The new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR (American Club Racer) has taken the performance car world by storm with its proven on-track prowess since being introduced earlier this year. Still, the Dodge/SRT team wanted validation that the new Viper ACR is indisputably “the ultimate street-legal race car.”

Beginning in October 2014, when development was in high gear, the new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR started its resetting of the record books by recording never-seen-before lap times at 13 tracks across the country, including world-famous Laguna Seca, Road Atlanta and Virginia International Raceway.

“The SCCA has certified that the new 2016 Dodge Viper ACR holds more track records than any other production car in the world,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands – Dodge, SRT, Chrysler and FIAT, FCA – North America. “We expected our new Viper ACR to be the fastest street-legal Viper track car ever. Now we know without a doubt that it is.”

The impressive run has all been accomplished in the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR with the Extreme Aero package, which delivers 1,700+ pounds of peak downforce at top speed through a massive adjustable dual-element carbon fiber rear wing, rear carbon fiber diffuser, unique SRT hood with removable louvers, detachable extension for the front splitter and additional dive planes.

Laguna Seca, Salinas, CA: 1:28.65 on 10/28/15 by R. Pobst

Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA: 1:26.54 on 10/11/15 by C. Winkler

Waterford Hills, Waterford, MI: 1:10.89 on 9/30/15 by C. Winkler

Nelson Ledges, Garrettsville, OH: 1:06.21 on 9/21/15 by C. Winkler

Motown Mile, Detroit, MI: 51.17 on 8/28/15 by C. Winkler

GingerMan Raceway, South Haven, MI: 1:31.91 on 8/27/15 by C. Winkler

Pittsburgh International Race Complex, New Alexandria, PA/North Track: 58.37 on 8/18/15 by C. Winkler

Grattan Raceway, Belding, MI: 1:22.09 on 5/19/15 by C. Winkler

Virginia International Raceway, Alton, VA/Grand Course: 2:40.02 on 4/23/15 by C. Winkler

Willow Springs Raceway, Rosamond, CA/Big Willow: 1:21.24 on 4/2/15 by C. Winkler

MotorSport Ranch, Cresson, TX: 1:16.98 on 2/25/15 by T. Kendall

Buttonwillow Raceway Park, Buttonwillow, CA: 1:47.70 on 1/21/15 by C. Winkler

Inde Motorsports Ranch, Wilcox, AZ/Configuration 4: 1:33.75 on 11/19/14 by C. Winkler

Dodge tapped its own SRT vehicle dynamics and development engineer Chris Winkler, aka “The Wolf,” to take the wheel of the ACR and he delivered, setting 11 of the 2016 Viper ACR’s 13 track records. Winkler is an accomplished SCCA champion who has more than 20 years of racing experience. For the past seven years, he has led the dynamic development of the Dodge Viper, putting his extensive talent to work in developing the flagship American-built supercar.

For consistency, at the historic Laguna Seca Raceway in Monterey, Dodge teamed with champion racecar driver Randy Pobst, who owns dozens of Laguna Raceway track records.

The result: Pobst ran the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR at Laguna to a new track record of 1:28:65. That record-setting time is 5.27 seconds faster than the previous-generation ACR’s track record at Laguna and 1.24 seconds faster than his previous Laguna track record in the Porsche 918 Spyder (1:28:65 vs 1:29.89). That’s the equivalent of 11 car lengths after just one lap at Laguna Seca.

Certified for public roads and engineered to wring every last hundredth of a second out of road course lap times, the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR combines the latest in aerodynamic, braking and tire technology – a recipe designed to carry on the ACR’s lap-time-busting reputation that has made it a legend on race tracks around the world.

The SRT engineering team that developed the 2016 Dodge Viper ACR is well-stocked with members who race their own cars, as well as learning from the factory-based racing Viper GTS-R that competed in the American Le Mans Series and IMSA United SportsCar Championship from 2012-2014, capturing the GTLM class driver and team championships in 2014. For the new Viper ACR, the team focused its efforts on three areas: aerodynamics, chassis and tires to maximize grip, producing never-seen-before handling capabilities and unprecedented lap times.

The 2016 Dodge Viper ACR sports a standard front splitter, dive planes and a 1,776 mm-wide adjustable, dual element rear wing, which is 54 percent larger (in top surface area) than the TA (Time Attack) 2.0 and helps to provide 1,101 pounds of downforce at 150 miles per hour (mph) and 1,533 pounds of downforce at 177 mph top speed.

The 2016 Viper’s available Extreme Aero Package produces the highest aerodynamic downforce of any production car. During on-track testing, SRT development engineers have experienced unprecedented downforce numbers of 1,200+ pounds at 150 mph and 1,700+ pounds at 177 mph top speed, along with 12 percent more downforce over the base ACR on straightaways and 21 percent more downforce during aggressive cornering.

The Extreme Aero Package includes a huge (1,876-mm wide) adjustable dual-element rear wing – which is 62 percent larger (in top surface area) than TA 2.0 – rear carbon fiber diffuser, unique SRT hood with removable louvers, detachable extension for the front splitter and four dive planes. The Extreme Aero rear wing, specifically designed for airflow around the Viper’s body, stands taller, sits further rearward and features unique end-plates and gurney lip to produce maximum downforce while minimizing straight line drag. The Extreme Aero Package delivers more than three times the downforce of the Viper TA 2.0 Package.

The rear carbon fiber diffuser extends forward of the rear axle. It includes six removable strake extensions, designed to rub against the track surface for increased straight-line stability and optimized downforce. Removable hood louvers over the front tires reduce air pressure in front wheel wells to provide additional downforce. The detachable front splitter extension and dive planes work with the rear aerodynamic treatment to provide outstanding grip and balanced performance on the track.