Pretty much every carmaker wants to be known for their performance and racing credibility (Buick, Chrysler and Lincoln are the only ones that come to mind as not really caring about sports performance).

Cadillac wants a piece of that performance action, and rightfully so, with their V line of cars.

Today, we’ll look at two ads that show the more spirited side of Cadillac.

First up is this ad for the Cadillac CTS-V, which is the performance variant of the model:

As I understand it, the CTS-V was quite the performer. I’ve never driven one but things I’ve read suggest it can hold its own against contenders like the BMW M5.

To promote their go-fast mid-size sedan, Cadillac lists this domain on the ad:

Cute, yes? Cadillacunder5.com is supposed to refer to the fact that the CTS-V can reach 60 miles per hour in fewer than 5 seconds.

The problem with clever domains like this is that they take a strong digital strategy to maintain. The ad above is from nearly 15 years ago. Has the flagship GM brand been maintaining that very specific domain all these years?

Here’s what we get today:

Very disappointing. True, the CTS has now been replaced with the CT5. But the CT5-V has the same 4.6-second zero-to-sixty time* that this ad boasts for the older CTS-V (*according to Cadillac’s own website).

As for the cadillacunder5.com domain itself, a quick check of whois.com shows GM still owns the site. They’re paying money to hold onto this old URL yet they do nothing with it? As it stands, the domain statement of a “Cadillac Under 5” is as true today as it was back in 2005.

This makes me sad.

Okay! Let’s switch gears (figuratively) to look at a different part of Cadillac’s performance cred. This ad from October 2006 focuses on the brand’s racing aspirations:

Once again, Cadillac is touting it’s V line of performance cars, highlighting how racing translates into street cars. Fair enough.

The lower right-hand corner of the ad suggests the website TeamCadillac.com.

Here we go again with another unique (and tidy) primary domain. Surely TeamCadillac.com is still in use to promote Cadillac’s racing credibility, yes?

No.

Once again, Cadillac fails us here. And once again, the disappoint is made even worse by the fact that whois.com shows GM still owns the site.

Really, GM? How much money are you spending each year on old websites that go nowhere? That doesn’t sound like a winning strategy.