By Bunmi Adigun @Bunmi_Adigun
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Videographer / director: Blake Wilson
Producer: Hannah Stevens, Ellie Winstanley
Editor: Ian Phillips
Texan couple D’Ann and Wayne Rauh have collected an incredible 80 Dodge Vipers - and they drive every single one.
And incredibly, it’s not only the iconic American muscle car that they collect. The couple own another 60 cars - bringing their collection up to a whopping 140 cars.
The duo make sure that every single car in their 140-strong collection gets its fair share of love - but it’s the classic Dodge Viper that’s their real passion.
And it’s D’Ann who loves them the most.
Wayne said: “I did a count this morning. Out of the 80 Vipers I think 21 of them I claim and the rest of them are D’Ann’s, so you can see who really likes the Viper!
D’Ann added: “Nobody in the world has more Dodge Vipers than I do!”
The oil transport company owners have an astounding group of one-of-a-kind Vipers, including a limited edition Spiderman car and a Star Wars model emblazoned with Darth Vader’s creepy face.
Although the couple do not have an exact figure, their collection is worth an estimated $7.5 million, and features models with a range of price tags.
Wayne said: “I’m guessing the least expensive is $45,000 and the most expensive, boy, that’s hard to say, but I guess the Sons of Italy was the most expensive car. We paid $236,000 for that one.”
The Sons of Italy is a special edition model that was built by SRT (Street & Racing Technology) the team behind Vipers in 2013.
The car, which is a one-off model, was given to Italian-American fraternal organisation, the Order Sons of Italy in America, who at the time were honouring Fiat Chrysler CEO, Sergio Marchionne.
The foundation auctioned off the car to raise money for a host of good causes.
With a pearl white finish the beautifully designed car boasts a 8.4 litre V10 engine, which generates an incredible 640 horsepower.
Housing a collection this large does come with its own unique challenges though and each car is cleaned after every drive, which can take an entire day to do properly.
D’Ann said: “It’s not just having a place to park them, each car does has to be maintained. I have maybe three that I don’t take out.
“Driving the Vipers is always special, there’s been times when I’ve been driving one and all these people are staring at me and I’m like, ‘What’re they staring at me for?’, and then I remember, ‘Oh yeah, I’m in a viper!’”
The duo’s collection also includes a stunning gold Viper, which was the last one off the line in 2010 when Viper were going bankrupt, making it a particularly precious addition to the couple’s hoard.
But even with the $7.5million price tag based on their collection, the couple have no intention of selling their precious Vipers anytime soon.
Asked if she’s tempted to sell any of her cars, D’Ann replied: “I’ve never sold one. It’s kinda like kids, y’know, you don’t get rid of your kids.
“Someday I’m sure when I’m really, really old and no longer able to bend into a Viper, I guess then they will be sold. But for today, they’re not gonna be!”