Learn Why the Dodge Viper has a 10-cylinder engine
By Christopher R. Phillip V-8. V-8. V-8. If you’re a dyed-in-the-wool muscle car fanatic, there’s only one engine that floats your boat and that’s a V-8. Small Block. Big-block. Iron block. Aluminum block. As long as it has 8 cylinders, you’re in. So why did Dodge, known for iconic V-8s like the 426ci Hemi, outfit its Viper sports car with a V-10 engine? The answer is simpler than you think. First, let’s cover some basics. A V-8 engine has two banks of pistons, four to each side. A V-10? Five pistons to each side of the engine. Simple enough. In 1989, during the development of the Dodge Viper, Chrysler Corporation was already working on a cast-iron V-10 engine for the 1994 Dodge Ram. Chrysler also owned Lamborghini, known for its V-10 engine sports cars. According to multiple sources, Chrysler gave its cast-iron V-10 block to Lamborghini and asked its engineers to turn it into a brutal racecar engine. Guess what? They did.



