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Lee Iacocca's very first Dodge Viper RT/10 nets $285,500 at auction

The first 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 to roll down the assembly line, which was snapped up by Chrysler chief Lee Iacocca, yesterday hammered at the Bonhams auction in Arizona for $285,500, more than double the pre-sale estimate. According to a history of the car published by the auction house, Iacocca, in his introduction of the Viper to the press, pointed to the car on stage and said, "This one right here is mine." That historic Viper, with serial number 001, has never been available on the open market, as Iacocca kept the car from new until he passed away last year. The car has been driven just 6,200 miles and was being sold by his estate. Other Lee Iacocca cars offered at the same sale fared less well. A 1986 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country convertible — the ultimate expression of Iacocca's company-saving K-cars — with 20,500 miles on it sold for $19,040. That's less than the $20,000 to $25,000 the auction house had estimated the car would bring. A third car from the former auto executive's estate was a customized 2009 Ford Mustang. The pony car was one of a limited run of 45 Iacocca-branded custom Mustangs, which were reworked by Metalcrafters and sold by Galpin Ford in Los Angeles. The Iacocca Mustang, never titled and with 220 miles on it, hammered for $49,280. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Lee Iacocca's 1992 Dodge Viper RT/10 View 13 Photos Celebrities Chrysler Dodge Auctions Automotive History

Dodge and Jeep recalling 895k SUVs for possibility of headliner fires

Dodge and Jeep are announcing recalls of a total of 895,000 Durango and Grand Cherokee models worldwide from the 2011 through 2014 model years. There's a possibility that the wiring in the sun visor can short circuit and cause a fire. It specifically affects vehicles built between January 5, 2010, and December 11, 2013, and there are approximately 651,000 of them in the US, 45,700 in Canada, 23,000 in Mexico and 175,000 outside of North America.
Screws that fasten the sunvisor to the headliner may pierce wires in the visor, if the part has been removed or serviced, potentially causing a fire risk. If the wires short circuit, they could overheat and potentially combust. The automakers report three injuries caused by this defect, and according to the investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, "there may be a total of 52 unique fire incidents."
To fix the problem, Dodge and Jeep will inspect the vehicles for suspect wiring, and all of the models, whether damaged or not, will get a new sun visor spacer with a wire guide to stop the possibility of short circuits. According to the automakers' announcement, "this condition is not present in vehicles which have not had the headliner or vanity mirror serviced." They will notify affected owners, and repairs will begin in August.

Old vs. New: 2014 SRT Viper takes on upgraded 16-year-old Dodge Viper

It's easy to play the "Would you rather have a New X or an Old Y with a bunch of upgrades?" game more often than we care to admit, but the crew at Car and Driver have taken bench racing to the next level with their latest video. In it, the magazine pits a brand-new 2014 SRT Viper against a highly modified 1997 Dodge Viper GTS. There are 16 years between the time this particular GTS rolled off the production line and when the new car bowed, but that doesn't mean the old snake's owners have been sitting on their hands.
Thanks to a spate of modifications, the GTS offers up a better power to weight ratio than the new machine, but is that enough to overcome the technological leap forward represented by the 2014 Viper? We won't spoil it for you. You'll just have to check out the full clip below for yourself.