Even the Viper can't Dodge its demise

Introduced in 1992 the Dodge Viper was an instant hit offerring a traditional sports car layout of front engine, rear wheel drive and with awsome power. The Viper offered performance stats that challenged many other sports cars costing considerably more money and developed a racing pedigree that then translated over to newer models.

The summer of 2010 will see the last incarnation of the Viper. Some 18 years after hitting the streets, the Dodge Viper SRT "Final Edition" will be available but in very limited numbers - 50 in all. The limited edition will be available in all body styles and will have a few extra race-born tweaks to ensure the Viper finishes on a high in terms of performance and handling.

The 510ci V10 (8.4 litre) engine will produce 600 horsepower and 560lb.ft of torque. This will be delivered through a 6 speed gearbox giving a 0-60mph time of just under 4 seconds, and is said to cover 1/4mile in mid 11's.

I know that in this age of caring for the environment that all manufacturers are supposed to be being responsible and demonstrating how they are able to get greater efficiency and power out of smaller engines, but surely there is room even if it be in small numbers to keep cars like the Dodge Viper? - a car that has become and is an American motoring and sports car icon.

It seems to me that with every day, month and year that passes we take another step closer to some great plan for conformity. Where we become a world where everything is the same and bland because that is what's fair and right. Where being different or extreme if frowned upon, and when we get to this "utopia", we will all no doubt have the same boring cars, that all go the same speed, and don't make any noise, and I'm sure won't let us break the speed limit - and this will become the case in all other areas of life, following a similar patern.

At that point, when it is too late to go back and we all have, see and do the same things, I wonder whether maybe, just maybe, we will find that all the reduction of considered excess and enforced conformity will come to nothing?

It may be that we were trying to hard to protect something that we had little influence over, and actually what was needed was the diversity of life in all areas - because that is what has kept "man" innovative and that is what keeps life interesting.