MODERN-DAY MARVELS: The Evolution of Brute Force

June 12, 2018
Posted by Barrett-Jackson

Written by independent automotive journalist Roger C. Johnson

This power-packed 2013 Dodge Viper GTS (Lot #713) will be among the modern-day marvels roaring across the block at the 2018 Northeast Auction.

Thanks to an avalanche of electronic-based engineering achievement, these new-model cars have become just as fantastic as their original designers must have known they could be. Both can trace their roots back to the previous century. Yet each has evolved into a modern and sophisticated high-performance machine that still relies on a basic, and classic, design style that looks just as appealing today as ever. They will both be offered with No Reserve at the June 20-23, 2018, Northeast Auction at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.

2013 Dodge Viper GTS – Lot #713

The Dodge Viper has been a powerhouse since its creation in 1992. Its style is now more reminiscent of the great European classics of the ’60s, like the Ferrari GTO, than any other American muscle car. The long hood, short rear deck and soft rounded lines prove beyond any doubt that a great design is a thing of beauty forever and doesn’t require frivolous styling upgrades just in the name of change.

This wonderful machine is even powered by an oh-so-60s engine. That would be the dynamo power plant Chrysler first engineered back in the 1960s in the form of their 318/340/360 pushrod V8 engine series. Just by adding two cylinders to that architecture, they cemented the Viper’s place in automotive performance history for all of time.

This V10 displaces 8.4 liters and produces 640 horsepower without the need of any kind of forced induction, and is still a killer on the street and track. The very car you’re looking at barely knows the meaning of the word weather, since it has lived most of its short life in a beautiful temperature-controlled environment. This perfect example of a home-grown, world-class sports car should be at the top of everyone’s shopping list.

2018 Dodge Demon – Lot #650

Very few street cars can laugh louder at the concept of social respectability than the Dodge Demon. To run the quarter-mile this fast it used to take a super-lightweight, stripped-down race car with slicks, open headers, a few sponsors and don’t forget a trailer to haul it back and forth to the strip. It wouldn’t be legal for the street and it certainly wouldn’t have air conditioning, an eighteen-speaker deluxe sound system with sub wolfers, an amplifier in the trunk, or driver and passenger side air bags. But this one has a lot more than that going for it.

First of all, it only has eight miles on it. And no, that number does not mean 32 all-out passes down the old 1320. This fabulously equipped new example of the fastest quarter-mile factory rocket ever produced has been pampered since the moment it rolled off the delivery truck. Besides mind-boggling performance (sub-10-second quarter-mile passes), this car has more driver options than most people would have imagined.

Besides the normal stuff for a nine-second street car – like an eight-speed automatic transmission, power steering, four-way lumbar support, integrated voice with Bluetooth and a navigation system with an 8.4-inch display screen – this Demon is loaded with a treasure trove of drag racing features. If owning and driving this beautiful all-black Dodge Demon created to be the world’s fastest quarter-mile production car appeals to you, don’t blink when this one thunders across the auction block.

These two world-class performance cars will give their new owners far more than just a peek back in time to that classic era we all know and love. They will also provide the best seat in the house to experience the past, present and the future of America’s amazing engineering prowess.

For up-to-date information about these and other vehicles on the docket for the 2018 Northeast Auction, click HERE.