Handmade cars are something special, and the Runge Veleno is very special indeed. The brainchild of Chris Runge, the Veleno is a former Dodge Viper that now has its own, custom body in a retro style. But what makes it more remarkable is that the Veleno has no paint on its body at all, as it is all crafted in bare aluminum.

It's an incredible work of art from a company that is famous for bare aluminum cars. Jay Leno was lucky enough to get a closer look and drive of this sports car, which harks back to the late 1890s and early 1900s. A time when craftsman would build incredible, one-off items.

The Veleno Started As A 2004 Dodge Viper SRT10

While the body is a bespoke design, the Runge Veleno started out life as a 2004 Dodge Viper SRT10 Roadster. Initially, a Chevrolet Corvette was considered. But the Viper made more sense due to its electronics and fitting the new body on the Viper platform. The donor car was an immaculate, 4,000 mile example of the Viper SRT10 which ensured that the basic underpinnings were in tip-top order. With the Viper inspired by 1960s sports cars, it was the perfect choice to mount this classic body.

What starts as flat sheets of aluminum becomes hand-crafted, pounded and shaped body panels smoothed out on an English Wheel. The aluminum is thick at 0.063, thicker than the likes of the first Lamborghini Miura. Which means the Veleno is quite sturdy. Despite that, Runge and his team were able to shave off 250 lbs over the fiberglass body of the Viper. Putting that car around the 3,200 lbs figure. While it is all hand-crafted, Runge was originally going to have the car 3D scanned and use technology to quicken the process.

But the scans sent to a designer in the UK simply wouldn’t work, and so Runge made the decision to go about the build the old-fashioned way. Runge created an aluminum tube buck, the inner skeleton of the car. He and his son then built the bodywork around that buck to create what we see in Leno’s garage. Over 5,000 man hours went into creating the Veleno’s body, around two to three weeks according to Runge. While the bodywork is all new, many of the mechanical components are still as they were on the Viper.

Stock V10 Viper Power Still Powers The Runge Veleno

The hood features a functional scoop to help supply as much air as possible to the power plant. And under the hood is that same V10 that the 2004 Viper had when Runge bought the car. The changes to the V10 engine bay are all external. With the engine itself cleaned up, the intake and valve covers polished up, and stainless steel headers added to the V10. A big plus was that Runge was able to retain the great serviceability of the Viper. Body panels like the wheel arches all come off to get to what you need. None of the functionality of the original Viper was lost.

There are few mechanical changes to the car. The brakes on the Veleno are also Viper, although they now hide behind custom wheels. These based on the Campagnolo style wheels but the size of them is the same as they were on the Viper. The exhaust itself is still stock, but Runge and his team have added full flow catalytic converters and stainless headers to it allowing the engine to breathe a little better. Retaining key mechanical components such as the brakes and engine means that when it comes to replacement parts, they will be easy to source.

The Veleno Leaves No Trace Of The 2004 Viper On Its Bodywork

Externally, the only feature retained from the Viper is the original windshield. There is nothing else on the bodywork that came from the original car. Equally inside, there is nothing at all that would giveaway that the Runge Veleno was once a Viper. The steering wheel and gated shifter are all custom, finished in black walnut, with the console and dash also custom designed for the car. The sports car now has its own, unique gauges, with a retro design. The original climate control and stereo system is also retained. Not that you would notice, and the only addition to the stereo is a hidden Bluetooth head unit.

This dedication to have nothing of the Viper even extends to the rear taillights, which Runge says come from the Ford GT40. The rear itself has a very clear hint of Ferrari GTO about it. The fender width of the Veleno is also different from the original, with it now slightly narrower than the Dodge sports car. Runge put a lot of focus and effort into the wheel well area of the Veleno, to ensure that the shape and proportions all matched up perfectly.

The Veleno Feels Like A Classic Maserati V8 To Drive

Leno is lucky enough to get a drive of the Veleno, and claims that it drives just like a classic V8 powered Maserati from the 1960s. High praise from a man who knows how those cars drive. Driving the Veleno does create a vintage feel, as while the ECU is the same some of the more modern gauges such as the odometer are underneath the dashboard. Leno says it feels the same power wise as the standard Viper. Meaning it isn’t a totally unfamiliar driving experience.

It feels solid, and will pull away in any gear says Leno and the acceleration is as quick as you would expect from a V10 Viper. When it comes to the power, the original Viper produced 499 hp and 525 lb-ft of torque. The latter number the one that Runge in particular loves about the car due to the acceleration. It is easy to see why he is so happy about the car. With it retaining all the best bits of the Viper regarding its power and functionality while creating a truly unique looking sports car.

Runge Cars Are Famous For Various Bare Aluminum Creations

Runge is well versed in creating bare aluminum cars. One of the others he has crafted is the Runge RS. A car that takes cues from the Maserati and Ferrari racers of the 1950s while also pulling from RSK and Spyker racers. Its mid-engine, four-cylinder engine can have options over 250 hp. It is the customer that supplies the engine for this sports car. One of the options for the RS is the removable canopy, which helps to give the car the same feeling as the legendary road racers of the 1950s. Cars such as Stirling Moss’s Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR from the Mille Miglia.

Runge also created the Flyer, a car inspired by post-war German Eigenbau racers. And it is another, bare aluminum, lightweight sports car with again a four-cylinder engine under the hood. The Veleno very much feels like the pinnacle of what he has managed to build so far. And it's fantastic to see this level of craftsmanship still exists in the 21st century.

Sources: Jay Leno's Garage YouTube Channel, Runge Cars