Developed in late-1988 at Chrysler's Advanced Design Studios, the Dodge Viper was first revealed to the public in concept form at Detroit's North American International Auto Show in 1989.

Unashamedly taking inspiration from Carroll Shelby's muscular Cobra Daytona, the Viper would exist on both road and racetrack; Chrysler approved a racing programme in 1995.

Based heavily on its road-going counterpart, the Chrysler Viper GTS-R was created by a select team of Chrysler factory engineers, working alongside expert Anglo-American suppliers including Caldwell Development, J&P Motorsport, Reynard Motorsport, Riley & Scott, and Roush Industries.

The first 13 cars were constructed at Chrysler's facility in Detroit, with the chassis numbered C9 and C10 delivered as rolling shells for completion at Oreca in France, according to Viper Racing History.

From 1998, cars were assembled and race prepared entirely at Oreca; Reynard fabricated the bodywork while the chassis were constructed in America...