Chrysler Crushing Vipers

[JB400]

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/chrysler-orders-93-rare-early-vipers-to-the-crusher-170043330.html

[Ghoste]

So it is a liability issue, just not the one you'd expect.

[myk]

"It's like the day Kennedy was shot.."

Seriously?  Equating the destruction of a car to the murder of one of the most significant persons in American history is just a tad ridiculous.  I wonder what other nonsense "professors" are spreading around these days...

[Old Moparz]

I have a hunch that most, if not all, will not be crushed. There are too many people aware of collector car values & anyone involved with the program to have them destroyed will find the loophole to keep it from happening once they come back. The second part of that plan is to see to it that certain executives & their friends become the new owners of "executive demo" cars.

[TUFCAT]

YESSIR!!    SURE THING CHRYSLER.... THEY'LL GET CRUSHED!!!   AND PARTED OUT!!!     I GUARANTEE THAT!!!  

[RallyeMike]

Yup. Next class project: Convert to rubber-band power and skis instead of wheels. Replace seats with new buckets (5 gallon).

Ok. Now crush it.



From local news:

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Chrysler has told the automotive program at South Puget Sound Community College in Olympia that it must destroy one of its prized cars, a pre-production 1992 Dodge Viper.

The Olympian reports (http://bit.ly/NUg5Fp) the car is not legal for street use and was never intended for sale. It was donated to the school for training with the understanding the company could order it to be destroyed.

The donations coordinator for Chrysler, Steven Glasco, says all the donated Vipers nationwide are being crushed.

College automotive technology professor Norm Chapman says he was told a couple of the educational Vipers elsewhere "got loose" and were involved in accidents, exposing the parent company to liability costs.

The Olympia college has about 20 donated vehicles in its auto shop.

___

Information from: The Olympian, http://www.theolympian.com

[stripedelete]

Handing Vipers out to 17 year olds.

A fine example of the type of judgement that put Chrysler on the edge of bankruptcy for over thirty years.

[Ghoste]

Just think, a dozen corporate lawyers have likely justified their existence at Fiat for another six months with this.

[375instroke]

Why doesn't Chrysler just take the cars back?  Even GM finally realized the value in preserving their heritage, although the floor fell out of the museum.

[Ghoste]

Not with their EV1 fiasco.

[JB400]

Here's another article with a video of one being mercilessly destroyed by a trackhoe

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/06/chrysler-orders-nearly-100-pristine-dodge-vipers-destroyed/#comments

[Ghoste]

You'll have to go to confession on Sunday just for posting that horror.

[TUFCAT]

Corvettes falling into sink holes!  Vipers being crushed!  When will the madness end?? 

[CornDogsCharger]

SRT Viper and SRT-10 Viper trucks are being scrapped too.  These were at a school.

When I was in school at a local community college, I remember there being a bunch of Chrysler products in the mechanics department... One being a Viper. I do not know what ever happened to it though. In the late 80's-early 90's the school had many Toyota vehicles donated. I walked through the fenced in impound section and there was an MR2, Supera, Tacoma, and other Toyotas... all of which had less than 10 miles on the odometer.

Justin
"CornDog"

[jaak]

We didn't have nothing cool like a Viper, but I remember the tech class having an early 90 oldsmobile, and it had like 8 miles on it. After tearing it apart/working on it, it had to be cut up into pieces and taken to the scrap yard.

Jason

[chargerman69]

8 High schools in our area got a gold 77 trans am with t-tops cause the driver put the load almost on its side

[Cooter]

Heard a few dumbass kids took one out for a spin, wrecked it, and Chrysler decided no cars, no liability.
as with anything in this world, only takes a few bad apples to f*ck up the whole bunch.

[TUFCAT]

Heard a few dumbass kids took one out for a spin, wrecked it, and Chrysler decided no cars, no liability.
as with anything in this world, only takes a few bad apples to f*ck up the whole bunch.

At first I thought it was "those damn lawyers" again, but that's exactly what I heard Coot. Those cars can be extremely dangerous to someone green to a super high performance car.

[myk]

Just like gun control we have to go and blame the inanimate object that only does what it's told to do.  As far as I'm concerned, we should be crushing the kids that took the car out and risked their lives, the lives of others and their property.  Or better yet, we should go crush the "adults" that allowed these children access to something that they shouldn't have been able to take in the first place.  

We can crush every goddamn vehicle on this planet, from Vipers to Razor scooters and children will still find ways of killing themselves, other people and property.  Education and eternal vigilance is the key here, not wasting our time crushing cars or even guns for that matter.  But..........crushing cars and guns makes everyone feel good, like we're all doing something positive and progressive, so I guess I can see what that's all about.  As long as we all feel good about what we're doing we can just wallow in the deniability of it all and avoid ANY sort of personal responsibility to our children.  And when the next news-worthy story about children dying because of another inanimate object pops, we'll just  crush/ban that object too!   

