The first prototype was tested in January 1989. It debuted in 1991 with two pre-production models as the pace car for the Indianapolis 500 when Dodge was forced to substitute it in place of the Japanese-built Dodge Stealth because of complaints from the United Auto Workers, and went on sale in January 1992 as the RT/10 Roadster.

The centerpiece of the car was its engine. Lamborghini, then owned by Chrysler Corporation, helped with the casting of the V10 out of aluminum alloy for the Viper, which was based on the Chrysler LA V8 engine. A major contributor to the Viper since the beginning was Dick Winkles, the chief power engineer, who had spent time in Italy.

The engine weighs 711 lb (323 kg) and produces 400 bhp (300 kW) at 4600 rpm and 465 lb⋅ft (630 N⋅m) at 3600 rpm, and thanks to the long-gearing allowed by the engine, provides fuel economy at a United States Environmental Protection Agency-rated 12 mpg‑US (20 L/100 km; 14 mpg‑imp) city and 20 mpg‑US (12 L/100 km; 24 mpg‑imp) highway. The body is a tubular steel frame with resin transfer molding (RTM) fiberglass panels. It has a curb weight of 3,284 lb (1,490 kg) and lacks modern driver aids such as traction control and anti-lock brakes. It completes a quarter mile (402 m) in 12.6 seconds and has a maximum speed of over 150 mph (240 km/h). Its large tires allow the car to average close to one lateral g in corners, placing it among the elite cars of its day. However, the car proves tricky to drive at high speeds, particularly for the unskilled.

The Viper was engineered to be a performance car, with no exterior-mounted door handles or key cylinders (to enter the Viper, you would unzip a soft vinyl window, and reach into the interior to pull the interior door release handle), and no air conditioning (this was later added as an option in later model Vipers, however, and climate controls featured a “snowflake” icon, which indicated a potential setting for A/C). The roof was made from canvas, and the windows were made from vinyl and used zippers to open and close, much like the Jeep Wrangler (YJ). However, the Viper was still equipped with some features in order to allow it to be tolerable as a daily driver. Some of these features included manually-adjustable sport leather-trimmed bucket seats with lumbar support, an A/M-F/M stereo cassette player with clock and high-fidelity sound system, and interior carpeting. Aluminum-alloy wheels were larger in diameter due to the larger brakes. A lightweight fiberglass hard roof option on later models was also available to cover the canvas soft roof, and shipped with each new Viper. There were also no airbags, in the interest of weight reduction. Adjustable performance suspension was also an available option for most Vipers.

Performance:
0-60 mph (97 km/h): 4.6 sec
0-100 mph (160 km/h): 9.2 sec
quarter mile: 12.0 sec @ 113.8 mph (183.1 km/h)
top speed: 165 mph (266 km/h)
700 ft (210 m) slalom: over 66 mph (106 km/h)
skidpad average g: 0.96

This 1 owner stunning first series Dodge Viper was originally manufactured in the Detroit plant in Michigan, United States of America. The car was produced for model year 1994, but registered for the first time in Belgium and new supplied by Chrysler Belgium on 16-12-1997. Being specially produced for the European market the car was market as Chrysler Viper RT/10.

Being specially produced for the European market the car was market as Chrysler Viper RT/10. This was done because Dodge branding was exclusively used for industrial trucks and light commercial vehicles. Being an original European delivery the car is slightly different than American examples. Of course the car comes with a speedometer in kilometers and the car has a special exhaust system which is different than the American side pipes. This car is in the rare color, "Emerald Green Pearl Coat" is in highly original condition, accident-free and has driven a mere 16,352 kilometer (comes with a Belgium Carpass) since new! The original soft windows can be attached on the doors and the Targa soft/hard top is also in pristine, original condition. A true icon from the 1990s. The car is accident-free, has minor wear and is ready to be enjoyed. The car comes with its original Belgium registration papers, which can easily be used for registration in any EU country without additional import taxes.