Fiat Chrysler informed Michigan regulators that the automaker will officially close the plant that produces the Dodge Viper sports car at the end of August.
FCA announced plans to end production of the Viper last summer. Although the car was well-received by critics and racers during its 25-year run — production was suspended for two years following Fiat Chrysler's bankruptcy amid the Great Recession — it never sold in large quantities.
The Conner Avenue plant on Detroit's northeast side, which produced the Viper beginning in 1995, continued to assemble its final run of Vipers — up to 217 highly customized special-edition versions — but will finally shut down on Aug. 31.
The company notified Michigan officials in a letter that 87 jobs would be affected by the closure, but that those employees are expected to be offered positions at other FCA facilities.
The automaker did not elaborate on plans for the shuttered plant, according to The Detroit News, but said in a statement that it is "committed to the city of Detroit, and the Conner Avenue facility will remain part of that."
