“Knight Rider” isn’t the only show that made a car famous. In the 90s, another show called “Viper” came out and now one of its cars is up for sale on Bring a Trailer website.
“Viper”, a TV show set in the near future of the early 1990s, follows a team of crime-fighters from Metro City, California. This special task force drives around an advanced vehicle named the Defender that looks just like a Dodge Viper car. “Viper” originally aired on NBC in 1994 and was rerun on other channels until 1999.
The Defender was created by Chrysler. It takes a rebuilt 1993 Dodge Viper RT/10 base, changed the engine to an 360-cubic-inch Chrysler V-8 and connected it with a Chrysler 727 3-speed automatic transmission to power the rear wheels. The steering, brakes and suspension are also from the original Viper car parts according to the auction listing.
The driver sees three circular gauges, a speedometer that goes up to 180 miles an hour, a tachometer (which is used to measure the speed of an engine) and a “crosshair sight” pretend. There are also three screens next to it that show not-real pictures of vehicle information. The two seats inside have gray leather covers but there’s no seat belts or climate control. If you want some fresh air, you can take off the windows which are attached with something called Velcro.
This car was one of 14 built for a show called “Viper” and it has been used for filming scenes and media purposes like getting interviewed instead of stunts. The car has been inactive since the finish of filming and it has only 190 miles on it. Since this car was only meant to be a prop, it doesn’t have its own VIN or title and can’t be registered to drive out on public roads. The seller is providing a bill of sale that states the person buying it won’t use it on any public roads.
The “Defender” car from the show “Viper” might not be as famous as the “Knight Rider” or the “A-Team” van, however people who remember it will be excited to know that one of these cars still exists.