For those that love the Dodge Viper super car, you might be distressed to hear that the automobile will be ending production during the 2017 model year.  The reasons for the stopped production can be seen below, but 2017 will bring about five special editions of the car. 

According to the Detroit Free Press, the FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) said it will start producing the 2017 model year versions at its plant later this year and will continue building them into next year until the model year "runs its course". 

The Viper is one of those cars that has a huge reputation.  Part of it is its curvaceous styling as well as its powered by a 8.4-liter , V10 engine the can produce 645 horsepower.  Another part is that it is difficult to control on the road, which makes it coveted by racecar drivers, but perhaps not for the typical driver. 

Bill White, the president of Viper Club of America, has stated that a Viper owner is "a very unique individual", and when the drivers, who are usually baby boomers, let the car get away from them, it is called a "snake bite".  It goes without saying that he is very broken up about the discontinuation of the brand. 

This Viper brand began in 1992, which means that it is on the verge of its 25^th anniversary.  There will be five limited edition models in order to commemorate this quarter-century milestone, not to mention the fact that it is leaving the market. 

As of Friday, June 24, customers can begin ordering special edition Vipers which include the following. Their formal release date is not yet known.  

The Viper Snakeskin Edition GTC has a new Snakeskin Green exterior with a snakeskin SRT stripe that is custom made and patterned, with production of 25 cars.

The Viper 1:28 Edition ACR, an edition that is an homage to the current production car single lap record of 1:28.65 set by champion driver Randy Pobst, and there will only be 28 of these cars made. 

The Viper VooDoo II Edition ACR, which is modeled after the original 2010 Viper VooDoo, will have a black exterior and graphite metallic ACR driver's stripe, with about 31 made. 

The Viper GTS-R Commemorative Edition ACR is made to be an homage to one of the most distinguishable and iconic Viper paint schemes of all time, a white and blue combination of the 1998 Viper GST-R GT Championship Edition.  Production will also be limited to 100 cars. 

Then there is the Dodge Dealer Edition ACR, which only available through Dodge's highest sales volume Viper dealers.  There isn't any word how many will be there. 

There was a time when Viper faced tough times before, like in 2010, when the Great Recession caused the automaker to file Chapter 11, but it rose from the grave about three years later.  FCA overhauled its 400,000 square foot Conner Avenue Assembly plant, but the sales of the Viper only reached 1,500 units per year.  Dropping the price by $15,000 and creating a website to buy a Viper of any color, wheel, and other features didn't help either.