The Baffling Reason First-Gen Dodge Vipers Don't Have Cup Holders

The first-gen Dodge Viper unveiled in 1992 was typically a V10 engine with two seats and a svelte body. It has no side windows or a roof to shield you from the sun and rain, and you better pray for clear weather since early Vipers had no traction control or anti-lock brakes.

However, it had a magnificent V10 engine, and Italian automaker Lamborghini had a hand in making the Viper's V10 engine one for the books. Cranking out 400 horsepower and 450 pound-feet of torque from 8.0 liters of displacement, the Viper could go from zero to 60 mph in 4.4 seconds and finish the quarter-mile in 13.1 seconds, unbelievable numbers from an early 90s sports car.

But when the fun is over, and you want to relax on the drive home, remember that the first-gen Viper had no air-conditioning, no outside door handles, and no cupholders to catch your drink. While the A/C and door handle issues came from a desire to shed weight, the absence of cupholders in a Dodge Viper has a fascinating story.

In a YouTube video by Four Eyes, the reason for the Viper's lack of cupholders was revealed by no other than Roy Sjoberg, the chief engineer for the Viper team from 1988 to 1997. As it turns out, the Viper development team didn't forget to add cupholders, but the big boss at that time, Chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca, had an axe to grind with the kind folks at Road & Track.

"Because Iacocca hated Road & Track that gave Chrysler the world-renowned 'Cup Holder Award,'" said Sjoberg. "Not for chassis, not for, you know, styling. Just the cupholder. Iacocca wasn't really happy about that, and he wanted more significant awards than for a good cup holder."

Chrysler invented the minivan in 1983 with the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager, and it went on to design the cup holder we know today, which came standard on both vans. It may sound silly that the Viper didn't have cup holders out of spite, but it is what it is.