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What's the deal with Chrysler demanding colleges crush their Vipers? [w/video]

Students and teachers at a Washington community college are up in arms following an order from Chrysler that it must destroy the pre-production Dodge Viper that was donated to the school's automotive technology program ten years ago.
The Viper in question is said to be the fourth off the production line, based on its VIN, and has had its emissions controls disabled, allowing its ten-cylinder engine to produce 600 horsepower, according to a report from Yahoo! Autos. As one of the first Vipers ever produced, the school's AT instructors claim it could be worth $250,000 in a museum, while a local news report purports that Jay Leno once tried to purchase the car, but the sale was prevented by Chrysler.
As pointed out by our friends at Autobytel, though, there are a lot of things in this story that don't quite add up. Immediately noticeable from the news report embedded below - which shows the car at South Puget Sound Community College - is that the car in question is not a 1992 model. When the Viper went on sale in 1992, it was only available as an RT/10 with a (flimsy) soft top, like the red car shown above. But the car featured in the report from KING5 News (inset image) is clearly a hardtop Viper GTS, which didn't enter production until 1996. And even if, as reported by a local newspaper, the hardtop featured is a prototype, it doesn't explain the lack of another iconic feature of the first Vipers - their distinctive side pipes. This kind of pokes holes in the school's argument that this is the fourth Viper to ever roll down the line. At best, this appears to be a pre-production Viper GTS.

2015 Dodge Challenger crash test results slip from last year's model

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released the results of its latest round of crash testing, announcing that the 2015 Dodge Challenger has netted a five-star overall crash rating. Of course, Chrysler won't want us to tell you this, but that NHTSA overall rating is not the whole story here. As The Car Connection so astutely points out, five-star rating aside, the refreshed 2015 Challenger actually performed worse than when it was tested back in 2013. The V6-powered SXT model tested by NHTSA in this latest round of testing was only able to record a four-star rating in its frontal crash test, while it nailed a five-star rating in the side-impact test. The 2013 Challenger managed a five-star rating in the frontal test. Of course, while this rating is a sign of overall good news for Challenger fans, the car, as TCC argues, has yet to be tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It'll be interesting to see if these NHTSA ratings translate to an IIHS Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick Plus. Scroll down for the full press release from FCA. All-new 2015 Dodge Challenger Earns Five-Star Overall Safety Rating From U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2015 Dodge Challenger coupe earns five stars overall, the highest possible score in NHTSA's safety rating program More than 70 safety and security features, including new for 2015 class-exclusive Forward Collision Warning, adaptive cruise control, Blind-spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path detection All-new 2015 Dodge Challenger starts at $26,995 (excluding tax, destination and title) December 18, 2014 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - The all-new 2015 Dodge Challenger has earned a five-star overall safety rating from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Five stars is the highest possible safety rating given by NHTSA. "The new Dodge Challenger coupe further demonstrates our commitment to broaden the proliferation of advanced safety technologies, such as driver-assist features," says Scott Kunselman, Senior Vice President-Vehicle Safety and Regulatory, FCA-North America. In its assessment of the new Challenger, NHTSA notes the availability of Forward Collision Warning (FCW), which features forward-facing sensors programmed to detect the potential for certain types of frontal collisions. If detected, the driver is alerted with visual and audible warnings. The 2015 Dodge Challenger is the only car in its segment with such capability.

All hail the Hellephant, Mopar's 1,000-horsepower crate engine

It's shocking to say this, but the all-powerful Dodge Demon looks weak now that Mopar has unleashed the Hellephant. This crate motor makes 1,000 horsepower and 950 pound-feet of torque, and its name is a combination of the nickname for the old 426-cubic-inch Hemi V8 and, obviously, the Hellcat. This monster is a 426-cubic-inch version of the current third-generation Hemi V8 topped by a supercharger similar to what the Hellcat line packs. Everything is cranked up to — or perhaps, past — 11. The engine block is made of aluminum and weighs 100 pounds less than the equivalent iron block. All of the internals are forged. The stroke and bore have been increased. The supercharger produces 15 pounds of boost and displaces 3 liters; more than the 2.7-liter blower on the Demon and the 2.4-liter blower on the Hellcat. And as big and powerful as it is, it will still rev to 7,000 rpm. It's a thoroughly monstrous motor, but shockingly, it won't be that difficult to live with. For one thing, Mopar will offer a complete kit to get the engine up and running, including an engine computer, wiring harness and drive-by-wire throttle. It also runs on 93-octane pump gas. That's especially amazing considering the Demon engine "only" makes 840 horsepower, and that's on race gas with 100+ octane fuel. It also has us wondering what the Hellephant could make on racing fuel. The Mopar folks did say that there's room to add more power. Pricing wasn't announced for the Hellephant engine. The Hellcat crate engine retails at $19,350 directly from Mopar, so it's safe to assume that the Hellephant will go for more. The installation kit with the computer and harness will be an extra charge of likely over $2,000, based on the Hellcat kit. The engine and the kit will be available in the first quarter of 2019. Related Video: Featured Gallery Hellephant Crate Engine SEMA Show Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Performance dodge demon hellephant