Pretend that it’s 1996. You have the cash for either a Chevrolet Corvette or a Dodge Viper, but not both. You want the Viper’s exotic looks but would prefer the Corvette’s tried-and-true powertrain which had been continuously refined for more than a decade. If only there were a single vehicle that combined these two attributes…
That dream was evidently the one behind the creation seen here, which may look like a first-generation Dodge Viper, but is actually a 1996 Chevrolet Corvette from the long-lived C4 generation’s final model year. Instead of the Viper’s colossal, 8.4-liter V-10, this Corviperette (or whatever you’d like to call it) has a smaller, 5.7-liter LT1 V8. As such, you don’t get the Viper’s 400 horsepower, 465 pound-feet of torque, or the purr of its low-revving V-10, though 300 horse, 335 torque, and arguably the best performance aftermarket of any engine on the planet, are solid consolation prizes.
With it being a Chevrolet underneath the Viper body, unfortunately, this car can only offer the C4’s interior, which is as squared-off and polymer-ific as they come, in addition to being of ’80s General Motors build quality. That’s not to say that ’90s Chrysler was much better, with the Viper having a similar parts sharing program as the Corvette’s decade-old economy components.
Obviously, this Corvette was built to mimic the Viper’s looks rather than its ownership experience, and at that, it does a passable job. Should looking like you drive a Viper be all that matters to you, then you’re in luck, because this car is for sale on Facebook Marketplace for a mere $8,000. It’s on the pricy side for an automatic C4, and though some of Dodge’s newer Vipers are climbing in value, the first generation Vipers can be found for just a few thousand more than this clone. We found one for $22,900, another for $26,550, and two even lower with current bids for $16,000.
With Gen 1 Vipers trading at lower values, the question becomes whether or not you want a replica for dirt cheap or do you save a little while longer and get the real deal? V8 versus V-10. Dodge versus Chevrolet. Viper versus Corvette. Let us know which you’d choose.
