Last Auto Reviews Blog: Super Snake for Sale: ASC-McLaren Dodge Viper NAIAS showcar

Super Snake for Sale: ASC-McLaren Dodge Viper NAIAS showcar

Filed under: Car Buying, Concept Cars, Coupes, Sports/GTs, Supercars, Dodge

Click above for a gallery of the ASC Diamondback Viper Concept

A McLaren-tuned Dodge Viper? That's some synergy, and it's also what everyone was asking when American Specialty Cars (ASC) unveiled their reworked asp at the Detroit Auto Show back in 2006. But there was a logic to it all: At the time, Chrysler was still in bed with Daimler, which owns Mercedes-Benz, which was tied in with McLaren and produced the SLR supercar. The Diamondback Viper Concept boasted a McLaren-tuned V10, but while the F1 team was running Mercedes mils around the grand prix circuit, this super-snake was created by an entirely different McLaren.

The Diamondback concept featured a host of carbon fiber body panels and an "OmniCarbon" hood to show off the car's 615-horsepower V10 tuned by McLaren Performance Technologies. The American outfit based near Indianapolis was started by the same Bruce McLaren behind the F1 team, but with a focus on preparing his Can-Am racers for competition in North America. Whatever the association with the legendary Kiwi, the Diamondback was a real show-stopper. Unfortunately, only the one example was made, but that show car is now available for a lucky buyer to take home. It cost ASC about $750,000 to build the Viper back in 2006, but only 55 miles later, it's up for grabs for $295k. Follow the link for more details, and be sure to check out the images in the gallery below.

Gallery: ASC Diamondback Viper Concept