24 Vehicles We'd Rather Meet in Traffic Than a Dodge Viper

Some cars wear the word “awesome” like handed-down varsity jackets; the Dodge Viper deserves it. It was best bad idea Chrysler president-emiritus Bob Lutz ever had. The first one made 400 horsepower, and current models crank out nearly 650. For 25 years, Vipers got you Ferrari power for BMW 5-series money. Difficult to drive and easy to spin, the Viper has been setting off car alarms since 1992, and now it is dead. Obsolete and discontinued, with just five special editions left to seal the crypt. Amidst the office sobbing, a bell-clear voice of reason: “Thank god.”

The biggest problem with the Viper has always been the person who said “I want that car, and I’m gonna drive it to work.” On the track: giddy up. On public roads? Sweet Saint Frances of Rome, no. We can think of any number of unearthly disasters we’d rather encounter on the highway than a Dodge Viper. Here are 24.