The Penske South team led development of the Taurus race car stretching and warping body panels over the chassis it had been using within Thunderbird bodywork. The result looked something like a Taurus-if you squinted really hard and rubbed Vaseline over your eyeballs. When Ford showed the new race car for the first time (that prototype is shown here), it even included paint stripes to, rather ludicrously, suggest the presence of rear doors on the doorless car.
It had taken years to smooth the Thunderbird into an effective race machine, but the new Taurus was an instant sensation. So what if it didn't really look like a production car? It was a winner.
In fact it was such a winner, and the shape so generic, that with a bit of imagination, slightly different side window shapes and different headlight decals, it was possible to imagine this car as, say, a Chevy Monte Carlo, Pontiac Grand Prix, or Dodge Intrepid. And in many ways, that's exactly what it has become.
To further level the competitive playing field, soon after the Taurus' appearance, NASCAR began considering the idea of a single, common body style for all makes in Winston Cup. It was a sanctioning body thoroughly fed up with the bickering between teams about which make had an advantage during any particular week and exhausted by the constant rule-tweaking necessary to maintain the appearance of fairness. Finally, during 2003 NASCAR announced "common templates" for every body from every manufacturer in Winston Cup. And those templates are direct evolutionary descendants from the Taurus.
So if you're disappointed that all the cars in NASCAR look alike, it's because they all look like the '98 Taurus.
0406North, South, and Dodge Dakota[Photos 116-0604.SCUP 4A through 4J on disc.]At February's Chicago Auto Show, Dodge unwrapped a redesigned Dakota pickup. The styling obviously takes after the fullsize Ram, but it's what's missing from the '05 Dakota that may be most distressing.
The new frame is now fully boxed for strength with hydro-formed octagonal tips that taper to improve energy absorption in an accident. The suspension (in both two- and four-wheel drive configurations-the ride heights are about the same) is basically pickup standard with short/long double A-arms and coil springs up front and leaf springs in the back. The 4x4s get either a part- or full-time, two-speed transfer case.
The standard-cab Dakota is history as the model line has been pared back to either extended Club Cab or four-door Quad Cab. Both ride on a 131.3-inch wheelbase with the Club Cab getting a 611/42-foot cargo box and the Quad a 511/44-foot box. Both cabs are larger than before with more contemporary styling (natch) and such super-trendy options as a DVD video system for the rear-seat riders in the Quad Cab.
The base powerplant will be the 210hp, 3.7L, SOHC V-6 that was first used in the Jeep Liberty, while the 4.7L SOHC returns in 230 and 250hp versions. A six-speed transmission will be standard with the V-6 and low-output V-6. The six will also be available with a four-speed automatic, and a five-speed auto is standard with the high output V-8 and optional with the other one.
So what's missing? Of course it's the 5.7L Hemi V-8 that's MIA. Rumors are that some time after the new Dakota launches this fall, a high-performance SRT-8 version featuring the Hemi will appear. Here's to optimism.
Buick Lacrosse Ready To Play Ball?[Photos 116-0604.SCUP 5A through 5F on disc.]Buick recently re-signed Tiger Woods to a multimillion dollar endorsement deal, but apparently they've been thinking about more sports than just golf over there. Next fall they'll introduce the new '05 LaCrosse as a replacement for both the sleepy Regal and sleepier Century models. Maybe they can name their next car the Soccer, Baseball, or Field Hockey.