24 Hours with the Dodge Viper GTS 'Venom': Marcus & the Garden of the Gods

Marcus had been talking about renting a supercar for three years. He'd bookmarked Springs Supercars on a Tuesday night after watching a YouTube video about Colorado mountain driving. He finally called on a Friday. By the following Saturday he was standing in front of a 1999 Dodge Viper GTS with over 1,000 horsepower in downtown Colorado Springs.

"John walked me through every detail — the manual transmission, the side exhaust pipes, why you never want to make a sudden move in this car. He spent 45 minutes with me before I touched the key. He clearly loves these machines."

— Marcus T., Denver architect

The Viper GTS 'Venom' is not a subtle car. Its 8.0L OHV V10 engine — modified well beyond stock — produces a sound that triggers car alarms two blocks away. John McMurray, owner of Springs Supercars, had suggested a specific loop for the morning: hit Garden of the Gods before the tourist buses arrived, warm up on Nevada Avenue, then see what the mountain roads felt like. 'He gave me a printed route,' Marcus said. 'With notes. That level of detail was unexpected from a rental company.'

The Garden Route

At 8:45am the North Gateway entrance to Garden of the Gods was nearly empty. Marcus said rolling through the park in the bright blue Viper was 'surreal in the best way.' Hikers stopped on the trail to stare. A park ranger gave a thumbs up. 'I felt like I was in a movie,' he laughed. 'A very loud movie.'

Ridge Road — the exit route John had highlighted in bold — was the highlight of the morning. Wide, sweeping, with the red rock formations behind and the city ahead. 'That's the moment I understood why people do this,' Marcus said. 'It wasn't about speed. It was about being in the right machine in the right place.'

The Afternoon: Pikes Peak Highway

After lunch in Manitou Springs — 'I parked on the main street and ate outside so I could watch people react to the car' — Marcus pointed the Viper up Pikes Peak Highway. The 0-60 in 2.4 seconds is delivered through a 6-speed manual, which at altitude becomes a full-body workout. 'You are completely engaged,' he said. 'Every gear, every corner. There's no autopilot in this car.'

He returned the car the next morning with 340 miles on it and immediately asked John about availability for July.

"The car was immaculate. John genuinely cared whether we had a good time. This isn't a car rental — it's an experience company that happens to own extraordinary machines."

— Marcus T.