Indeed, it is time to tackle another Dodge Viper falsehood. Except this one in particular isn’t a falsehood, as the Viper –in any generation– is indeed quite a girthy automobile. Rather, it’s time to tackle an overexaggeration of a known truth.
Make no mistake, the Viper is wide. Anyone who has been or was lucky enough to see a Viper in the flesh knows this first hand. However, there are plenty of other performance cars (and non-performance cars) that are wider still (hence why this article can even exist).
Like the last article in this series, I will be using MotorTrend numbers for this comparison, and I’m referring specifically to the 5th Generation Dodge Viper (2013-2017 model years). Speaking of MT numbers, they say the Dodge Viper is 76.4 inches (or 1,940 milimeters) wide. Let’s move onto the other cars and see how they fare.
10: The Ferrari 812 Superfast
Yep, the Superfast has made another appearance in this pseudo-series. Unlike the first time (and only) time it showed it though, there’s no massive discrepancy between the 812 and Viper. The 812 “only” has a width of 77.6 inches (or 1,971 mm).
9: The Tesla Model S
Before you ask, I didn’t use the Model 3 because it’s actually not wider than a Dodge Viper. If it was, I would’ve put it in place of the S. Alas, some things just don’t go as planned.
Truth be told, I was very surprised to find out the Model 3 isn’t wider than a Viper. Not by a small margin either, the Model 3 is only 72.8 inches (or 1,849 mm) wide. Which makes what I’m about to say all the more surprising. The Model S has a width of 77.3 inches (or 1,963 mm)! I get that the Model S was their first shot at a 4-seat passenger car and that batteries likely weren’t as small as they are now, but that still makes the Model S 4.5 inches (or 114.3 mm) wider than the Model 3! If and or when they begin work on a new Model S, I wonder if making it narrower will be considered…
8: The Chevrolet Corvette Z06/Grand Sport
While the normal C7 Corvette is narrower than the Viper, the Z06 and Grand Sport aren’t. Measuring 77.4 inches (or 1,965 mm), that makes both of them just 0.1 inches (2.5 mm) wider than the Tesla. Odd, considering even the Z06 and Grand Sport look smaller than the big Model S.
7: The Pagani Huarya
Perhaps not surprisingly, the Huayra is wider than the Viper. However, it’s quite jarring to find out that it is wider than an Aventador. A quick search will have you find out the Huayra is 80.2 inches (or 2,037 mm) wide. For comparison, the Aventador is 79.9 inches (or 2,029 mm) wide. While the Huayra never looked small, I never imagined it to be slightly wider than that of the monstrous Aventador. Who would’ve thought, right?
6: The Ferrari 612 Scaglietti
I bet you forgot about this Ferrari, didn’t you? The predecessor to the FF which is also the predecessor to the GTC4Lusso, the Scaglietti is the modern genesis of Ferrari toying with the idea of making an actual four-seat car (they have plenty historical efforts). Alongside its questionable looks, the 612 is wider than the Viper, measuring 77 inches (or 1,955 mm) wide. However, That means it’s narrower than the Corvette Z06/Grand Sport and the 812 Superfast. Astounding.
5: The Audi A8
I’m going to be frank here, the A8 has a width of 76.6 inches (or 1,945 mm) wide. Only .2 inches (5 mm) wider than the Viper. Now that’s cutting it close!
4: The Ford Crown Victoria
As you can probably imagine, it has been quite the challenge trying to find normal cars that are wider than the Viper. This is one of them though, the big American sedan that is the Crown Vic. Measuring 78.3 inches (or 1,988 mm) wide, the Crown Vic is one of the biggest normal cars out there.
3: The Maserati Levante
You’re probably not surprised by this one and truth be told neither am I. It has a width of 77.5 inches (or 1,968 mm). Amusingly, the Crown Vic, Huarya, Aventador, and 812 Superfast are all wider than the Levante.
2: The Alfa Romeo Stelvio QV
Yep, another FCA SUV has made it onto this list. In this case, we’ve gone with the brand whose logo has a guy being eaten by a snake. No, I’m not making that up. Although, Alfa would tell you the logo represents “the man is being reborn from the mouth of the snake” or something like that. Cool little Alfa factoid aside, the Stelvio QV’s width measures 77 inches (or 1,955 mm) wide. Honestly, I was actually surprised by this one. I thought the Stelvio would be narrower than that.
1: The Polaris Slingshot
I’m going to let you in on a little secret. After the Stelvio, I was beginning to think I’d reached the end of my rope. I had pretty much exhausted all of my ideas for cars that could be wider than a Viper. Then I decided to head to track toys and or three-wheelers. Turns out the Polaris Slingshot of all things is wider (at the front end at least) than the Viper. I tried the KTM X-Bow but that didn’t work, the Mono is too small and Caterham? You can forget about them. Ariel wasn’t even on my mind until I just checked (to which we can put them safely in the “no” column as well). The Slingshot is 77.6 inches (or 1,971 mm) wide. Talk about having a big head on a small body.
That’s it! Thank you for reading. Tell me in the comments which one surprised you the most. As always, I hope you enjoyed, and see you soon.