If they hadn’t already, the 2nd great horsepower wars have now officially begun. As many of you know the 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT and the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats will be powered by a 6.2L Hellcat Hemi that produces a monstrous 707 horsepower. With the pony car and the five-seater having the power of a supercar for the fraction of the price, does this mean the Viper has become obsolete? As you may recall, Chrysler was close to scrapping the Viper in 2011. However, those saving for one, don’t panic Chrysler isn’t getting rid of these V-10 machines any time soon.

While the Viper may “only” produce 640 horsepower it still has a few advantages over the other two cars with unmatched handling that lets the car glide like it’s on rails and can take on anything Europe throws at it. As for the power issue, Allpar has received two reports from Chrysler that Supercharged 8.4L V-10s are on the way and will produce around 800 horses. While 800 is an impressive number both All-Par and us have to ask Chrysler: why not shoot for 1,000?

If Chrysler can deliver a Viper with 800 horsepower they can easily deliver a 1000 horse model. Chrysler should push the envelope a little more and start a speed war with not only Ford and GM but with Bugatti as well. Imagine a Viper that can out run and out handle the Veyron and sell for a fraction of its cost. Of course there is the fact that American car owners tend to tinker with their rides more than Exotic owners. Even if the Viper has “only” an 800 horsepower V-10, it’s only a matter of time before experienced hot rodders push 1500- 2000 horses.

The Veyron may be fast but it will have nothing on a Supercharged Viper SRT.