[TUFCAT]

Just like gun control we have to go and blame the inanimate object that only does what it's told to do.  As far as I'm concerned, we should be crushing the kids that took the car out and risked their lives, the lives of others and their property.  Or better yet, we should go crush the "adults" that allowed these children access to something that they shouldn't have been able to take in the first place.  

We can crush every goddamn vehicle on this planet, from Vipers to Razor scooters and children will still find ways of killing themselves, other people and property.  Education and eternal vigilance is the key here, not wasting our time crushing cars or even guns for that matter.  But..........crushing cars and guns makes everyone feel good, like we're all doing something positive and progressive, so I guess I can see what that's all about.  As long as we all feel good about what we're doing we can just wallow in the deniability of it all and avoid ANY sort of personal responsibility to our children...

I agree with you they should be removed from the schools (or never allowed to be in the hands of the schools to begin with). No reason to be crushed, but on the other hand they can't be sold either.

[myk]

I will be so bold as to say that the cars should be left in the schools.  What better way to instill excitement in a child and possibly cultivate a healthy interest in a career or hobby than a now-historical Dodge Viper?  Everyone's always racking their brains, trying to find ways to inpsire, captivate and motivate children; well there in these cars a way sits!  But just like anything else, it needs to be MONITORED.  I hate to sound like a worn cliche, but where were the parents, teachers and faculty that were involved with this school that had the Viper?  How is it that these "children" managed to get a hold of a potentially lethal object and have their way with it?  The car or Chrysler are NOT to blame here, it's the authority figures that allowed this tragedy to happen that are to blame.  We should be talking about people being questioned by the authorities, with the possibility of jail time and/or heavy fines if it is decided that there was negligence in this matter.  Instead, Chrysler's trying to cover its ass while the people around the country breath a collective sigh of relief because they feel that by crushing these cars, they've taken another step in the name of the children.  Puh-leeze!

[1974dodgecharger]

Wow they r learning from folks aren't they weren't kidding when they said, I'll crush it before I'll sell it to you!

[TUFCAT]

just like anything else, it needs to be MONITORED.  I hate to sound like a worn cliche, but where were the parents, teachers and faculty that were involved with this school that had the Viper?  How is it that these "children" managed to get a hold of a potentially lethal object and have their way with it?  The car or Chrysler are NOT to blame here, it's the authority figures that allowed this tragedy to happen that are to blame.  

I hear ya brother! 

[DadsCharger00]

http://www.automobilemag.com/features/news/1403-students-petition-to-save-dodge-viper-from-crusher/

Did you all see the school with car #4 has an online petition to save the car. SAVE THE VIPER!    could use that motor and tranny.... wonder where they are crushing these at 

[BB1]

Replace them with the Fiat 500. Auction off the Vipers, the money goes back to the schools.

Happy Happy Happy

[odcics2]

Heard a few dumbass kids took one out for a spin, wrecked it, and Chrysler decided no cars, no liability.
as with anything in this world, only takes a few bad apples to f*ck up the whole bunch.

Cooter, you need better sources of information!  

Chrysler issued an official response: "Approximately 10 years ago, Chrysler Group donated a number of Dodge Viper vehicles to various trade schools for educational purposes.  As part of the donation process, it is standard procedure — and stipulated in our agreements — that whenever vehicles are donated to institutions for education purposes that they are to be destroyed when they are no longer needed for their intended educational purposes. With advancements in automotive technology over the past decade, it is unlikely that these vehicles offer any educational value to students. Chrysler Group fully understands and appreciates the historical significance of the Viper and is very active in preserving many of its legendary models and designs for historic purposes however, none of these vehicles fit into this category.

"Chrysler Group has no record of any legal proceedings involving Dodge Viper vehicles donated to educational institutions being involved in accidents and product liability lawsuits."  

[Ghoste]

Thanks odcics for setting the record straight on this one. 

[DadsCharger00]

in hindsight though is it possible that this policy be rethought out? It doesn't seem to make sense to destroy a piece of automotive history because of a contract submitted back in 1993?

[Cooter]

"It's just another newer car."

[odcics2]

in hindsight though is it possible that this policy be rethought out? It doesn't seem to make sense to destroy a piece of automotive history because of a contract submitted back in 1993?

A contract is a contract.    Can you decide to not pay your mortgage 20 years into it because the rate was high?  No, you'd have to re-negotiate it.   

[Ghoste]

Or what if the schools had decided to sell them and keep the profit?

[stripedelete]

Real good possibility the tax benefit associated with the program was realized some time ago and selling the vehicles may reverse that.

[TexasGeneral]

Here's another article with a video of one being mercilessly destroyed by a trackhoe

http://motorsportstalk.nbcsports.com/2014/03/06/chrysler-orders-nearly-100-pristine-dodge-vipers-destroyed/#comments

The only thing more sad than the crushing of the viper was the excavator operators skills