TSX, SL500, 300C, Venza, Impreza, the list goes on. Some say all the good real-world names are gone, just like there are no original movie plots any more. I say, they’re just not trying hard enough. I’m also getting pretty sick and tire of all the made up names blighting everything from the little pills that help us make sexy time more enjoyable to the cars that our partners in that activity drive home in after completing the walk of shame. I think we can do better, and there’s nobody better to come up with awesome product names that you fine folks.
Let’s stick to cars here, after all this is a car blog, and see if you can think up some killer labels that are actual things -whether animal, vegetable or mineral – that really exist. Some makers convolute real words to make new ones that have no real meaning, but evoke some sort of emotional response based on how close they are to their progenitor. Intergra, Impreza, Maxima, the Japanese are masters of this tact, taking an emotive word, truncating it and adding an a to the end. I hate those.
335i, 348GTB, 350E; these are based on some parameter of the vehicle – usually engine displacement and lineup position, and that’s okay, but unless there’s years of storied history backing the nomenclature, it lacks uniqueness. The names that really have impact are ones that drive both imagery of the brand and a connected positive attribute- the strength of a galloping herd of horses in the case of the Mustang, a powerful light warcraft for the Corvette. Names like these elicit a connection that’s weighted in reality, and because of that, they seem to have greater sense of permanence than the made up names that come and go on other cars.
There are also names that are real English words, but because of a weak connection to an external image, they seem to lack that kind of impact. Honda sold the Prelude for a long time, establishing it as a significant member of their lineup. And then it went away. Miss it? Now think about the Thunderbird, a name steeped in both automotive and Native American culture. It’s been a few years since it went away, and I’ll bet a bunch of folks would like to see that name resurrected. Same thing with ‘Cobra.’
So, is it true, are all the great car names gone? Is there any animal name, force of nature, or powerful icon from which a memorable name can be derived? What would you like to see as a car or truck name that has never been used before?
Image sources: [cartype.com]
Hooniverse Asks- What's a Good Un-Used Real Thing Car Name?
About
89 responses to “Hooniverse Asks- What's a Good Un-Used Real Thing Car Name?”
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Thunderf*ck Roadcrusher SS5000GTZ Maniac Babymangler
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o0o, the 2010 babymangler!
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I hear the "Meatgrinder" option package is sick.
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The new 2010 Armageddon SUV. What's more powerful than Armageddon?
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The Post-Apocalyptic Taco Truck, of course.
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"Honda sold the Prelude for a long time, establishing it as a significant member of their lineup. And then it went away. Miss it?"
Yes. Yes I do miss it.-
my prelude owning friends and i (not a prelude owner) always wondered.. "prelude to what?"
but yeah.. i'd like to see it come back…-
I don't remember much about usenet, but I do remember that I used to read a usenet group (rec.autos.makers.ford.mustang perhaps?) where the Prelude was consistently renamed to Quaalude.
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I miss the real Honda Motor Co.
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I'm still waiting on my Utopian Turtletop or a Thundercougarfalconbird.
If I'm not mistaken, Blackbird remains unused though, if you're into the aeronautical connection.-
mmmmm maybe even a Super thundercougarfalconbird… i'd buy it.
(i love that show… i don't have a dvr (well… kinda but it's slow to process/encode) I use my dad's dvr.. apparently i accidentally set it to 'record series' when setting it to record the new episodes….. so… now it records all the re-runs too… well.. i had been deleting them (while my dad was out of town– own the whole series on dvd… ) i've gone over there a few times for lunch to find them watched… and not deleted… guess my dad now likes the show too… awesome.) -
While it's not technically a car, I think Honda would have a problem with another "Blackbird" vehicle:
<img src="http://www.wallpaperspage.com/image.php?v=./data/media/315/honda blackbird wallpaper.jpg">
In the same way, Ford stopped Kawasaki from using Zephyr for their bikes.
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The 2011 Toyota Sheep
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How about "Burning Man" special editions of Italian super cars?
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The BMW Douchebag Special?
The Lexus Octogenarian?
How about the Dodge Stubborn? I can see the commercials now. "The 2013 Stubborn: because this company should have been dead decades ago, but goddammit we're staying put."-
That (Dodge Stubborn) would be especially appropriate from the company that gave us the LaFemme.
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Has there ever been a car named Hero?
Amp for an electric car.
