It happens to the best of them in the auto industry. With the year 2016 marking the beginning of the end for the Dodge Viper as we know it a series of limited edition models will be created… to mark 25 years of proper Americana, power-ballad motoring. On June 24th these limited edition Vipers will be made available to the open market but Dodge have made sure they have got their bases covered with 5 limited editions. You would imagine a limited edition model would be say 50 units, that’s not the case here as around 217 final examples in total will be sold. The rarest model will the Viper Snake Edition GTC with 25 units in total being made. This is really a cosmetic makeover, the model will feature a custom snakeskin patterned SRT stripe, a GT black interior, serialised number plates and the Advanced Aero Pack. Other models in the range will include the Viper 1:28 Edition ACR (28 units), Viper GTS (100 units), Dodge Dealer Edition ACR 33 units,  Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR (100 units) and the Viper VoooDoo II Edition ACR (31 units). Most of the special editions will include unique to model interior detailing and carbon fiber trim and in some cases carbon-ceramic brakes. The Viper appears not to have undergone any radical power upgrade, the  8.4-liter V-10 engine delivering 645 horsepower and 600 foot-pounds of torque remains unchanged. Fiat/Chrysler owns Dodge and this is in reality an exercise in killing the Viper softly without causing too much fan uproar. The Viper is built in Detroit and has been since 1992, production stopped between 2010 and 2013 just as Chrysler was emerging from the possibility of bankruptcy. Fiat has not indicated if the Viper will continue into a new generation of cars, the Viper has always been a slow seller with only 241 units being sold so far this year. The Viper has become an accountants nightmare in that it is no longer viable to remain in production. The 2016 year model retails at an entry level price in the US of $89k, the special edition models will be available through  dealerships. Fiat boss Sergio Marchionne who labelled the Viper as a “labour of love” has hinted that a more powerful, modern and sophisticated model could well replace the Viper… We shall see.