A 1960's Viper What-If?

What if the concept for the Dodge Viper had been conceived and built in 1967? Rafael Reston thought the same way too.
The wordily-titled Dodge Viper Concept 1967 is an original project by Brazilian-born Reston, who proposes his vision of what the Dodge Viper could have looked like, if it had indeed been designed in the era of mini-skirts and mop-tops.

As Reston explains, "The design of the Viper Concept 1967 came from the idea of how the car would had been if it had appeared in the 60′s to compete with the Corvette of the time." Starting from that idea, he made an extensive research on materials and construction techniques of the 60s, and on the design trends of the time. Styling cues of the concept include curved surfaces, large circular headlamps, 15 inch rims and chromed trim. These were mixed with the typical design elements of the Dodge Viper we all know and fear, such as the curved roof, the side air vents and the overall proportions, with the huge dominating hood and the driver sitting almost on the rear axle.

In Rafael’s vision, the right engine for the Viper of the 1960s was "the 440ci Magnum V8 which was used in the Challenger R/T, but modified to gain some more HP, thus leaving aside the V10, which would, in my view, a bit impractical at the time of production. "
"Inside, I used a lot of chrome and leather, with mahogany wood on the steering wheel, while bearing in mind that the Viper would be primarily an emotional sportscar, not a luxury car. "

Rafael Reston, 29 years old is a Brazilian car and product designer, graduated in transportation design at FAAP (Faculdade Armando alvares penteado) in Sao Paulo, Brazil and currently living in Milan.
He has worked for RDAL (Renault Design America Latina), The Underground World, SpeedDesign and The OSD and is the author of the  book Do Sketch ao Concept, o basico do design automotivo.
More pics here.