Dodge Venom Is a Futuristic $20,000 Budget Viper Concept from 1994

Since every hardcore Dodge model has some sting in its bite, the name "Venom" gets tossed around a lot. I think Hennessey used to make a custom Viper kit under that title.

Dodge will probably hate us for sharing this concept, but we think it's interesting to highlight how creative and bold the company was about two decades ago. The 1990s were dominated by the funky-looking and relatively affordable Japanese imports, and this must have been designed as a rival.

The Venom has the same bold styling as the first Viper supercar. However, there's one noticeable difference, and that's the "Cab-Forward" design, which was relatively fresh at the time. The bubble roof was right in the middle of the car, and the sharp vents or chromed wheels remind us of Mitsubishi's 3000GT.

The concept was shown in 1994 at the Chicago Auto Show. To put that into context, "I Will Always Love You" by Whitney Houston must have been the No.1 single at the time. This was way before modern internet, which explains why literally nobody remembers this concept or how difficult it was to find even a few photos.

It's believed that the Venom was based on the Dodge Neon platform, but made much longer and switched to RWD. Like seemingly every concept or production car of that era, it came with an Intrepid engine, aka a simple 3.5-liter V6. However, it did have more power, up from 215 to 245 hp and 221 lb-ft, enough to supposedly hit 60 in 5.2 seconds.

The concept measured 183 inches from bumper to bumper and was 75 inches wide, so about the size of today's Mercedes CLA-Class.

At the time, Dodge believed it could put the Venom into production and charge anywhere between $9,000 and $13,000. Things were way cheaper back then, but even if you adjust for inflation, the baby supercar would cost no more than $23,000 in today's money.