In the early 1990s, first-generation Dodge Viper RT/10s had been modified by privateer teams for GT racing in North America and Europe with limited success. The car's V10 engine was powerful but the roadster platform lacked the structural rigidity needed for serious competition. Following the commercial success of the first-generation Viper and the concurrent development of the new GTS coupe, Chrysler approved a factory racing program centred on the GTS in 1995.
Chrysler partnered with Oreca, the French racing and engineering firm with experience in international sports car racing and the Mazda 787B's 1991 Le Mans victory, to construct and operate the race cars. British firm Reynard Motorsport handled the fabrication of the basic chassis and integral structural components before shipping to Oreca for assembly. The Viper's 7998.5 cc V10 engine was ideally suited for GT1 competition given the FIA's 8000 cc displacement limit, requiring only modified intakes and reinforced internals for endurance use.
The bodywork largely followed the production GTS coupe, with the addition of a rear wing, rear diffuser, front splitter, side exhausts, hood vents, and roof-mounted air intakes. Factory team operations were split between Viper Team Oreca in Europe and Canaska Southwind in North America. A total of 57 Viper GTS-Rs were built across the program's duration, with 52 customer cars sold alongside the initial five factory prototypes.
The car's name varied by region. Because Dodge did not officially sell the Viper in Europe, cars raced there carried the Chrysler Viper GTS-R designation, while North American entries ran as Dodge Viper GTS-Rs. The cars themselves carried no Chrysler or Dodge badging, displaying only the Viper GTS-R name on the bodywork.
The Viper GTS-R made its debut in 1996 with two factory-backed teams. Canaska Southwind entered the North American IMSA GT Championship from the 1996 24 Hours of Daytona, while Viper Team Oreca ran a limited European schedule including the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where four entries were submitted with three finishing. Oreca concluded the year in the BPR Global GT Series, earning points finishes at Brands Hatch, Spa, and Nogaro.
In 1997, Oreca concentrated on the new FIA GT Championship, opting for the GT2 class rather than GT1 where Porsche and Mercedes-Benz factory teams were dominant. Oreca opened the season with a 1-2 class finish and went on to win six of the eleven rounds, claiming the GT2 Teams and Drivers championships.
The 1998 season saw Oreca win all but one event in the ten-round FIA GT schedule, securing a second straight GT2 title, and the team also claimed their first class win at Le Mans. British GT Championship entrant Orion Motorsport won six class victories including an overall race win at Silverstone, with Kurt Luby and Richard Dean taking the drivers title.
For 1999, Oreca expanded into two championships simultaneously: FIA GT and the new American Le Mans Series. The team swept nine FIA GT wins, with the Paul Belmondo squad adding a further victory. In the ALMS, Oreca won six races and the series title. At Le Mans, Vipers took the top positions in the GT2 class for a second consecutive year.
The year 2000 marked a transition point. Oreca shifted its full focus to the ALMS, delivering one of the program's most celebrated victories — the 24 Hours of Daytona — won by a slim margin over the incoming Chevrolet Corvette factory team. Oreca won ten ALMS rounds that season and secured a third straight Le Mans class victory. European FIA GT competition passed to privateers including Paul Belmondo and Carsport Holland.
Chrysler's official factory program concluded at the end of 2001, as Chrysler and Oreca shifted resources toward Le Mans Prototype development. Despite the factory withdrawal, privateer Viper teams remained numerous throughout the early 2000s. Larbre Competition won the FIA GT GT1 championship in 2001 after three race victories, including the Spa 24 Hours, and defended the title in 2002. Multiple national championship victories followed in French GT, Italian GT, British GT, and the 24 Hours Nurburgring, where Zakspeed won in 1999 and 2001.
The GTS-R era effectively ended around 2005-2007 as the car's homologation expired following the retirement of the Viper GTS road car body style years earlier. Former Formula One World Champion Alain Prost competed in French GT with a Viper GTS-R in 2005 to mark his 50th birthday, winning one race as the Vipers collectively scored nine victories in that series.
The Chrysler Viper GTS-R achieved class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in three consecutive years — 1998, 1999, and 2000 — and won the 24 Hours of Daytona in 2000. It won multiple FIA GT, ALMS, British GT, French GT, Italian GT, and national championship titles during a competition career spanning more than a decade. With 57 cars built and competitive appearances continuing into the late 2000s under various privateer teams, the GTS-R established the Viper as a credible international GT racing platform and remains one of the most successful American-born GT racing cars in European motorsport history.