Last year, you could have gotten it for $140,000. Now, it’s $169,000.
If you’re looking to arrive at a big event in style, it’s hard to imagine making a bigger splash than showing up in a 25-foot-long 1996 Dodge Viper convertible limousine. The weird machine is now for sale from Gateway Classic Cars for $169,000.
If this Viper limo looks familiar, it’s because we covered it last year when a private seller was offering the bizarre ride. At the time, that person wanted $160,000 and later lowered the price to $140,000. The dealer offering the car now decided to increase the figure by $10,000 to nearly $30,000, depending on the final cost.
The Viper limo no longer packs the sports car’s original V10. Instead, a Mopar Dodge Magnum 5.9-liter crate engine making 390 horsepower is under the hood. While the gearshift shows a six-speed shift pattern, the power actually routes through an automatic gearbox.
The video above lets us hear the Viper. The engine note isn’t quite as aggressive as with a V10, but it still sounds properly mean to match the vehicle’s sporty, yet stretched appearance.
The driver and passenger occupy a cockpit that looks just like a stock Viper. Things get weird from there, though, including an eye-catching pair of roll hoops. The ultra-extended rear section features a pair of long benches on each side and two sport seats against the bulkhead at the back. The original seller said there were seatbelts for 10 occupants but space for up to 12 people.
According to Hagerty Insurance, an average 1996 Dodge Viper in good condition is worth $37,100, so you could buy four of them instead of this limo and still have cash left over for a road trip. So, would you buy an authentic example and have roughly $132,000 remaining in your pocket or have a vehicle for hauling 10 people in a bizarre way for $169,00? Let us know your choice in the comments.