Names are important. Shakespeare averred otherwise in Romeo and Juliet writing that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but what does he know, he’s dead. When it comes to cars there’s frequently two names applied – that which is the formal name given by it maker, and that which is its affectionate nickname, given by its fans. Often times that second sobriquet is a condensed version of the official name, like ‘Vette for Corvette, or ‘Stang for Mustang. On occasion however, cars may gain their nickname based on a notable achievement, unique feature, or historical aspect. Once in a while the nickname actually takes prominence over the official moniker, a prime example of that would be Volkswagen’s “Beetle.”
Can you think of some of your favorite automobile nicknames – either those given to the model as a whole or a specific special example? What do you think is the coolest car nickname?
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Hooniverse Asks: What's the Coolest Car Nickname?
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62 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What's the Coolest Car Nickname?”
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Bentley Blue Train
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In Norwegian, the Beetle/Bug has the cute nickname ‘boble’, meaning ‘bubble’. But for English language coolness, turn to the Land Shark:
http://s.petrolicious.com/2013/history/porsche/porsche-928-7.jpg-
The VW Typ 1 is surely the world champion for cute national nicknames. I found it a cool move by VW to have the (new) new beetle be officially named by the most famous nickname in each country (Fusca in Brazil, Käfer in Germany, etc).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_names_for_the_Volkswagen_Type_1
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Ferrari Daytona. The official name for the car was 365 GTB/4.
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Can we do race cars?
Moby Dick-
That would provoke a lot of 70ies stuff… Rote Sau (MB), Die Sau (P-car), Black Widow (Opel), Black Coffin (Opel again)… just from the top of my head.
Not that this is explicitly disallowed!-
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Ah, that’s what you call it!
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Somewhat related, was “The Beast of Turin” its official name, or a nickname?
http://tanshanomi.com/temp/animated/beast-awakes.gif-
The official name was Fiat S76.
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Actually more closely related to the Chitty Chitty Bang Bangs below. (with the emphasis on BANG BANG!)
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I was thinking more of the names: monster, beast…
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Totally bestest gif everest!
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Steinmetz Opel Commodore “Jumbo”, with the Boeing 747 as its godfather.
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Race Car nicknames? There’s a wikipedia entry for that.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_nicknames_in_motorsport#Cars-
We’d need the wiki article on [i]cool[/i] racecar nicknames,though.
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Don’t forget its less-powerful, RWD-only stablemate the GTS-T, or “Goshzilla”.
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Though it’s often applied to any modern GT-R in the motoring press, I always reckon this nickname only really applies to the R32 GT-R which was the only homologation GT-R for group A. The name was applied by the Australians, because it came from Japan and destroyed everything in its path, but after that, partly thanks to the end of group A and partly due to the Aussies pulling a “it’s our ball and we’re not playing any more” move with changing the format to V8 supercars, the R33/R34 were never campaigned in the same way, at least not in a format that bore close resemblance to the road car.
A couple of Tuesday answers:
For a particular machine: “Overdog,” Cook Neilson’s Ducati 750 Super Sport racer.
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BPSdPnU4Ycc/TkxkpEr1tJI/AAAAAAAAAqU/rWJkHaZ5mr4/s320/cook+and+fred+by+DD.jpg
For a model: The Suzuki GT750 is a twofer — “Kettle” in the UK, “Water Buffalo” in the USA. Both brilliant.
http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/uploads/cars/suzuki/1270493.jpg
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I never knew of the GT750’s existence until just now. When did expansion chambers start becoming popular on two-strokes?
I wondered to myself what the thing must sound like, so I youtubed it and confirmed — awful lot like something branded “Evinrude”.-
Also, I always liked my nickname for the CBR250R — WeeBR. I don’t think I originated it, but it was so very fitting.
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There’s also “Wee-Strom,” a popular nickname for the 650 V-Strom.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c55/toyozuki/WeeStrom_Logo4.jpg
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In that vein, how about Slippery Sam, the Triumph endurance racer, named as the result of an oil leak.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Slippery_Sam_Triumph_Trident_cropped.JPG/1024px-Slippery_Sam_Triumph_Trident_cropped.JPG -
“Water Buffalo” is also the nickname for these in Australia.
In Australia, a “Kettle” is a BMW K100 or K1100.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/1991_BMW_K100RS_ABS.jpg/1280px-1991_BMW_K100RS_ABS.jpg-
old boxer-BMWs are known as “Gummikuh”, “Rubber Cow” in german speaking europe.
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Want to improve the chances your concept will get the green light? Name it after the mascot at the boss’s alma mata. The Corvette Blue Devil.
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/t9OF4A_aUGc/hqdefault.jpg
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Sufficiently special that it was one of the ones chosen to be rebuilt by the ‘Vette museum after falling through the earth.
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It was special enough to be in the museum in the first place. Whether it was worth restoring was as much a question of how much damage it sustained as it was how special it was. It received the least damage of the cars that fell. Right after extricating it, they fired it up and drove it out of the museum.
