Is the Dodge brand on the chopping block? Well, we don’t really know that for sure. But you certainly could take that notion away from this video, which is part of a broader campaign designed to inform the enthusiast about the SRT brand. Nowhere throughout the entire piece is there a single mention of the Dodge brand. Sure…there are a couple of glimpses of hood and steering wheel badging and the like, but the entire video centers around the now-SRT-branded Viper GTS-R.

Since every vehicle brand needs a “halo” vehicle, one that drives customers into stores, it could be interpreted that the SRT brand will start with the Viper and trickle down into other SRT models like the SRT Grand Cherokee, Magnum SRT, upcoming SRT Barracuda and other vehicles we don’t even know about yet.

The video gives a look back at some of Dodge’s iconic vehicles of the past, like the mid-60’s Custom 880 Wagon, complete with rear-facing bench seat (great for making faces at the drivers behind you) and the ’72 Challenger. The video is intertwined with the construction of the current-gen SRT Viper GTS, and gives what could be an interesting look into what the Fiat execs might be thinking.

Maybe it’s time to take that halo the Viper GTS-R will generate and kill off one of America’s iconic car brands…and bring from the ashes a new, performance-oriented brand that will target the younger buyer that the GTS will captivate.

Could it be so? We’re not sure, but the look at the extended version of the commercial sure does raise some eyebrows around here. We’re looking forward to seeing what the Italians have in store for us, and anxiously awaiting that new Viper. It’s got a hefty job ahead of it, if the plans are to take out the new Corvette at Le Mans in GTS-R spec. The 640-horse V10 sure does sound sexy – can it back up the sound with some fury?