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Chrysler Gives Schools Two-Week Deadline To Crush Donated Vipers
Imagine getting something really badass that you, and everyone that you know, absolutely love. Now, imagine receiving a letter from the people that gave you said badass thing, saying that you have to destroy it, and if you don’t, they will personally take it from you and savagely wreck it themselves.
Sounds pretty shitty, doesn’t it? Well it’s a Dubai-esque dick move that Chrysler is pulling on a whole bunch of schools around the nation.
According to The Seattle Times, automotive professors and students at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) were just notified that they have two weeks to destroy the ’92 Dodge Viper SRT which was donated to the school by the Chrysler Group. The ’92 SRT is just one of 93 donated Vipers which Chrysler will oversee the smashing of.
Apparently two educational Vipers “got loose” and were involved in accidents that cost Fiat, Chrysler’s parent company, millions of dollars, so now they’re pulling the plug on the whole program.
This is why we can’t have nice things.
If you’re wondering whether or not Chrysler is able to do this, the answer is yes, they can. It’s written in the contract that if the company orders the vehicles to be destroyed, the vehicles must be destroyed.
SPSCC’s prized ’92 Dodge Viper SRT
I’m sure that there are a lot of schools sad about forfeiting their Vipers, but there’s a damn good chance that no one is as butt hurt as the professors and students at SPSCC. Norm Chapman, the auto-technology professor at the college, compared their Viper to a “family pet.” He said he still hasn’t been able to find the courage to make the call to smash it. That’s probably because he knows that the car is valued at a quarter-of-a-million dollars.
Probably the most depressing part of all of this is that The Seattle Times reported the students at the community college will be “washing and preparing” the Viper before it hits the crusher. Hearing that, I can’t help but picture a bunch of puffy-eyed students hugging the car and using tear-soaked rags to buff out all of the little scratches and imperfections while listening to Sarah McLachlan’s “In the Arms of an Angel.”
Whether the school takes it to that level is still unknown, but the fact is that tears will be spilt, and Chrysler could not give two shits about it. If they were smart, they would just take the Vipers back from the schools and sell them all. Guaranteed that if the other 92 donated Vipers are worth even a fraction as much as the one at SPSCC, Fiat could easily make their money back.
Instead, it seems that they would rather sit back and laugh as they literally crush the dreams of students around the nation.
[UPDATE] Chrysler just released a statement about their decision to send the 93 Vipers to the crusher, and as expected, it makes absolutely no sense at all. Here’s what they said:
About 10 years ago, Chrysler Group donated a number of Dodge Viper vehicles to various trade schools for educational purposes. As part of the donation process, it is routine, standard procedure — and stipulated in our agreements — that whenever vehicles are donated to institutions for education purposes that they are to be destroyed when they are no longer needed for their intended educational purposes.
With advancements in automotive technology over the past decade, it is unlikely that these vehicles offer any educational value to students.
I understand where Chrysler is coming from here, but still, taking away these 93 Vipers and destroying them seems pretty pointless. The story in The Seattle Times just goes to show how much these vehicles mean to some people, so why not just let the schools keep them? It’s a win-win situation. SPSCC gets to keep their “family pet” and Chrysler doesn’t have to bother with the costs of crushing these iconic cars.
The lack of educational value of these Vipers is completely irrelevant when you consider the fact that their sentimental value is, undoubtedly, still intact.
If the words Aerostar, Windstar and Freestar mean anything to you, you know that Ford is responsible for some of the best minivans ever made. Beginning with the first model Aerostar in 1986, Ford’s snub-nosed minivan set the standard of what would be created by automotive manufacturers in this class for decades.
The Aerostar was also the first minivan in the United States to feature upgraded, luxury packages. With an XLT package, and Eddie Bauer trim levels, the Ford Aerostar allowed drivers to bring passengers, cargo and more in style. For the first time, drivers could take advantage of the versatile and reliable minivan platform, without sacrificing comfort and convenience.
Does Ford Still Make a Minivan?
The Aerostar continued in the mid-90s as the Ford Windstar. The Windstar was a complete reinvention, shifting the drivetrain from RWD to FWD, and bringing the flagship minivan more in line with current minivan design. The Windstar became the Freestar in the early 2000s, lasting until the 2007 model year, with the final Ford “Star line” minivan rolling off the assembly line in December of 2006.
While we don’t know for sure what was behind Ford’s decision to discontinue their family-marketed minivan, we can take a guess. For starters, Ford has extended their reputation for reliable cars and trucks into the crossover market. With options covering a wide range of size and seating configurations (everything from the subcompact Ford Ecosport to the boxy family hauler Ford Flex), crossovers have become the new favorite for family vehicles.
Ford’s versatile crossover line has a vehicle that can meet almost any need. Do you have a small family? Go with the popular 2018 Ford Escape. Big family with lots of stuff to haul? The 2018 Ford Expedition has your back.
Although crossovers and SUVs provide some distinct advantages (presence of AWD, higher ground clearance, and uni-body construction), the market for minivans hasn’t completely died, and neither has Ford’s commitment to providing drivers with a competent and compelling option.
Good News: Ford Still Makes a Passenger Minivan
Although Ford’s marketing has shifted toward promoting their incredible range of crossovers and SUVs as family choices, they still offer a more traditional minivan in the Ford Transit Connect Passenger Wagon. Utilizing the same body construction as the Ford Transit cargo van, the Transit Connect Passenger Wagon features up to 7 seats, and plenty of standard safety and comfort technology.
Lower ride height (easier in and out), sliding doors and greater visibility are among the reasons people still prefer vans for transporting their families. Additionally, the more contoured shape of most crossovers (not looking at you, Ford Flex) means that vans provide better cargo room! Family of four traveling cross-state with three suitcases? A Ford Explorer should be a great option.
Family of six, with a dog and 10 bags going cross-country, however, and the Ford Transit Connect Passenger Wagon starts to look a lot more up to the job.
Ford has a sterling reputation across the spectrum of vehicles they manufacture. Although the Transit Connect Passenger Wagon isn’t among their more well-known, it’s among the most competent and best value options in the minivan class.
It was the crowning moment of the career of Nascar’s most popular driver. The 2004 Daytona 500. The chosen son, Dale Earnhardt Jr, had won the race that his father tragically died competing in only three years earlier.
Reports of the day say that everyone in the crowd was on their feet, cheering. Grown men were in tears. It was quite the moment, they say.
Well, I can tell you that there was at least one person that wasn’t cheering. That’s because I was that lone defector. (more…)
If you ever watched television for more than an hour at any time during the 90’s, you probably remember Chevy’s “Like a Rock” commercials. They aired on just about every channel, so they were pretty hard to miss—and pretty hard to forget as well. Even two decades later the sound of Bob Seger belting out those now-famous words is still shockingly memorable. (more…)
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infamous m.
Dec 1, 2014 at 10:30 am
For 2 incident we all pay… That’s the way the cookie crumbles.