Dodge Copperhead

The Dodge Copperhead is a concept car that was unveiled in 1997, with a production planned for release in the 2000 model year. The project was cancelled before reaching production, but the concept was still making appearances in 1999, as seen here at the Portland International Auto Show. The Copperhead was designed as a counterpart to the $75,000 Dodge Viper at a $30,000 price point. Measuring three inches narrower and eight inches shorter than the Viper, but with a foot-longer wheelbase, the rear-wheel-drive, two-seat roadster may have been inspired by the more expensive sports car, but was distinctly different. Among its unique features were cast aluminum wheels measuring 18 inches in diameter by 8 inches wide in the front and 20 inches in diameter by 9 inches in the rear, with tires with snakeskin tread, and color-shifting Copper Fire Orange paint. The powertrain, however, was less unique. The Copperhead was powered by a 2.7-liter, dual overhead cam, aluminum-block V6 engine with a close-ratio five-speed manual transmission. This LH engine was released to the public in the 1998 Dodge Intrepid, though in the case of the Copperhead, Dodge was able to increase the power by 20 horsepower for a total of 220 horsepower. While this was fairly impressive for a V6 at the time, it was still a far cry from the Viper’s powerful V10 engine. In price and power, the Copperhead would have been very similar to another Chrysler product, the Plymouth Prowler, despite sharing nothing in common. That could be one reason the Copperhead never reached production. The Copperhead’s legacy did live on, though: the Copper Fire Orange paint ended up being used on the Copperhead Edition of the Plymouth Prowler.