The Auto Writer

Adding insult to injury, Devon Motorworks appears to have made a $5.5 million offer for the Dodge Viper, well below the $10 million fire sale price that Chrysler LLC has reportedly been asking for its iconic sports car line. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Devon Motorworks is building its own supercar based on, you guessed it, the platform underpinning the Viper.

According to an article published in Wednesday’s issue of The Wall Street Journal,  Devon made a May 15th offer to purchase the Viper brand and to lease the Detroit assembly plant that builds the car until December. Devon must still demonstrate its financial wherewithal in order to have its bid considered but it isn’t known whether they have done so or not.

Lots Of Tire Kickers, No Serious Buyers

Chrysler LLC continues to insist that a number of parties have expressed interest in the Dodge Viper, but no one has approached the ten million dollar figure that Chrysler is asking.

Many automotive enthusiasts are stunned by the low asking price for the Viper, but given the current state of affairs for the global automotive industry it would seem that most automotive assets would fetch far less money today than they would have as recently as a year ago. That’s bad news for Ford which is trying to sell off Volvo and for GM who is looking to sell off Saab, Hummer and Saturn while finding an investor for Opel.

Devon GTX To Tackle “The Ring”

Scott Devon created Devon Motorworks which hopes to release the Devon GTX in the near future. Designed by Daniel Paulin, a Swedish automotive designer whose clients include Hyundai, Tata Motors and Volvo Trucks, the GTX will attempt to break the world lap record at the famous Nürburgring “The Ring” track in Germany this July. Le Mans, European FIA and GT2 World Champion and Trans-Am winner Justin Bell will be behind the wheel of the GTX when it makes its way around the German track.

Scott Devon, the owner of Devon Motorworks, also owns Cole’s Quality Foods Inc., a company who makes frozen breads, cheesticks, pizza sticks and bread sticks.  In addition, Devon Motorworks produces an electric bike that comes with a portable battery pack and can travel as fast as 60 mph.

Chrysler LLC is expected to emerge from bankruptcy within the next few days which means that its business will be sold to a group of automotive investors led by Italy’s Fiat SpA group.  It’ll be up to them to decide what to do with the Viper, but my thinking is that the company which builds Ferrari, Maserati and Alfa Romeo performance cars may still see some value in keeping the Viper within the Dodge fold.