SRT Viper vs. Maserati Alfieri – Friends… Or Family? Overlay Transparency Analysis

SRT Viper vs. Maserati Alfieri – Friends… Or Family? Overlay Transparency Analysis

A possible Alfieri-Viper connection has been nagging me since the similarities first appeared about a week after the Alfieri debuted in Geneva.

Why did (and does) it seem so close to the Viper, without sharing almost anything recognizable — anywhere?

Something about the overdrawn features and super-curved surfaces just strikes me as very similar between the two. But am I just speculating wildly (again)?

Besides that, the rear ends seem quite familiar – with similar venting below each lamp and even a similar hatchback glass liftgate.

But every time I lined the two cars up, there did not seem to be anything there.

Luckily, we have a huge collection of Viper photos to select among – and a good amount of the Alfieri now exist since the car was shown at the Villa d’Este Concours and Goodwood Festival of Speed since Geneva in March.

FRIENDS… OR FAMILY?

There is nothing in any official Maserati materials that would point to:

— a Viper connection

— any shared platform, materials, ideas, etc.

But with the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles group integrating more and more projects, like the Maserati Levante SUV that is lightly based on the Jeep Grand Cherokee, it seems like a natural synergy for Maserati to use some Viper elements.

We have longed for an automatic Hemi V8 Viper for years – and even more so since the new model went far upmarket with a $120,000 ballpark pricing with a few interior options.

WHY DOES IT MATTER?

It does not really matter. As discussed above, if there is sharing in the plan for Viper and a Maserati Coupe, more power to them.

The Viper is a solid performance platform in need of 24-months more development. Maserati could even feed back some knowledge into the Viper for 2016 or 2017 if they were feeling helpful.

Lord knows, Ferrari is loathe to share anything (at all) with the SRT Viper project. Note the plate on this Chrysler demo car, in red.

SO – ARE THEY RELATED?

After lining up the images and doing transparency tests in the profile angle, we have about 90-percent certainty that *some part* of the Alfieri might be a Viper under the skin.

The Alfieri and Viper, most tellingly, share a wheelbase.

But, they do not share other hard points like the door cut, a-pillar location, or windshield rake. The Alfieri is also a bit chubbier in the back glass area, but the length and widths of the car do seem to be near-identical.

OKAY. SO WHAT?

So they are related, let’s assume. So what?

Just happy to put my mind to rest about whether there is any bond between the two cars. The Alfieri is mostly a styling buck and concept celebration for the Maserati 100th anniversary celebrations, anyway.

So it is not a big deal, of course, for the two cars to share some fundamental pieces. The Alfieri concept could be based on a rolling wheel-barrow for as much work-out as many concept cars get, so it truly is irrelevant.

PRODUCT PLAN AND ROADMAP

Will a Viper-based Maserati be in the pipeline? That remains unknown. But we’d hunch that there is. Or maybe two: a short two-seater and a stretched 2+2. This would mirror the approach taken with the 300-based Ghibli and Quattroporte.

But as those two luxury sales hits have shown, if the overhaul is deep enough, and includes Italian engines…. buyers are willing to overlook even the most work-man-like chassis roots.

 

Drafts Gallery

Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.

He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.

Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.

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