2010 is both a sad and hopeful year for the Dodge brand. Parting with its line of Ram pickup trucks, Dodge can focus more strongly on its passenger car segment. This means major changes for the Dodge Challenger, Charger and the rest of the Dodge lineup. Alas, it also means, at least for this year, the Dodge Viper is on hiatus. It could come back though, just not as the car you remember.

According to Automobile Magazine, the Viper unveiled last week at a Dodge dealer meeting was a re-badged Alfa Romeo 8C Competizone.

A what? We don’t blame you for never having heard of the 8C Competizone. It was a very limited-production car, with just 500 cars made in 2008. A handful of these super cars were shipped to the United States and sold through Maserati dealerships. With a Ferrari-built 4.7 liter V8 engine, the 8C made around 450 horsepower and 350 ft-lbs of torque, with a top speed around 180 mph.

The car unveiled at the Dodge meeting was apparently an 8C with a Viper nose and other styling cues, and Fiat CEO Marchionne stated that it took executives less than five minutes to decide to fund the program. Perhaps Fiat is hoping for a repeat of the 8C sales. All of the limited-production $300,000 Alfa Romeos were sold before they ever reached the Maserati dealerships. But does that mean the Viper is getting a substantial price increase? Will Americans accept an Italian-built Viper? So many questions, and the one we find ourselves asking the most is: What does it look like?