Encyclopedia Hoonatica: Thieved Car Names

By Peter Tanshanomi Aug 10, 2010


Last Friday, we asked you which good car names are yet to be used. Manufacturers nowadays vigilantly guard their trademarks, and litigate over the use of their trademarks at the drop of a hat. Ford famously sued Kawasaki over the use of Zephyr, Audi got in a legal tussle with Nissan over the letter Q (yes, really), and Carol Shelby has sued…well, pretty much everyone.
It wasn’t always that way. American Motors blithely trotted out the AMC Matador in ’71 without so much as a cease-and-desist letter coming their way from Chrysler, despite the Matador Dodge had produced a decade earlier.
So, what model nameplates can you name that were used by two different manufacturers?
As is the rule with these, read the comments first and try not to duplicate.
DIFFICULTY: A bit of a head-scratcher, ain’it?

By Peter Tanshanomi

Tanshanomi is Japanese [単車のみ] for "motorcycle(s) only." Though primarily tasked with creating two-wheel oriented content for Hooniverse, Pete is a lover of all sorts of motorized vehicles.

127 thoughts on “Encyclopedia Hoonatica: Thieved Car Names”
    1. Since this seems to be the official Edsel thread:
      Edsel Ranger & Ford Ranger Or does it not count since Edsel was part of Ford?

  1. Not a wholesale NAME swipe, but the first-generation of the Saturn L-series were referred to by Saturn as the LS1 and the LS2…

      1. charles, i mean no offense what-so-ever, but i totally picture you driving up to meet me in a hard-top version of this.. while i arrive in a tri-color mid-fifties something.

        1. Hahaha…! I may have to be folded in half to fit into a Metropolitan (although I remember reading somewhere that the headroom was surprisingly generous). Oh well, there's always a cabriolet coupe…

          1. From what I've read of your proportions you would look gloriously ridiculous in a Metropolitan.

      1. Don't get me wrong, the Ford's a neat little car, but freaking hardtop station wagon! With available tri-power! Game over, man.

        1. Please tell me about these (implied) non-hardtop station wagons! (all kidding aside, I am definitely a longrooffan)

          1. "Hardtop" in the technical sense, as in not a sedan: no B-pillar or window frames.

          2. news to me! Thanks – that's the kind of stuff that keeps me coming back (and btw, I'm missing your Snap Judgments, but I'm glad you're sticking around here)

      1. You have my apologies, and my admiration. You own/have owned a far more eclectic fleet than I can ever hope to match.
        Your Durango (not that I knew it was yours) just happened to be the best picture of a Ford Durango on the first page of a Google search.

    1. The Daimler prototypes were referred to as Dart, but Chrysler objected because they already had a show car named the Dart. The production cars were called SP250.

  2. While used frequently as a trim or style designation, GT has been used relatively infrequently as the full model name.
    Opel GT:
    <img src="http://www.tuningmag.net/images/news/opel_gt_04042006/320_240/opel_gt_1970_text_1.jpg"&gt; http://www.tuningmag.net/images/news/opel_gt_0404
    Ford GT:
    <img src="http://cache.jalopnik.com/cars/assets/resources/2007/04/Ford-GT.jpg&quot; "width=320"> http://cache.jalopnik.com/cars/assets/resources/2

  3. Dodge Lancer
    Mitsubishi Lancer
    I'll take the shelby version of the prior…just cause 😀

  4. Triumph Acclaim/Plymouth Acclaim/Holden Commodore Acclaim
    Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow/Dodge Shadow
    Austin Montego/Mercury Montego
    Singer Gazelle/Nissan Gazelle
    Hillman Hawk/Humber Hawk/Studebaker Hawk
    Ford Sierra/Suzuki Sierra (Aust market Jimny)
    Maserati Bora/VW Bora
    Renault R8/Audi R8
    Lagonda Rapier/Sunbeam Rapier
    Riley Imp/Hillman Imp
    Hudson Hornet/AMC Hornet/Wolseley Hornet

