Ford believes four doors are faster than two. And Pontiac insists that wider is better. Most of the time, they insist on it. And, maybe as important as anything else, it provides a rallying point for all the current owners of Dodge products, regardless of what that Dodge product is. It could be a 1985 K-car, but the fact is when they go to that racetrack, they can root for their brand.
Brand awareness is one of the buzzwords that links all four manufacturers.
All those people who might drive a Taurus, we want them to be aware of the Taurus in racing. There's so many ads out there and so much press about Winston Cup racing, it's pretty hard to miss. Jeff Chew, GM Racing's marketing manager for Winston Cup Activities, said General Motor's two entries are very protective of their Grand Prix and Monte Carlo identities. Everybody loves a winner Rusty Wallace of Penske Racing South and Jeff Burton of Roush Racing each won four races in Tauruses last year, helping Ford clinch its second consecutive Manufacturers' Championship. Seven of those were won by Dale Earnhardt.