by Mike –

The Chevrolet Corvette can make a legitimate claim to be America’s favorite sports car. On the other hand Carroll Shelby was involved with the Viper – one of the most important people in the American car world.

Yet, the Viper is not quite as popular as the Corvette. Jason Lancaster gives us some reasons why.

Text by Jason Lancaster and photos by Mike Gulett

The Corvette and the Viper share so many of the same major characteristics — they’re both beefy, two seater, high-horsepower American supercars, so why do people choose the Corvette far more often than the Viper? The answer is somewhat complicated and layered.

Before you analyze the differences of the two models, it’s important to remember that the Corvette and Viper should be in the same class.

Each model is the most powerful offered by their respective manufacturer. Both models only seat two passengers, they’re both quite large, have high horsepower output, and large engines.

When it comes to the differences, let’s jump right in and state the obvious — the Viper is a much more expensive car than the Corvette. At any given time, a Corvette year model versus the same year model Viper might of been as much as $40,000 (or more!) cheaper than the comparable model.

As far as power and speed goes, that history is a little rocky. You’d be hard pressed to find an officially documented race where a Viper wiped the floor with a Corvette — in many cases, you’ll find quite the opposite. For people who pay the premium to own the Viper, that’s pretty painful.

Another notable difference is how drivers feel about the Viper versus the Corvette. The Viper has always been thought of as a very impractical vehicle, while the Corvette is quiet the opposite. Obviously, neither vehicle is equipped to tote around a family or haul around hunting equipment, the Corvette does go above and beyond in the areas of storage and utility when it comes to passenger comforts of a two-seater.

The cabin of the Corvette is much more comfortable (something Viper owners have always complained about) and the trunk is even made for a considerable amount of storage. Many people also complain about the quality of the interior of the Viper, noting that most of the components are cheaply made – the Corvette has never had such quality issues.

Chevy also seems to know how to handle the Corvette marketing and have made into more of a “everyman’s” car instead of some unattainable status car. The Corvette brand has never really “gone after” the more exotic sports cars in their design or the way the car has been marketed — even though many still do prefer the Corvette over the exotics with similar power and speed.

A common feeling amongst auto enthusiasts is that the biggest difference between the two is identity. The Corvette is a top of the line American made sports car — and so is the Viper, but that’s not how it’s marketed. Viper marketing has always tried to talk us into forgetting that the car is an American powerhouse, and acting as if it is an exotic like the Lamborghini or Ferrari.

Since it’s always been competing to get into the exotic market, the Viper has always had a touch of snobbery in the design. It has never really been made to please the driver, but lacks the prestige of the world class exotics. Simple design changes and options like offering an interior for smaller drivers or having an optional automatic model may have made the Viper a more relatable car.

Although the Viper seems more like a wayward evil twin, it’s still not a car to scoff at. The Viper was designed to be different, and it always has been — it’s one of those cars you will always be able to pick out in a sea of traffic, and even non-car people know a Viper when they see one.

Although it’s not practical or relatable, as a car person, you have to at least respect the innovation and let’s face it, it’s the only American car in which you can find a V10 engine, and that’s plenty enough reason to like it for most…just not enough to win over Corvette drivers.

Let us know what you think about the Viper and the Corvette in the Comments.

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Author Jason Lancaster works with AccurateAutoAdvice.com, a site that offers timely and helpful advice for car owners.