The Dodge Roadster That Almost Beat the S2000 - Until a Rock Star and Mercedes Killed It

In the late 1990s, Dodge had a secret weapon: a lightweight, affordable roadster called the Copperhead. 7-liter V6, a five-speed manual, and a curb weight under 2,900 pounds. With a projected price tag of $30,000, it would have gone head-to-head with the Honda S2000 and BMW Z3. But the car never made it past the concept stage.

The reasons? A bizarre lawsuit from ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, internal fears that it would overshadow the Viper, and a corporate merger that put Mercedes in the driver’s seat.

The Copperhead debuted at the 1997 Detroit auto show in a stunning 37-coat Copper Fire Orange paint. Its styling was pure Viper-lite: aggressive fender vents, a snakeskin-patterned interior, and tires with scale-like tread. Under the hood, the little V6 gave it a power-to-weight ratio that beat the Porsche Boxster and Mercedes SLK230, and nearly matched the S2000.

Dodge planned a 2000 model year launch. But then the problems started. Gibbons claimed the name infringed on his custom hot rod, and Chrysler’s marketing team got cold feet. Worse, the Daimler-Benz merger in 1998 meant the new bosses didn’t want a cheap Dodge roadster stealing sales from the pricier Mercedes SLK.

In the end, the Copperhead was shelved. The only remnant is a special-edition 2005 Viper painted in that same orange. Dodge later tried to fill the gap with the Chrysler Crossfire, a rebadged SLK that lacked the Copperhead’s spirit and price point. Today, rumors swirl about a 2029 Copperhead revival, but it’s expected to be a heavy, electric hypercar, nothing like the nimble, affordable roadster that might have been.

For enthusiasts, it’s a reminder that sometimes the best cars are the ones that never got built.