The Dodge Venom was a concept car that was produced in 1994 by the American automaker Dodge.[1] The car was built on a modified version of the Chrysler PL platform that was used in the Dodge Neon.[2] The car was designed to showcase Dodge's Cab-Forward design in a two-seat sports car package.[3] Although based on the Neon, the upgraded V6 engine and rear wheel drive set gave this car a sports appeal. The car featured a 3.5-liter, overhead-cam, 24-valve V6 engine that was able to put out 245 horsepower[4] and 221 pound-feet of torque at 2,800 rpm.[5] It was debuted along with two other concept cars on January 3, 1994.[6] The car was projected to cost $8,975, $13,000 "fully loaded".[7]
Design
Rear view
Built from all steel, with an aluminum structure,[8] and a cantilever roofline.[3] The aforementioned Cab-Forward design allowed the car to be more aerodynamic, and roomy.[9] The engine block was made of cast iron, and featured carbon fiber and Kevlar aramid fiber components.[10][11] The design was based on another Dodge performance SRT car, The Dodge Viper.[3] The car was optimized for performance on race courses, and could go from 0 to 60 mph in 5.2 seconds.[3] The front and rear utilized a double A-arm suspension setup, featured up-to-date four-wheel anti-lock disc brakes, and 245-millimeter tires.[9] The front tires were 19 inches and the rear tires were 20 inches[9] The wheels were moved towards the corners in the model, which increased both the wheel base and the track. This allowed for more agile handling.[9] The car was only released with a neon yellow green pearl exterior with a black hood.[2] The car also featured a quad exhaust set up, which makes the car louder.[12] The car also featured parts from other cars such as the old Coronet handle-bar grille, the Viper side scoop, and the Challenger and Barracuda rear end.[9] The car weighs about 2,700 pounds, which is lighter compared to older versions of muscle cars, which weighed around 3,700 pounds.[11] The length of the car was 13.4 inches longer, 3.5 inches lower, and 7.5 inches higher than other subcompact cars of the time.[13]
Popularity
The car was popular with car enthusiasts,[citation needed] being featured in the international auto circuit for years.[3] Usually a concept car's popularity does not last for years, but only weeks.[3] However, the car never made it into production. This concept was one of the first attempts at making a modern muscle car, however, because it never made it into production, the first modern muscle car to be produced by Dodge was the Dodge Challenger in 2008.
Specification
1994
Suspension: front and rear Independent, double A arms
