Chrysler, community college negotiate donated Dodge Viper

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Back in March, we told you about a community college in Olympia, Washington, that received a letter from Chrysler ordering that the school must crush one of the rare Dodge Vipers that was donated to their automotive program in 2007.

Chrysler said in a previous press release that as part of the donation process, it is standard procedure – and stipulated in agreements – that whenever vehicles are donated to institutions for education purposes, they are to be destroyed when they’re no longer needed for their educational purposes.

South Puget Sound Community College obtained a two-seat coupe prototype that was developed when plans for the Viper were put in production in 1992 and the vehicle wasn’t yet street legal. Over the past seven years, the vehicle has not only been used as an educational resource, but as a promotional tool for the auto tech program.

Chrysler gave SPSCC two weeks to destroy the vehicle, but as the news caught wind across social media, an online petition was started. “Operation Save the Vipers,” garnered almost 10,000 signatures in a matter of days.

According to Fox News, Chrysler has since granted to Viper a stay of execution as it entered into negotiations with the community college in an effort to find a way to hand it over permanently.

“We continue to pursue an amicable resolution for the matter,” a Chrysler representative told Fox News.

Do you think the school should be allowed to keep the car? Leave a comment below, or send us a tweet to @PowerNationTV.

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