Chrysler has ordered schools to destroy the Dodge Vipers it had donated some 10 years ago within two weeks, but has triggered an emotional debate on some web sites.
Chrysler, the American car maker, is breaking the hearts of several students and teachers as an order to destroy the classic Dodge Vipers comes into effect. The Vipers in question are the ones donated by the car maker about 20 years ago for educational purposes. Students were taught about car repair and engineering hands on. The destruction order came as a shocker to the students and the faculty at South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC).
According to Fox News, a Chrysler representative contacted the automotive technology department at the school and gave a deadline of two weeks to destroy the 1992 Dodge Viper. This particular model has created a buzz in the internet due to its significance. The sports car donated to the SPSCC is a unique model with a hard-top design, which wasn't mass produced until the 1996 model. It bears stock emission controls, speed limiters, impressive power with an 8.0 liter V10 engine, and 400 horsepower. Unfortunately, the car's destruction is imminent, unless the car maker changes mind.
"Approximately 10 years ago, Chrysler Group donated a number of Dodge Viper vehicles to various trade schools for educational purposes," Chrysler said in a statement, according to CNN Money. "As part of the donation process, it is standard procedure -- and stipulated in our agreements -- that whenever vehicles are donated to institutions for education purposes that they are to be destroyed when they are no longer needed for their intended educational purposes."
The automobile company says it appreciates the historical significance of the Viper and actively preserves historical designs and models, but none of the donated vehicles fit into that category. According to media reports, Chrysler has ordered the destruction of 93 such models, but a spokesperson for the company told CNN Money that the number is lower than that.
Chrysler originally donated the 1992 Dodge Viper to Shoreline Community College, but SPSCC brought it in for educational training in 2007. According to the school's spokeswoman Kellie Purce Braseth, the car's estimated value is $250,000. That is without investigating the pristine condition or the history of the car. But the decision is already made and the school will abide by it within the given deadline.
Though, the school is not fighting Chrysler's decision, it is doing everything to preserve the coveted piece. Students started a petition to save the remaining models of the donated cars and are short of about 150 signatures to reach the pledged goal.