In craigslist parlance, the Blue Devil was an “easy restoration”, thus worth of the effort.
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Pontiac tried to identify the GTO with a tiger. The public called it a Goat.
Sometimes people called their A-body Barracudas “‘cuda”. When the E bodies came out, Plymouth made the ‘cuda the top trim level.
68-70 Dodge Chargers are “Coke bottles”.
The Goat.
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“The Great One”
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All other terms of endearment pale in comparison.
I like Pug. For the 205 GTI, of course. But kind of works for any Peugeot, even the bicycles.
The original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. “Chitty Bang Bang was the informal name of a number of celebrated English racing cars, built and raced by CountLouis Zborowski and his engineer Clive Gallop in the 1920s, which inspired the book, film and stage musical Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang.”
The smallest of these had an egine in the 18L range.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Count_Zborowski_With_Chitty_Bang_Bang_1_At_Brooklands.jpg
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Compact engine, compact car.
https://media4.giphy.com/media/C4lSxWjqSJLfG/200_s.gif
Turning this question on its head, and ahead of two-wheel Tuesday, I present the Indian-made Rajdoot GTS. Quite cute and a perfectly solid name, right? Well, it was the steed of choice for the leading man in the 1973 film “Bobby”, so it is now better known as the Rajdoot Bobby.
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Looks a lot like the Honda Monkey (Z50), so named for how you look riding one.
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I wouldn’t be surprised if its a copy of the Z50, modified for Indian market needs. This was made during deeply socialist India, after all, when the government had a large case of NIH syndrome regarding the entire economy.
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Nope, no connection to the Z50. The Honda has a 50cc horizontal four-stroke engine, the Rajdoot Bobby has a 175cc vertical two-stroke originally based on a Polish SHL design. Also, look carefully at the Rajdoot’s rear swingarm, leading-link front forks, and larger brake hubs. Nothing similar in the details.
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Yup, the details are quite different. I should have looked closer. I also think the Bobby is more of a motorcycle whereas the Z50 is undoubtedly a moped. Speaking of East-European motorcycles, I always admired people who owned Jawa motorcyles in India for being that little bit off-beat.
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http://www.motorsportmagazine.com/cars-for-sale/autoclass/stock-images/lhhide466x/81uny07v8g/0i9dxo5ba7.jpg
Most of these are cool cars that have earned nicknames reflecting that. I submit the Landcrab as the coolest nickname for a weird car (althoughvthis particular one iw amazing).
Another two-wheel answer close to my heart, Bultaco’s first world record holder, Cazarecords — “Hunting Records”
http://i0.wp.com/hooniverse.info/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Cazarecords_01.jpg?resize=500%2C375
Cherry X-1R, the “Atomic Cockroach.”
http://jdmzipties.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/nismo-2741.jpg
This modified Fiat SB4, nicknamed Mefistofele by the press because of the smoke and explosions produced by its 21.7-liter aircraft engine.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/1923_Fiat_Mefistofele_-_Flickr_-_edvvc_cropped.jpg
Here’s what said engine looks like :
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Fiat_A.12,_Research_%26_Development_Gallery,_USAF_National_Museum.jpg
More info : http://www.fiat.com/fiatpedia/heritage/fiat-mefistofele
Pontiac Firechicken!
http://fastestlaps.com/photos/pontiac_firebird_trans_am_455_super_duty.jpg
Ford Thunderchicken!
http://media.motortopia.com/files/16647/vehicle/4960844d50e5d/DSCN0257.jpg
For a single car: Andrew Steyn’s Land Rover 88, “The Antichrist” from “The Gods Must Be Crazy”
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For models it’s still hard to beat “Tin Lizzie” and “Flivver”
Thick as a brick.
http://myblackbrick.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/volvo244-fast.jpg
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and, the Flying Brick.
http://dropbears.com/gallery/bmw/images/K100RS.jpg-
Flying…ummmm….
http://images.newcartestdrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2005/07/06-tribeca-1.jpg
Even though personally, I don’t see it…. -
The BMW-labelled “brick”? Also:
http://stuartre.tripod.com/740.GIF
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No, this is a Green Goddess
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Green_Goddess_PGW248_emerging_from_Wellington_Barracks.jpg-
As Parody Bob Ross says on the Sherwin-Williams commercial, “Well now, there’s room for all of us.”
http://img.youtube.com/vi/5CMDjraVUVA/0.jpg
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A few from Down Under:
Holden Commodore – “Crummydore” or “Dunnydore” (“Dunny” is Aussie slang for a toilet).
Ford Falcon – “Foul-can”
Mitsubishi Sigma – “Stigma”
Mitsubishi Magna – “Maggot”
any large SUV, especially one that doesn’t get dirty – “Toorak Tractor” (Toorak is an upscale inner-Melbourne suburb, )
Volvo 240 series – “Swedish Taxi”
VW Type 4 are called “Nasenbär” in german.
That means “coati”:)
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