Dr. Kenneth Krieger says he has been involved in the collector vehicle hobby for about 30 years… his first car being a ’66 Comet Cyclone GT, purchased in 1968.  From the moment he acquired that vehicle, his passion for cars grew, and more and more cars were purchased. 

So just how many old cars has Kenneth had throughout the years?

Laughing, he says, “Wow.”

“About 20,” Kenneth remarks.

His collection has ranged from a ’69 AMX to a ’67 Dodge Dart GT, a ’69 Dodge Super Bee and a ’75 Corvette… He says the list goes on.

But, in recent years, Kenneth fell in love with the Dodge Viper.

He says that he first laid eyes on it, at the Phoenix "Auto Show," in 1990.  The Viper was a featured concept car, and Kenneth knew that if it was ever produced, he’d have to have one for himself.  Little did he know that, 10 years later, his wish would come true.

The Viper, a modern take on the classic American muscle car, hit the production lines in 1992.  It is said to be the most powerful production car created by Dodge, and three generations of the vehicle have been produced since the early ‘90s: the Viper RT/10 (1992-1995), second-generation Viper RT/10, GTS (1996-2002) and, lastly, the most recent version, the Viper SRT/10 (2003-present).

Kenneth has been fortunate enough to own Vipers of two different generations, although he might beg to differ on using the word ‘fortunate’---

Recently, his 1994 Viper RT/10, which he purchased in 2000, was involved in an accident that resulted in the total loss of his vehicle:

"A repair facility technician drove my car on a ‘test run’ after installing new front rotors," explained Kenneth. Unfortunately, he drove haphazardly and ended up running the car off the frontage road on I-17 and, then, into the desert at 65 or 70mph, over boulders and into a tree, coming to rest 261feet later.

It happened when the tech attempted to shift hard and fast from second to third gear, and shifted back into first gear. Obviously, they didn’t know how to handle 700hp and were totally negligent with this pristine automobile.”

But, as it is said:

When one door closes, another one opens. 

Kenneth’s new door was attached to a 2005 SRT/10 Viper (commemorative edition; pictured above.)  He has owned the car for a couple weeks, now, and already has big plans, including going to the Historic Route 66 Fun Run, this weekend.

Grundy Worldwide wishes Dr. Krieger the best of times with his new ride!

Story by: Becky McLaughlin