Hobbies

I. Collecting Money

I find money collecting a fascinating hobby. I am a passive numismatist for almost 14 years.
Since I’m not obsessed with completing collections, I am rather acquiring only those notes, which I find attractive and interesting. There are so many beautiful and interesting types of paper money available it seems foolish to buy something that doesn’t really impress you only to complete a set, which has probably been completed previously by hundreds of other collectors.
Collecting paper money, perhaps more than any other field of numismatics allows the collector to spread their wings and fly in any direction they choose.
Collecting paper money is not a very affordable, but an enjoyable hobby. Most of my paper money looks to me like works of art. Seeing the real thing is even more impressive.
As soon I manage to scan the whole collection I’ll post few articles dedicated to world coin collectors and world currency collectors.

II. Photography

Among my most passionate of interests is also photography. My first camera was a Pentax S4 and it wasn’t a lot of fun despite its fantastic design. It was not as clear as my new Kodak, and had a lot of trouble focusing in the dark.

Now I am very happy with a rare Kodak V 610, the only camera with 2 lenses (Schneider-Kreuznach) and an Olympus Pen PL1:

Sometimes also I am using my “old” Canon 350D.

III. Dodge Viper

I am no quite sure if being a Dodge Viper[1] enthusiast is a serious hobby, but I am sure that I will be a Viper fan for a long time.

For the first time I read about this bloody unbelievable V10 ripper in 1991, in an old Russian car magazine “За рулем”[2]. The picture you see below is 17 years old and still shows how modern Viper looks even in our days.

Dodge Viper 1989

During that time my colleagues from school thought I’m nuts, because such car would never become a production car and I will never ever own it. This article is actually not about how I became a Viper owner, because I didn’t, yet 😉 is just about how is like to be a Viper enthusiast in a country of former URSS. Anyway day by day I was drawing at the end of each copybook: Viper badges and different car models. Btw. at that time my classmates were drawing fancy Ladas and Volgas.

I became a real Viper enthusiast when I found in an antiques library a very rare color magazine from about 1992-1993 with a poster of a prototype version of Dodge Viper. Maybe this poster is the most expensive part of my Dodge Viper collection, because it was a limited edition of that magazine.

Speaking about the collection, a rare thing is also a Dodge badge from 1953 which is quite big and heavy (more than 1kg).

Of course the term “collection” is maybe not a convenient one, but I anyway I am convinced that there are not so many people in Moldova who are collecting articles from newspapers/magazines about Viper, or buying copybooks with Dodge Vipers, waiting for new models in the shops. Before 2000 was really difficult to find Dodge Viper model in the shops, so after visiting USA I became a truly owner of a Dodge Viper, I should be more explicitly, I became an owner of a Dodge Viper model at scale 1:18 😀 .

Why Dodge Viper? As Bud Liebler[3] said: “Just when you expect one thing, Viper does something different”. I really like Viper for its obscene performance, outrageous design and ultimate driver enjoyment. Viper is an ultimate automotive icon for extreme performance and extreme attitude.

There are few Viper types and as snakes are known to have huge appetites, same I can say about all the types, which have a preference for unusual dishes (like petrol;- ) ).

The first modification was RT/10 which was first put into production in 1992 and came in any color you wanted – as long as it was red 😉 . The engines were built by Arrow Racing in Detroit and not by the Mount Road Engine Plant. Mount Road Engine Plant didn’t start up until 1993. Maybe I am crazy, but sometime I think I know too many details about Vipers, that even true fans don’t know about them. For example, the ’92 model had a rear antenna and a notched body to access the fuel door. On later Vipers, it was the fuel door that was notched. Other interesting facts: The battery trunk-mounted, the right side-view mirror did not say “Objects are closer…blabla”. In addition the soft tops were made of vinyl, whereas later years were canvas.

In ’94, more additions were made to the color menu, which included yellow and green. Interior colors black and tan also were available. However, there were few other notable changes. Factory air conditioning was an option (order by the all owners, by the way 😉 ).

