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Our Two Cents: Memorable Vehicle Names
There are so many things that go into what makes a given car memorable. Sure, performance and looks are front and center, but there’s more to it than that. Sometimes I wonder if all these alphanumeric car names currently pervading the market will be lost to time. How many people will remember a 2009 Lincoln MKS at a car show 30 years from now, relative to the name recognition of the Lincoln Town Car?
Some brands have made alphanumerics their mantra, witness everything from the wildly popular Lexus RX to the appeal and collectability of the BMW M3. But I reckon there will always be a majority of people who prefer cars with real names. So I asked the staff here at Hagerty Media the following question: what is the wildest, cheesiest, coolest, or just the most memorable name for a trim/option package on a car?
Let’s see what they came up with:
So Many JDM Vans
“I just love the word salad that is JDM van specifications. It’s like ‘let’s throw a bunch of random English words together’ and I think it’s awesome and hilarious.
Some don’t work great, for instance, you say Toyota MasterAce a little too fast and it’s gonna raise an eyebrow with English speakers. But my favorite, hands down is the Mitsubishi Delica trimmed out as the Space Gear Super Exceed. Don’t know what they were going for, but it sounds capable as hell!” – Greg Ingold
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Buy and sell classics with confidence
“I agree with Greg. There are a lot of Japanese market cars and trucks that, for whatever reason, sound goofy in English. Nissan Sunny, Cedric and even Skyline are just kind of weird names for a car, but I think Suzuki has some of the best. These include the Mighty Boy, Fun, Cappuccino, Spresso, Dzire, Esteem, Splash, and VanVan (which is a motorcycle). When it comes to trim packages, though, the Every Joypop Turbo (which actually is a van) is my favorite.” – Andrew Newton
“I actually owned an Every Joy Pop Turbo!” – Aaron Robinson
Mercury Montego MX Brougham with Custom Trim
“I am picking the awesome (in my mind) 1974-76 Mercury Montego MX Brougham with Custom Trim option. My bias comes from the fact that I own one, but you can’t avoid the appeal of having a car with a name as long as its wheelbase. The Malaise Era arranged strings of words in a decadent fashion, as one must do when higher performance packages are no longer part of the equation.
I have always wanted this car because of my childhood connection to the cheaper Mercury Montego MX, but it’s still a great name from an era of automotive marketing that gave us a lot of winners.” – Sajeev Mehta
Ford F-150 King Ranch
“For me its the King Ranch trim level for Ford pickups, and SUVs. I love the interior materials, but mostly I love how the expensive trim package just owns the fact that it is basically an urban cowboy/cosplay rancher costume.” – Larry Webster
Designer Series Lincolns
“Pick any of the designer series Lincolns from the mid to late 1970s, and you have a winner. I mean, come on: The Lincoln Continental Mark V Bill Blass? How much money did FoMoCo pay these designers to cast their names in chrome?” – Joe DeMatio
Dodge Dart Swinger
“I was always a fan of the Dodge Dart Swinger model. Though I really don’t know if you can get anybody to swing if you are driving a Dodge Dart.” – Steven Cole Smith
Ford Falcon XW GT Super Roo
“There are a couple of winners from our friends Down Under: the Ford Falcon XW GT Super Roo, a local take on the Road Runner featuring a kangaroo on the front fender with drag wheels for legs. I love the little joey peeking out from the pouch.
Then there is the infamous Chrysler by Chrysler, a jazzed up Valiant that was so nice they named it twice.” – Aaron Robinson
1970s Truck Names
“That Super Roo graphic is hard to beat, but ’70s trucks deserve a segment unto themselves here. Dodge went nuts with brawny names for their pickups and SUVs, from Dude, to Macho, to Warlock. GMC got in on it, too, with a few mostly graphics packages, but their Sarge name is my favorite. Even Chevy’s Luv mini truck got the Mighty Mike edition, not to be confused with Magic Mike. We don’t see too many memorable names now, except for the Dodge Last Call editions. Those only memorable in that they are too long to remember.
The most recent goofy name I can think of is another Dodge, the Nitro Detonator, for which only the name left an impression.” – Eddy Eckart
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Pinto. If you give a car the name of a bean, expect a rear-end explosion.
Great one, R.
I never thought of that. I always associated it with the horse, since Ford already had the Mustang.
The British built a motorcycle called the Abingdon King Dick.
Nothing more manly than driving. Zephyr.
The Studebaker Dictator has always been a favorite of mine.
Since I’m a Hudson guy, Hornet Hollywood 2dr hardtop
I always liked the Super Bee. Gotta love the bee with the helmet patching out.
I just love “Super Roo” the only thing better would be the “Joey Super Roo”. The drag strip slick tires are ok, they should have “Joey” hopping over the competition. Now, that would be an emblem.
Toward the end of this last run of Challengers, Dodge had a Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody Jailbreak. Surprised they didn’t add a La Femme package to the already WAYYY too long list!
Great one, R.
Back in the 50’s the most basic–and cheapest–version of Renault’s 4CV (no hubcaps, painted bumpers, no exterior trim, even painted door handles!) was called the Affaires. Given the obvious cheapness of the model, not to mention lack of interior room, it’s highly doubtful than any affairs took place in its confines…
Cadillac used a computer to pick the name for the Allanté, which doesn’t mean anything. It initial project name was Callista, which sounds really pretty. But since the car was built in Italy, they said NO. Callista is an Italian word that translates to “chiropodist” or “podiatrist” in English. A chiropodist is a medical professional who treats minor foot disorders.
Imagine the Toyota MasterAce being released today. The lefties would go crazy!
First off, I don’t think Toyota USA would let that fly if the thought was to bring that name to an English speaking market.
But why do you need to be left leaning for a name that sounds like “master race” to be a bit uncomfortable? I think the implications behind that should be uncomfortable for anyone who understands history.
The absolute coolest name has got to be the Jensen Interceptor. C’mon,,,nothing beats that!!
The years-old example of a name actually being pretty important in terms of marketing. The Chevy Nova never quite took off in Mexico…
As an AMC guy I loved their marketing in trim packages in the 70’s. Pierre Cardin javelin, Oleg Cassini matador, Levi gremlin. And the stripe package of the spirit AMX and jeep had a ton with the various cj names and stripes. Best jeep was the honcho pickup I think, loved it in the original twister movie.
When I was a kid, my dad drove a Rambler wagon with individual letters in the grill. I changed them to read “BLAMERR” Got a lot of second looks.
I know of a pink and white ’59 wagon with the lettering changed to “M A B E L”.
A work colleague had an aging Buick LeSabre. The “Le” broke off the rest of the emblem. He never bothered to fix it and called his car The Sabre.
My sister-in-law had a 1970’s Mercury Monarch. The “r” fell off and she called it the “Mo-nach” pronouncing it with a phony French accent. She would say, “I’m gonna take the Monache up to the Tar-jhay (Target).”