DETROIT — The Dodge Viper lives — at least for now, Inside Line has learned.
Chrysler said late Wednesday that all the Viper assets, including rights to the name, have been turned over to Fiat, which took control of Chrysler on Wednesday as it emerged from bankruptcy with the help of a final $6.6-billion cash infusion from the U.S. government.
The transfer of Viper to Fiat means entrepreneur and would-be supercar builder Scott Devon is still looking for a donor car for his Devon GTX, which will be formally unveiled in August at Pebble Beach.
When Inside Line spoke with Devon MotorWorks spokesman Mike Rosenau in late May, he said Chrysler had not responded to Scott Devon's $5.5 million bid to acquire the rights to the Viper brand and lease Chrysler's Connor Avenue plant where the Viper is assembled.
But in an e-mailed response Wednesday night to Inside Line, Chrysler spokesman David Elshoff said, "Prior to the Chapter 11 filing, no offers meeting the company's basic requirements for the sale [of] Viper assets were submitted.
"Post-petition, all parties who had an interest in purchasing the Viper assets were instructed by Judge Arthur Gonzalez to make a bid. Chrysler received just one post-petition bid of $5.5 million for Viper.
"Judge Gonzales subsequently signed a sale order approving the sale of most of Chrysler LLC's assets, including all the Viper assets, to a new company to be formed with Fiat."
On Wednesday, Rosenau confirmed to Inside Line that Devon "wasn't able to secure Viper," but he said that "Scott and the team have been moving full steam ahead" on the launch of the Devon GTX.
Inside Line says: We're trying to imagine a product lineup that ranges from the Fiat 500 to the Dodge Viper.
[Edmunds]
Chrysler said late Wednesday that all the Viper assets, including rights to the name, have been turned over to Fiat, which took control of Chrysler on Wednesday as it emerged from bankruptcy with the help of a final $6.6-billion cash infusion from the U.S. government.
The transfer of Viper to Fiat means entrepreneur and would-be supercar builder Scott Devon is still looking for a donor car for his Devon GTX, which will be formally unveiled in August at Pebble Beach.
When Inside Line spoke with Devon MotorWorks spokesman Mike Rosenau in late May, he said Chrysler had not responded to Scott Devon's $5.5 million bid to acquire the rights to the Viper brand and lease Chrysler's Connor Avenue plant where the Viper is assembled.
But in an e-mailed response Wednesday night to Inside Line, Chrysler spokesman David Elshoff said, "Prior to the Chapter 11 filing, no offers meeting the company's basic requirements for the sale [of] Viper assets were submitted.
"Post-petition, all parties who had an interest in purchasing the Viper assets were instructed by Judge Arthur Gonzalez to make a bid. Chrysler received just one post-petition bid of $5.5 million for Viper.
"Judge Gonzales subsequently signed a sale order approving the sale of most of Chrysler LLC's assets, including all the Viper assets, to a new company to be formed with Fiat."
On Wednesday, Rosenau confirmed to Inside Line that Devon "wasn't able to secure Viper," but he said that "Scott and the team have been moving full steam ahead" on the launch of the Devon GTX.
Inside Line says: We're trying to imagine a product lineup that ranges from the Fiat 500 to the Dodge Viper.
[Edmunds]
