Mopar to Trick Out New 2013 SRT Viper and Wrangler Hemi V8 4x4 for SEMA

The performance crew over at Mopar may have revealed a selection of customized cars such as the V10-powered Dodge Charger Juiced, the Fiat 500 Beach Cruiser and the Urban Ram concepts in the flesh and in advance of the SEMA Show on October 30, but the Chrysler Group's tuning arm is keeping several more projects under wraps.

Among the dozen or so SEMA show-bound Chrysler cars that have no yet been unveiled in the flesh are the "Moparized" 2013 SRT Viper and the Jeep Wrangler Sand Trooper, both of which were teased through renderings.

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Hennessey Plans to Inject Some Powerful Venom to 2013 SRT Viper

Leave it to Hennessey Performance to take an already viciously powerful sports car like the brand-new 2013 SRT Viper and tune it to the extreme.

As with any other proposal from Hennessey, it all starts with a heavy tuning of the SRT Viper's 8.4-liter V10 engine, which in stock form, delivers 640 horsepower and 600 lb.-ft. of torque to the rear wheels via a 6speed manual gearbox.

Hennessey will offer two performance packages for Chrysler's finest sports car.

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Chrysler Group Preparing More Than 20 Mopar Concepts for SEMA Show

There is no other better place in the world for Chrysler's official tuning arm Mopar to display its goods than the automotive aftermarket bonanza that is the annual SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

At this year's event, which runs from October 30 to November 2, the company plans to bring more than 20 new Moparized Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat and SRT vehicles.

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Chrysler Group Rumored to Replace Challenger with Smaller and Lighter SRT Barracuda in 2015

Even before the SRT brand was formed as a separate entity, then Dodge boss Ralph Gilles was already thinking about how to revive the legendary Plymouth Barracuda.

At the 2010 SEMA show, Gilles had told reporters that “there’s a lot of pressure to bring the ‘Cuda back; the customers have been stomping their feet for it.”

Now, Car & Driver reports that the Barracuda will indeed make a comeback. It says Chrysler Group plans to replace the Challenger in 2015 and join the Viper in SRT’s expanding range.

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Only About 5 Percent of all Chrysler U.S. Dealers to Sell New 2013 SRT Viper, Each will be Charged $25k

As the Chrysler Group's undisputed "halo" car, one would believe that the Detroit-based carmaker would want most of its U.S. dealers to be able to show and sell the new 2013 SRT Viper, but that's not the case.

An Autonews report back in July, quoted Ralph Gilles, CEO of the SRT brand, saying that around 15 to 20 percent (or roughly 340 to 460 showrooms) of Chrysler's more than 2,300 U.S. dealers will carry the V10-powered sports car, but according to USA Today, Gilles has now lowered that number even more to only about 100 to 150 shops or 4-6%.

Gilles told the newspaper that the No. 1 requirement, "Is first of all, to have the fire, the passion. That's the unofficial requirement -- that you have a love affair with the cars and you just love fast cars."

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Growling Sounds and Sights of the 2013 SRT Viper on the Track

Overcoming many difficult situations over the past few years headlined by a bankruptcy procedure and a change of ownership, the Chrysler Group managed to develop and introduce the third iteration of its famed Viper supercar that will now be marketed under the SRT brand nameplate.

As it prepares for a mid-November launch, the automaker invited members of the motoring press to try out the potency of the venom produced by the new Viper's uprated 8.4-liter V10 powerplant at the Gingerman Speedway in South Haven, Michigan.

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