What kind of car names are we used to? Some “2106” or, at best, “Samar”. Only after AvtoVAZ became a subsidiary of the French Renault Group did cars begin to appear with more or less sounding names, which are still inferior to foreign ones.
But even in countries where people have been trying to come up with beautiful names for cars for a long time, they don’t always succeed in creating something really exciting. Only in rare cases, cars are named so beautifully that you want to buy them just for that.
Jensen Interceptor
British automaker Jensen Motors released one of its most famous models, the Jensen Interceptor, in 1966. A GT-class sports car was the world’s first production car where the four-wheel-drive was used to improve performance on paved roads. In its most powerful configuration, the car had a V8 engine with a capacity of 8 liters, producing 385 horsepower, thanks to which it fully justified its resounding name “Interceptor”.
Triumph Spitfire – Sparky
Another product of the British automotive industry, which got its name from one of the most famous World War II fighters, the Supermarine Spitfire. This compact sports car was produced in 1962, designed by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti. The first motors installed on the Triumph Spitfire produced only 63 horsepower, which, however, with the car’s low weight, allowed it to accelerate to 148 kilometers per hour. For the early ’60s, when sports cars were a novelty, these were not bad figures.
Nevertheless, the Triumph Spitfire was loved by the drivers not for its speed and dynamics, but for its design and its loud name, which was pleasant to pronounce in the company, when someone asked what that beautiful car was standing in the yard.
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray
In 1953, Chevrolet held a contest to name a new car, where one employee suggested Corvette or watch ship, referring to the fast ships of World War II.
The prefix Stingray was given to the Chevrolet Corvette in its second generation, produced since 1963. And indeed, from this generation, the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray resembled not only corvettes, thanks to its high speed and maneuverability, but also stingrays, with its smooth lines.
Ferrari Testarossa – Red Head
Italians have always taken care of both the appearance and the names of their creations. And in conjunction with their melodious language, the names came out especially beautiful. Ferrari Testarossa, launched in 1984, was named so after the engine cylinder heads, painted red. We agree, it doesn’t sound that pretty, and it’s unlikely that many would run to buy even a sports car from Ferrari if it was called “Red Head.” But just try to say it in Italian – Testarossa. Immediately you feel power and elegance.
Add to it, as always, magnificent design, acceleration up to 315 km/h and up to a hundred for 4,6 seconds, and also a high level of comfort, and you receive the car, which you want to show off before everybody.
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang hardly needs any introduction because it is, without exaggeration, one of the most famous and legendary cars not only in the ’60s but throughout history. As in the case with the Triumph Spitfire, the Ford Mustang was named after the World War II fighter plane – the North American P-51 Mustang. And it fully justified such a loud name, which simultaneously referred to both the fast fighter jet and the feral domestic horses, distinguished by their violent temperament.
Even in the 21st century, almost 60 years and six generations later, the Ford Mustang has recognizable features of the first models and remains popular not only in the USA but all over the world thanks to the mass culture and its loud, beautiful name.
Dodge Viper – The Viper
The snakes of the Viperidae family inspired the name Dodge Viper, and this model fully justifies its name, having high speed and excellent maneuverability. The first generation was equipped with an engine of 400 horsepower, which allowed acceleration to 290 kilometers per hour and easily overcome lifts, where other cars would simply roll down. The aggressive body lines justified the name. This made the Dodge Viper one of the most popular cars among young guys, who were happy to buy a car with such a loud name.
Bugatti Veyron – Veyron
The French Bugatti Veyron hypercar, produced from 2005 to 2015, was named after legendary French racing driver Pierre Veyron. Despite the fact that the name of the car is not translated in any way and it is just a surname, the combination of these two beautiful words made the hypercar additional advertising. Moreover, the Bugatti Veyron had a unique and somewhat even strange design which distinguished it from other sports cars and hypercars. Even today the Bugatti Veyron is still easily recognizable among the many similarly expensive cars.
Mercury Marauder – Marauder
Mercury was a division of the Ford Motor Company that produced mid-priced cars. In 1958, Ford introduced a line of powerful engines, calling it the Marauder, and in 1963 the first Mercury Marauder came out, equipped with a 6.3-liter V8 engine that developed 330 horsepower.
The Mercury Marauder was a charismatic car that not only had a beautiful name and a powerful engine, but also an aggressive design that showed who was boss on the road with its hard square lines.
