Why so expensive.............
There is a "Viper Tax" that seems to attach itself to all but a few parts.
Seriously this is a very limited production engine.
When things are made in 1s and 2s versus 1000s it causes the cost of research and development to be born by a very few instead of being spread out amongst many thousands.
The cost of having 10 vs 8 cyls increases the cost. 10 pistons, 10 rods, 10 rod bearings, 6 main bearings vs 5in a V8. This all adds up to make it cost more.
The cost of a billet crankshaft is much higher due to the fact that the billet is a non standard length and requires much more material, ie length.
The same is true with a billet camshaft core;
A billet custom roller cam is in the neighbourhood of 300-400 for a V8,
a billet V10 roller cam is in the neighborhood of 600-800.
The hotrod 4 cyl guys complain that it costs as much to build a Honda as it does to build a V8.
Bearings are usually more due to the lower production volume, as are gaskets and seals.
Some of the seals are available only through the dealer as they are such low volume that the aftermarket does not want to service the Viper V10.
If you want to go fast cheap, go with a Big Block Chevy,
The 1100 HP Blown, Injected 468 going into the Chevelle cost me over 20K to do right. That is with me building it myself and only subleting machine work. Good machine is also very expensive to have done.
The Viper V10 is expensive to build correctly.
There are not a lot of folks that know what to do with the oilings systems and clearances as these motors are unique.