Chrysler Defends Its Decision to Destroy Donated Dodge Vipers

Chrysler Group LLC has defended its decision to order pre-production Dodge Vipers that it donated to trade schools to be destroyed, saying that the destruction of the sport cars was part of the initial agreement, according to The Detroit News.

The original story, which appeared in the Washington newspaper, The Olympian, claimed Chrysler was demanding 93 pre-production models would be destroyed, but the automaker said that number is a little too high.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles officials were quoted saying that approximately 35 vehicles will be crushed around the U.S., according to The Detroit News.

The Olympian story quoted a South Puget Sound Community College professor, claiming he was ordered by the automaker to destroy the $250,000 1992 Dodge Viper SRT "within two weeks."

"It's like the day Kennedy was shot," Norm Chapman said, according to the paper. "No one will forget where they were when they heard the news."

Chapman also said to an ABC new station that taking the car away is like "taking a family pet, putting it in front of the kids and destroying it."

A petition has been created to try saving the vehicles, which has received over 1,700 signatures, and a Twitter campaign has also been started as well. People have been using #savetheVipers from all around the world to help get their message across.

One Twitter user brought up a good point, saying General Motors is helping to rescue and restore Corvettes that fell into a sinkhole at its Kentucky museum, yet Chrysler is destroying Vipers voluntarily.

"About 10 years ago, Chrysler Group donated a number of Dodge Viper vehicles to various trade schools for educational purposes. As part of the donation process, it is routine, standard procedure, and stipulated in our agreements, that whenever vehicles are donated to institutions for education purposes that they are to be destroyed when they are no longer needed for their intended educational purposes," Chrysler said in a blog post this week. "With advancements in automotive technology over the past decade, it is unlikely that these vehicles offer any educational value to students."

As part of the original donation agreement, the Vipers aren't supposed to be driven. The automaker claims the donations have no historical value, according to The Detroit News.