1997 Dodge Copperhead Never Seen The Light Of The Day

In 1997, Dodge unveiled the Copperhead at the Detroit car show. The Detroit exhibition meant a lot back then, and Chrysler put so much work into their concept cars. Many of them even went into manufacturing all, the Copperhead debuted alongside the then-new Plymouth Prowler, which had been a concept since 1993.

Copperhead is a fascinating creature. Classic sports car proportions—a long hood, a short back deck, and a little overhang—were combined with vintage detailing. It's a little extravagant, but this is a Dodge concept car. 
It was inspired by the Austin-Healey 3000, whilst the Mazda Miata was inspired by compact English roadsters.

 
1997 Dodge Copperhead was powered by six cylinders, just like the classic "Big Healey." The 2.7-liter DOHC V-6 engine was stolen from the second-generation Dodge Intrepid, which debuted at the same auto show. The Copperhead was a one-of-a-kind vehicle. The car made its premiere with no stated intention of going into production, although R&T's Ken Zino predicted it would follow the Viper into existence.

If the 1977 Copperhead had been produced, it would have been positioned just above the Plymouth Prowler but much below the $67,000 Viper at that time.

So, how come the Copperhead didn't make it? "Corporate strategists were focused on faster-developing market sectors at the time, especially sport utility vehicles," Dodge's official blog stated in 2012. Considering that Chrysler also had sports cars in the style of the Prowler and Viper, and desire for SUVs and pickups was booming, this is a pretty solid rationale. It's also important to mention that Chrysler combined with Mercedes's parent Daimler to form DaimlerChrysler around a year and a half after the Copperhead appeared.

Mercedes had its little two-seat roadster at the time, the SLK. One of the primary goals of a merger like DaimlerChrysler is to distribute production costs by sharing chassis and other essential parts. In that light, it's difficult to imagine management accepting a new six-cylinder roadster when the firm already produces one.

As a result, the Copperhead was never built, while the SLK's mechanicals was used in the Chrysler Crossfire, which was released in 2004. In 2005, Dodge released a Copperhead Edition Viper, which was limited to 300 automobiles and featured the same color scheme as the earlier design.

It would have competed with the Honda S2000 in terms of price and performance. However, it's difficult to envision the car achieving long-term success. Yes, the Miata sparked a roadster revival, but it was virtually completed by the end of the 1990s, and sports-car sales have begun to decline since then.