North American Touring Car Championship (NATCC): 1996-1997
Following the huge success of the Super Touring regulations across the world, it wasn’t all that surprising that a North American championship was launched eventually. Despite the region's historical lack of interest in touring cars, it was hoped Super Touring would be action-packed enough to break into this market.
This ultimately didn't pan out, as the series lasted only two seasons. Fans were reasonably interested, but the championship really struggled for entry numbers. Grids rarely contained more than ten cars, which saw the experiment killed off fairly quickly.
Arguably the most notable aspect of the series was the introduction of the Dodge Stratus Super Tourer; the only factory-backed attempt to build a USDM car for the regulations. An independent Pontiac Sunfire was also built to the rules and made a handful of appearances, but it struggled for pace.
Alongside the Stratus, the European-spec fifth-generation Honda Accord enjoyed a great deal of success in the championship. BMW 318is and 320is were also popular, though weren't as competitive as the Accord and the Stratus.
Other entries included a couple of Mazda Xedos 6s, a USDM/JDM-spec fifth-generation Honda Accord, a Vauxhall Cavalier, a Toyota Camry and perhaps strangest of all - other than the Pontiac - a Mercedes 190E. What the series lacked in grid size, it made up for with some interesting variety.