The beloved RT/10 achieved near perfection in 1995. Many body-panel rivets went away.

In 1995, a hard top version came into being and the sidepipes were retired, with “Last 300 Sidepipe edition” stamped on the final-built cars. Sidepipes were gone, favoring the Euro-spec rear exhaust.

In 1996, several obvious changes occurred for the RT/10. White and red/yellow combination were added as exterior colors and narrow, saber-tipped stripes became standard equipment. The 1996 model, therefore, was rated at 415hp, as opposed to the 400hp on the ’92-’95 models.

In May 1996, the GTS made its debut as the Official Pace Car for the Indianapolis 500. And here comes and interesting story. During my exchange program in Indianapolis (March-May 2000) I thought I will see tons of Viper, buts…I have managed to make 0,00 photos with a Dodge Viper. Even in the Indy 500 Hall of Fame there were no real 1:1 Vipers, because they are keeping in the museum only old models and the actual pace car, in the 2000 it was the last production model from Oldsmobile – Bravada. Being so angry I bought the whole history book of Indy 500 for only 29,99 $, because of only 2 pages!, on which of course was the Official Pace Car of Indy 500, 1996 – the Dodge Viper GTS and after that, giving the rest of the book to some guardian 🙂 .

The GTS was such a total departure from the RT/10 the difference are too numerous to mention on the blog. The V-10 engine was virtually new from the block up, featuring less weight and 450 hp at its heart. Another innovation was the adjustable pedal setup, which made driving a Viper much easier for people of all sizes.

The next year, in 1997, red became a GTS option and a passenger-side airbag switch became standard. To make for easier production alignment, the white stripes were set wider apart and skipped the license plate wells.

During the year 1997 a great new was also the “al new” RT/10. Electric window and locks now appeared on the roadster, along with the 450 hp GTS engine. Unfortunately, due to some supply headaches, only 117 RT/10 were produces that year. All blue RT/10s (except one 😉 ) had white stripes.

The 1998 production year was significant for the production of the GT-2, badged as a GTS-R replica. Dodge produced 100 of these to commemorate the 1997 FIA-GT drivers and manufacturers championship. The GT-2s were white with blue stripes and were outfitted with a GTS-R carbon wing, aero-splitters, BBS wheels, and ORECA-logo interior. Special hoses and filters added another 10 hp.

An interesting fact is that each GT-2 was actually photographed during its 18 assembly stages. Then the photos were included along the owner’s manual.

The biggest news for 1999 was the introduction of the Viper known as the ACR, built specifically for club racing. Dodge built 217 ACR versions of the GTS, complete with smooth intake hoses and K+N air filters. The three-way adjustable KONI shocks controlled the 18-inch BBS wheels, and special ACR badging and harnesses rounded out this 10.000$ option.

During the year 2001 Vipers got a three channel ABS. Sexy new yellow and sapphire-blue exteriors were available.

Also in April 2001 I got as present from my cousin – my first VIPER magazine – a quarterly magazine for Dodge Viper enthusiasts.

The most recent Viper model is the 2008 SRT10ACR which was presented in Los Angeles. This model is a product of SRT (Street and Racing Technology) of Chrysler Company. This snake again is equipped with V-10 engine, this time increased to 8.4 liters, which “offers” 442kW (600 hp). In comparison with the standard SRT10, the ACR version is 36kg lighter.

Despite the fact that I have seen “only” 5 Vipers:

1 RT/10, 1 RT/10 fully from carbon fiber, 700 hp:

3 new SRT 10:

and 1 fake Viper, however I have no clue how is like to drive one 🙁 .

It’s a little bit difficult to stop a Viper in Prague and to convince the owner that I am a Viper enthusiast and I want to drive it 🙂 .

Hopefully one time I will meet a Viper owner with a nice soul ;-). If not, it’s time to finish my PhD studies as fast as possible in order to find a prosperous job offering enough financial sources to buy a Viper …

Happy end.

Gallery: