Bad to the Chrome series: Craig Butler and his 1997 Red Viper GTS

Craig Butler has never been one to waste money.

"I don't drink, smoke, chase women or take part in any of that nightlife stuff," the Thomson resident said. "Never have. Over the years, instead of spending money on those things, I've saved up for what I love most - cars."

Butler, 60, owns four sports cars: a 2002 red Corvette, 2002 red Jaguar, 1994 red Diablo Lamborghini and "my baby."

His baby is a 1997 red Dodge Viper GTS, custom built inside-and-out with a revamped $40,000 engine and a license plate that reads SEEEEYA.

"Everything's custom," he said of the car, which has 81,630 miles. "Well, everything but the wheels.

"A lot of people ask how I afford these cars, and it's because I spent my life not wasting it on anything else. Not only do I not party, but I also don't hunt or fish. Some men own trucks and bass boats, and if you add those together, that's the same as my Viper. I just chose the Viper."

Butler's love for cars took off in 1958 after attending his first NASCAR race. Since then, he's been to an estimated 200 races, while his passion for vehicles has grown into a full-time hobby.

"I married really young," said Butler, who has been married for 43 years. "So I kinda feel like I'm experiencing 25 all over again. I just love working on cars, putting parts together - everything really. I'd say I've spent a thousand hours working on this Viper."

Although car enthusiasts frown on customizing vehicles, Butler offers no apologies.

Butler's '97 Viper boasts a V10 supercharger engine, 780 rear-wheel horsepower and tops out at 1,057 horsepower when using nitrous. "There's not another one (in Thomson)," he says.

His Viper can reach 210 miles per hour, but even though he doesn't race the car, he admits he's "made a couple trips" to a local drag strip.

"I got it up to 136 (miles per hour) on a quarter-mile strip," he said. "But it's not really worth doing because all it does is ruin the tires. This wasn't on the drag strip but the fastest I've driven it is 185."

Butler's the second owner of the Viper, purchased in 2002 from a man in Memphis, Tenn.

"The guy I bought it from, his wife had just delivered twin babies," Butler said. "Fortunately for me, this baby is only a two-seater."