Box for those things like the Nissan Cube, Scion tB, Kia Soul, Honda Element, etc.
Hellfire would be a great name for a muscle car. You could brand engineer a platform mate the Brimstone. -
Blaster.
– Yamaha used it for an ATV and had a couple of Waveblaster PWCs
– Harley had the Buell Blast
– There was the Road Blaster video game…
…but I don't think it has ever been used for a car. -
We could also have a discussion about what name least fits the car. My entry? Buick Wildcat. More like Buick Garfield, especially in later years, Fat, slow, and lazy, like an overfed housecat.
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…can I follow that up with a helping of Mercury Lynx?
<img src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_5ZbzaULmu9U/SfpQ6ony50I/AAAAAAAADhw/X-Y31qulZ3M/s400/Mercury_Lynx_1982-87_30.jpg">
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Toyota Adversity
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Bugatti Narcissus
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Which makes one wonder, how long until we have to contend with four-ton Toyota Blockades barreling down our streets and highways?
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Get yerself one of them new Lotus Blockade Runners…
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I prefer a two-wheel'd blockade runner.
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I recall that when Motorcyclist reviewed the Honda FT500 Ascot, they dubbed it a "decongestion bike."
What a great term.
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Toorineko – Japanese for alleycat, literally "street cat"
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Using the Corvette as a model, another ship type that sounds classy, "Brigantine"
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Zarathustra. Though it would probably only be a nietzsche product.
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With special Zara-thrusters!
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It wouldn't need an accelerator. Just a will to power.
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What about the cars named after races and tracks? Daytona, Talladega, Grand Prix etc… Maybe they could try using "Bristol" or maybe "Pikes Peak" for some Jeep type vehicle.
Otherwise maybe some musical terms for car names. The new "Jazz" or the "Crishendo" or the "Treble Cleff"…wait, that last one might not work.-
I really want to buy the new Dodge Donnybrooke, but only if it can take Turn 1 WFO in top gear, the way the big boys do it.
<img src="http://www.brainerdraceway.com/images/stories/grounds/maps/09roadcoursemap.jpg"> -
You forget:
<img src="http://www.bristolcars.co.uk/pics/BristolFighterComposition.jpg">
Discoverable here. 🙂
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The first model will be called Geoff, then the second generation will change the name to Hammerhead Eagle iThrust
But why not more animal names. The Piranha or the Osprey or the Gazelle.
Still nothing beats the Legend though. "It's our first car so it must be great"-
I heard a rumor the Honda Crosstour was originally going to be called the Platypus?
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The original name for the SVT Focus was the Piranha. Some people have made replica name plates and everything
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Actually, the hatchback nissan 200sx sold in Japan as the Gazelle.
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We've named cars after birds, snakes, horses and cats. My inner 6 year old demands cars named after dinosaurs! Be honest, you'd all line up for test drives in a Volkswagen Monoclonius, Dodge Iguanodon or Nissan Ceratosaur.
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I could see the Dodge T-Rex truck.
There's a good chance the Ford Raptor is named more for the Velociraptor than birds.-
Also the Campagna T-Rex trike.
<img src="https://hooniverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/CampagnaT-Rex-320×204.jpg">
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They were going to call it the Chevy Brontosaurus, but turns out all the spy shots were inaccurate.
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Heh, Chrysler Shihtpoo
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Part Bull Mastiff, part Shih tzu, all bullshiht.
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Ford Bigballs LRG DIK
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And it would be a <1.0l diesel super mini… only available in pink
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Toyota Deception.
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Buick Incontinence.
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With ultra-absorbent seats!
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Métisse means "half-breed," but Rickman already used it for their custom motorcycle frames.
<img src="http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a352/Chase2/RickmanBultaco.jpg" width="400">
BTW: "Mmmmmm, Métisse." -
I hear the new Renault Trébuchet is a real tosser.
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Cadillac Arroganté
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Buick Casketeer… Honda Poser… Chevy Clusterfumble…
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Jaguar E-12 Codpiece Edition…
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I was too slow!
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There are still unused snake names…
– Anaconda
– Mamba-
The Anaconda would need exceptionally wide seats.
My Anaconda don't want none unless you got BUNS, hon!
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Ford Mariachi
Cadillac Ego
Toyota Divinity
Honda Fap -
Once I was thinking how many car names were also professions… I had limited it to FMC names at the time.
