Why? Well, at least the automaker gave it a go. Too bad it didn't make it, as I think it was the first DOHC offering by an American automaker, so it was the first sixteen valve engine, as well as the first with electronic fuel injection, etc., etc.
In my mind, it was like the early turbo Corvairs, the front wheel drive Toronado, and the little aluminum block V8 (also offered with a turbo) that later became the Rover's standard. Too bad that mass appeal trumps engineering innovation...