Yes, you read the title correctly. If you haven’t heard already, then we’ll fill you in. According to a Mar. 4 article from theolympian.com, Fiat was forced to pay millions towards the families of a few students who were in accidents while driving Vipers that Chrysler had donated to schools for educational purposes years ago.
This resulted in the company’s decision to no longer be held accountable for student injuries and to crush 93 donated Vipers around the United States. According to the same article, any school with a donated Viper received a letter to have the vehicle crushed within two weeks.
“It’s like the day Kennedy was shot, no one will forget where they were when they heard the news,” Norm Chapman, automotive technology professor at South Puget Sound Community College, told The Olympian.
Every school that received a donated car from the company had entered into a written agreement that if Chrysler demanded the vehicle be crushed, then the school would have to comply. It’s not uncommon that automotive manufacturers donate vehicles to schools, but it’s not often that they demand for them to be crushed.
Yes, the Viper is a powerful and exciting supercar, but is it really to blame for the mistakes of a few students? Is it right that other students lose the opportunity to work on such a renowned supercar? Watch YouTube user Shawn C.’s video of one of the Vipers meeting its end, and let us know what you think in the comments below.
[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jdp8auBPGp0″]
(Image Source: YouTube user Shawn C.)
(Source: The Olympian, MotorAuthority)
