The Dodge Viper was one such car that came with immense power, courtesy of its V10 engine and zero driving aids, as it even lacked ABS until around 2010, offering drivers an unfiltered driving experience. Following its discontinuation in 2017, there were signs the car might return, but SRT head Tim Kuniskis has confirmed the Viper won’t be coming back.Speaking on the latest episode of The Drivecast, Kuniskis was asked if the Dodge Viper made sense today. He said:“As much as it pains me to say that, it reached the end of its life cycle.”AdvertisementAdvertisementDespite having no electronic safety nets, the Viper’s chassis made it an excellent track car, capable of matching the performance of cars with traction control, launch control, and other features that prevent driver capabilities from being put to the test and instead, put fine driving talent to rest. Kuniskis said about the Viper:“The track capability of that car was absolutely astounding. If you think about what it was—I mean, it was an analog car with a manual transmission, and it could hold its own against anything in the world. Technology doesn’t matter. I mean, it was just that good.”a red sports car parked in a parking lotHowever, every great car has had flaws, big or small. Being the owner of a Viper himself, Kuniskis admitted that the sports car was not perfect. He added:“But it had its downsides. I mean, let’s be honest. I own one, so I’m allowed to bash it. If you don’t own one, you can’t because we’ll fight. But if you own one, you can bash it.”What Killed the Viper?According to Kuniskis, a new rule for ejection mitigation meant the Viper had to be fitted with side-curtain airbags to prevent drivers from being thrown out during rollover incidents. However, with the cabin being extremely compact and the roofline so low, the company couldn’t accommodate the airbags.AdvertisementAdvertisementIn addition, re-engineering the entire vehicle to make adjustments to the cabin size would have been incredibly costly, which led the company to cease production of the iconic car. The SRT head explained:“I mean, when they came out with the new rule for ejection mitigation, we had to discontinue the car because you would have to put airbags right over you—as a driver, right over your ear. And you sat in the car. It’d be impossible.”Would the Viper be a Manual if it Were Still Around?Despite its reputation as a driver’s car that came with a manual transmission, Kuniskis acknowledged that the Viper would have had a DCT gearbox for quicker gear shifts if it were to compete with rivals on the track today. He said:“Honestly, in today’s day and age, it would have needed to become an automatic or a dual-clutch or something like that.”AdvertisementAdvertisementKeeping up with the times, the final generation SRT Viper (2013–2017) came equipped with traction control and other electronic aids. However, the safety mandate eventually led to the Viper’s end.