A crowdfunded Viper has gone quite quickly at the Ring

If you’re bored of Nürburgring records, you might want to move along and read a different story. But before you do, this one’s different, because there’s plenty of underdog spirit about it.

Keen for the Dodge Viper to end production on a blaze of glory, members of the owners’ association set up a crowdfunding page to make a ‘Ring record attempt happen. And they picked the mad, end-of-line 645bhp Dodge Viper ACR for the job.

The spoiler alert is that no record was gained, unless you go into pedantic sub-classes of manual rear-wheel-drive coupes with V8s, or suchlike. But a 7m 01.3s lap means the ACR got within four seconds of the tech-rich, all-wheel-drive Porsche 918 Spyder and nine seconds of the aero-rich, also all-wheel-drive Lamborghini Huracan Performante.

Two Vipers were used for the record, but sadly one of them crashed out – with no one hurt, thankfully – before the seven-minute barrier could be limboed under.

Of course the world of ‘Ring times is infamously murky, with the lack of rules, regulations and governing body. So it’s fun to celebrate a car where we don’t have to argue about the merits of its actual victory, and instead focus on a moral victory.

Are we right: is an owners’ club raising a bit of cash and setting up their own record attempt easier to get behind than a manufacturer taking along lorry-loads of support or even developing their own tyre to take ‘Ring victory?

Watch Chris Harris drive the Dodge Viper ACR here