mans Series.
  
  Originally sold in Canada to a Belgian/Canadian businessman, this very early Viper roadster has been kept, unused, in his private collection and is presented in effectively 'as new' condition having covered only some 100 kilometres since it left the factory. Finished in red with grey leather interior, this beautiful car comes complete with its original weather equipment and all books and tools. The car is currently registered in Belgium as an 'Old-timer' and is offered with Carte Grise and all its original documents. If exported from Belgium this lot may possibly be liable to VAT depending on the country of import. A rare opportunity to acquire an unused example of one of the most exciting sports cars of recent years.

Saleroom notices

• Please be advised that due to the limited number of kilometres recorded on the odometer, this Lot may incur a TVA (VAT) liability upon registration in any EU country other than Belgium. The TVA (VAT) payable will be the rate prevailing in the country of registration applied to the total invoice amount, plus any applicable transport charges. Let op: Vanwege de lage kilometerstand is bij aankoop van deze auto BTW verschuldigd bij inschrijving in elk land in de EU, behalve Belgie. De BTW zal worden geheven in het land van bestemming (inschrijving) en wordt berekend over het totale factuurbedrag en eventuele transport kosten. Veuillez noter qu'en raison du faible kilométrage enregistré sur le compteur, ce lot pourrait être soumis à la TVA (VAT) au moment de son immatriculation dans un pays européen autre que la Belgique. Le taux de TVA (VAT) applicable sera celui du pays où l'immatriculation sera faite, et s'appliquera sur le montant total de la facture, ainsi que sur toutes les charges de transport.