  5. Because it's Two-Wheel Tuesday, here are more car-bike crossovers, a la Zephyr:
    Jensen Interceptor & Honda Interceptor (plus Royal Enfield Interceptor)
    Dodge Dart & Moto Morini Dart
    Hudson Hawk and Honda Hawk
    Buick Nighthawk & Honda Nighthawk
    Dodge Avenger & Kawasaki Avenger
    Nissan Titan & Suzuki Titan

    1. AMC Rebel & Honda Rebel
      Dodge Shadow & Honda Shadow
      Dodge Daytona & Triumph Daytona
      Ford Thunderbird & Triumph Thunderbird
      Pontiac Bonneville & Triumph Bonneville

      1. Apparently Jeep, Goodyear, and a certain jeans company have a better relationship than Ford and Pep Boys. The latest Ford Fusion was supposed to be the Futura until Pep Boys and a judge said no.

    1. That thing has every indication of well-executed sleeper. Fat tires on subtle not-so-late model mags, hidden (or missing) tailpipes, way too clean and shiny for an older economobile, and I think I spy an electric fuel pump tucked next to that new gas tank. No sir, I don't think I'll try for your $150 tonight.

    1. Phaeton is a tricky one since it used to describe a body style. However, I believe you have succeeded in finding two vehicle whose names were indeed Phaeton and not just to describe a body style.

  6. VW's first name for the Corrado supposed to be Taifun (or something close) to follow Scirocco.
    But GM beat them to it with the Typhoon.
    That's all I got.

      1. Well, DeSoto and Plymouth were both Mopar marques, but seeing as they're both dead now (and DeSoto is old enough to sound antique and exotic), I guess I can count all three… 😉

        1. (hides because he forgot the Plymouth/DeSoto connection)
          But my original comment stands, it counts!

    1. i've been in GMC, Chevy, and plymouth suburbans from a large variety of years (mostly of the first two makes) … but DeSoto has to be the best…. as far as looks go. i'd take one of those any day. thanks for posting CB! i've missed seeing you around!

  7. There's an Ambassador at a Pull-a-Part down here, that is very similar to that 1966 on the bottom. It's a little beaterific, but every time I go by, I have to check and see if it's still there.

  8. A Toyota Mark II is a sedan, sort of a RWD Camry. A Lincoln Continental Mark II is a personal luxury coupe, as I have recently discovered.
    Along the same line (and companies) is the Toyota Mark X, which is still a RWD Camry, but the Lincoln Mark X, or MKX, is now a crossover.

      1. it's actually less "don't forget" and more "learned something new". If you hadn't told me I'd have said it was an XJ.
        Thanks!

  9. Cadillac Fleetwood and Fleetwood RV
    Ford and Willys Jeep
    Ford Five Hundred and Fiat 500
    Dodge and Plymouth Neon
    Cushman Eagle, AMC Eagle, Eagle division of Chrysler, and "the Eagle has landed"

    1. The Dodge & Plymouth Neon were the EXACT SAME CAR!!! The only different parts were the badges on the hood & trunk.

    2. The 21-century Ford Five Hundred is always spelled out as words, not digits. That's what they have a trademark on.

  10. Chrysler Falcon / Ford Falcon
    Chrysler used the name for a 2-seat concept car, which would have been a Corvette/Thunderbird competitor.
    <img src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1950s-chrysler-dodge-desoto-and-plymouth-concept-cars-13.jpg&quot; width="500"/>
    It's rumored that Chrysler was going to use the Falcon name for the car we know as the Valiant, but Ford edged them out at the patent office.
    <img src="http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/1960_falcon.jpg&quot; />

      1. Good eye! Yes, Bertone's design instead ended up at Citroën, where it was carried out quite nicely, in my eyes. I can even forgive the lost pop-up headlamps.

  11. Edsel Pacer and AMC Pacer (No one should EVER use that name again!)
    AMC Hornet and Hudson Hornet
    Studebaker Commander and Jeep Commander
    Studebaker Land Cruiser and Toyota Land Cruiser
    Mercury (Comet) Voyager and Plymouth Voyager
    IKA Torino and Ford Torino

  12. AMC SX/4 and Suzuki SX4
    Crosley Super Sport and Chevrolet's Super Sport designation
    Crosley CoBra (tin block engine) and Shelby/Ford Cobra
    not automotive, but still:
    AMX (French tank manufacturer) and AMC AMX

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