Saturday, October 23, 2010

Viper-powered 300 SRT10 was one man's garage job (and Chrysler should be ashamed they didn't do it first)


It looks like the Viper-powered Chrysler 300 teased on the group's Dodge Youtube channel is nothing more than the dream of one man: David Ekins. The 300 SRT10, it turns out, started as an unsuspecting 2006 Chrysler 300 Touring (which initially came with a V6); now it's got four more cylinders and puts down a claimed 525-550 horsepower.

Mr. Ekins is said to have built the project himself (except for some specialty work), having sourced the 10-cylinder 8.3-liter engine and T-56 Tremec transmission from a wrecked donor car. Other than the power train, a slew of other systems obviously had to be upgraded in order for the car to become a 300 SRT10 and not just a 300 Touring with a massive engine.

This homemade project now rides on Eibach coilovers and gets a new sway bar kit, as well as a little bit of extra cooling up front in the form of a 3-inch thick radiator and "custom" oil filter. Other additions include a new fuel tank mounted in the trunk and the little styling tweaks found throughout.

David says, "It took me about a year because I had to figure everything out...I built it knowing about the power and trying to keep it reliable. I didn't really build it to race it, I just wanted something different. I really liked the Viper, but I couldn't fit my whole family in it."

Not to take a single iota of mad love away from this build, but I think it would look ever more righteous with a set of Viper wheels (hey, I'm an OEM+ guy). Short of that nit-picking, this is one amazing ride that I'd love to see more of. Chrysler, pay this guy to show it off at SEMA and get started on a DIY kit for Viper-to-300 conversions...STAT.

By Phil Alex

Source: Redletterdodge




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