Explorer, Ranger, Mountaineer, Navigator….. and I figured I could count Escort as a profession too.-
Lincoln Aviator too.
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Should I be holding out hope for the Ford Publications Specialist?
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Dodge Ocelot
Honda Wolverine
Lotus Egret
Toyota Tryptophan
Chery Ditto
Geely Ctrl-C -
How about Kestral? It's a small member of the hawk family. It'd fit great on a Miata-sized sports car.
Thinking of dog breeds: Doberman, Terrier, Akita, and Rottwiler.
Cheetah
The Elephant (plenty of TRUNK space!)
Sherpa
Lepard
Racoon
All I can think of right now.-
Some of these have already been used:
Riley Kestrel
Leyland Sherpa (English van)
Nissan Leopard (Infiniti M30 and J30 in US)
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The Chairman.
Why not just have a whole series of cars named after colors. The Red. The White. The Black. The Fuschia.
I've got a red White. A what? A red White! What is that, pink or something. No man, my White. It's red. Yeah and I've got a white Black. Naw, it's more mauve.-
Already used – Ssangyong/Daewoo Chairman.
The Alfa 75/Milano was sold in the US in Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Verde (Green) editions.-
Damn.
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My father has a 3 foot long stainless still grill from the 60's with "The Chairman" in cast iron lettering. I secretly plot how to steal it from him.
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Lotus "Operandi"
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Bravo!
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All my names seem to have a case of the Machos or the Munchies.
Dodge Dominator
Chevy Altitude
Honda Vanguard
Pontiac Burninator (I know Pontiac is dead, that can't stop the Burninator)
Ford Beyonder
Chevy Regulator (cop car)
Renault Piss-
Standard Vanguard – already used
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Stop being smart!
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Would there also be a matching Merde edition?
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Beyonder – I love it! Would that be like an Even-Farther-Outlander?
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I love it too. I used The Beyonder as a handle before Eggwich, and still do for takeout orders.
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I wonder if the Armada sells in England.
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in the same context that the Nova wasn't a great name for a car in Spanish-speaking countries? Good one!
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Stars and constellations names are nice. There's the Toyota Alphard, the Subaru Alcyone, the Chevy Vega. Star names are always cool. Antares, Aldebaran, Procyon, Spica, Denebola, Cygnus …
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That Mercedes would only be available in Gold.
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It seems so blatantly obvious….
<img src="http://blogchef.net/wp-content/uploads/2008/02/crispy_bacon_1.jpg" > -
VW was on the wind thing for a while. Scirocco, Passat, etc. Let's go with the wind theme, only let's pick some serious winds. Like hurricanes. So we would have the Kia Katrina, Hyundai Hugo, Audi Andrew, Cadillac Camille, and so on. Chevy dealers would have an accompanying captive import, the Geo Storm Surge . . .
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some wind names I don't think have been used yet.
Santa Ana
Typhoon
Cyclone
Northeaster
Tornado
Chinook
Squall
Bora
Kohilo
Solar wind
Maria-
Typhoon (Edmunds image)
<img src="http://www.edmunds.com/pictures/VEHICLE/1993/GMC/4681/1993.gmc.typhoon.4447-396×249.jpg" width="500"/>
Syclone (sic) (Wikipedia image)
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/1991GMCSyclone.jpg" width="500"/>
Cyclone (Wikipedia image)
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/1971_Mercury_Cyclone.jpg" />
Bora (Wikipedia image)
<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Bora.jpg/800px-Bora.jpg" width="500"/>-
Also:
VW Bora:
<img src="http://www.ridelust.com/wp-content/uploads/nuevo-vw-bora-2009-01.jpg" width="500">
Oldsmobile Toronado (yeah yeah, close enough)
<img src="http://www.globalcar.com/img/17232701.jpg">
Boeing Chinook:
<img src="http://www.eodkingnothingscastle.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/canadian1470051.jpg">
(Okay, technically not a car, but from the techs I've talked to, they consider it one, since it spends more time on the ground in the shop than it does actually flying…)-
I should have remembered of the Maserati doh! ya the Toronado to close and a better sounding name than Tornado how about Fujita, Class 5, or F5
anyway the rest were off my radar, thanks
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There used to be a Timberline all-terrain tire from the Dayton brand (a value line of Bridgestone/Firestone IIRC.)
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Hammerhead-i Eagle Thrust.
That or Geoff. -
Nostromo, the name of the ship in Alien
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