What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. –William Shakespeare
* * *
Last week Sue Coletta wrote a post in which James Scott Bell facetiously commented his dream job would be to be a wine critic. That got me thinking about a vocation I’ve always said was my dream job: naming new models of automobiles.
Driving down the street is like sailing through a sea of fantasia. Those little boxes that are designed to carry people from here to there in various states of luxury have names that have nothing to do with their engineering.
Take the Aston Martin Valkyrie for example. If there were a contest of fantastic auto names, this would surely be the winner. According to Merriam-Webster, the meaning of VALKYRIE is “any of the maidens of Odin who choose the heroes to be slain in battle and conduct them to Valhalla.”
I have to say I haven’t seen any Valkyries driving around in my neighborhood, but I’m keeping an eye out just to see which end of this car is the front and which is the rear.
* * *
Many automakers prefer animal names for their cars. Here are a few:
- Chevrolet Impala
- Plymouth Barracuda
- Dodge Viper
- Mercury Cougar
- Ford Raptor
- Ford Bronco
- Ford Mustang — My husband owned one of these when we were married.
- The Jaguar — I owned a Jaguar XKE when I was young, single, and foolish. To this day, I’m not sure if I owned the car or the car owned me. It seems like I spent a lot of time taking care of its issues.
- Volkswagon Beetle — A hugely popular car that didn’t follow the ferocious animal paradigm.
* * *
Weather seems to be big in car names. Consider these
- Mercury Cyclone
- GMC Syclone — The misspelling was intentional and used to avoid trademark infringement. But who would buy a misspelled name?
- GMC Typhoon – GMC apparently likes weather names
- Oldsmobile Toronado – Toronado is not actually a word, so I assume Oldsmobile was looking for a cool name to conjure up the force of a tornado.
- And then there’s the Renault Wind. I don’t think this one was intended to invoke feelings of a powerful storm:
* * *
Other notable car names:
- Jeep Gladiator
- Dodge Stealth
- AMC Javelin
- Triumph Spitfire
- Acura Legend
- Nissan Armada (One car is an armada?)
- Aston Martin Superleggera (And the name doesn’t have anything to do with legroom!)
- Nissan Maxima – Years ago, my husband and I had to replace an old car, and I had picked out a new Maxima as my car of choice. When I took Frank to the dealership to show him the car, the salesman took great pains and a lot of time to describe all the fantastic features. When the spiel finally concluded, Frank asked about the price. The salesman spouted a big number, then said, “But remember, this is a MAXIMA!” Frank didn’t bat an eyelash, but replied, “Do you have a Minima?”
(In case you’re wondering, we bought that Maxima and kept it for over ten years.)
* * *
Another of the great cars I owned in my life was the Audi A4. Uninspired name. Fabulous car.
* * *
I identify the cars my characters drive. Kathryn in The Watch Mysteries drives an old Maxima. Her boyfriend, Phil, owns a car repair shop and drives an Audi. Cassie Deakin in Lady Pilot-in-Command drives a Mustang. None of the cars in my stories have a personal name, but Cassie’s airplane is named Scout.
* * *
So TKZers: What cars were special to you in your life? Do you identify the cars your characters drive? Do you give them names? If you could give a name to a new model car, what would it be?
* * *
Kathryn Frasier prefers running to driving. You can find her training for marathons in The Watch Mysteries. The ebook boxset is on sale for $1.99
Great post… the list of model names lately seems like they used an online, random name generator you see for characters or bands or such…
Special cars over my commuting life?
▪ Dad’s 1970 Maverick – he bought it when he saw a commercial showing American Airlines flight attendants (stewardi in the day), assemble one in time lapse on the tarmac in front of a hangar and, yes, chauvinistically, decided he could take care of it himself
▪ My first car (of course), ranks up there – a used, 1970 Hulk-green Volkswagen Rabbit – named Dr. Dave (after Dr. David Banner the Hulk’s calmer alter-ego, of course…)
▪ My son has a beater of an old Toyota Tacoma 4X4 – two-tone (primer and Bondo), with pressure treated lumber for the flat bed and bumpers – he uses it for hunting and humor – calls it the “Gullywhumper” after Mike Fink’s keelboat in an old Disney Davy Crockett movie – it actually won a prize at a local off-roader show – Ugliest Truck – he couldn’t’ve been prouder…
I try not to make the cars my characters drive into an advertisement – just read a book where every time the main character mentions his car, it’s “the Flex” as opposed to just the car… a one-time reference to the Ford would’ve sufficed (IMHO)… However, in the Travis MaGee’s “Miss Agnes” mode, I do have a recurring ride – a ’66 Ford Ranchero, aqua and artic white, with chrome and maintenance issues – not given a name (which is bad luck according to the guys on Car Talk)…
Oh… And my dream job? Naming paint colors…
I do identify the cars my characters drive, but I never say bad things about them. Flora drives a 25-year-old Blazer that’s still holding up. Elrod drives a Ford pickup that serves him well on the chicken ranch. LB drives a hybrid Honda with great safety features…
A new model car, hm. How about a Flare? It could be solar-powered.
Good morning, Vera!
The cars we give our characters are as descriptive as hair color or any other character trait. I love that LB drives a “hybrid Honda with great safety features…”
I got a little jolt when I read your proposed new car name. When I was thinking about this post, I came up with two candidates: One was the Impassible for a speedy sports car. The other was the Solar Flare for a solar-powered car! Great minds…
I always name my cars. Previously I drove a car named Dashiell. My current car is named Romeo, for obvious reasons.
Speaking of Mike Romeo, he drives a classic Mustang convertible named Spinoza.
I always liked the SNL car commercial, with Phil Hartman, for a car that cost only $179– the Adobe. “The sassy new Mexican import that’s made out of clay.” Fender bender? No problem. Just reshape it with your hands!
I started reading your newest Romeo book. He was totally justified in taking down Big Truck Guy. The nerve of him busting Spinoza’s taillight! Sheesh
Word!
Good morning, Jim.
I was thinking about Mike Romeo’s car as I wrote this. I’ve never named any of my cars, but I may go back and name them retroactively. I will definitely call the XKE “Trouble.”
The Adobe skit is hilarious.
Cars from my childhood to teen years – Pontiac LeMans, Volkswagen Beetle, Pontiac Grand Prix. I used to own a Ford Excursion, and now have a Ford Explorer. I’ve contemplated buying a Ford Expedition. Is Ford trying to make me feel like I’m on a grand adventure when I drive their cars? lol. We used to have a Nissan Altima. My daughter has a Nissan Rogue.
There’s a car out there called a Sienna (which inspired the name of one of my fantasy novel’s characters), and a Highlander, which, of course, makes me think of the Adrian Paul series.
My kids and I used to name our cars. The Excursion was “Emily” (long story), my husband’s truck was “Driver,” and one of the kids used to call our Explorer “Zippy.”
Good morning, Michelle!
You and I have something in common. The first car I bought was a Pontiac LeMans.
“Is Ford trying to make me feel like I’m on a grand adventure when I drive their cars?” Absolutely. They’re selling more than engineering.
I like “Zippy.” We should always get our children to name our cars.
Have a great week.
My first car, too! 😀 It sat in my driveway for two long years till I got around to getting my license. LOL I learned how to drive stick in my ’72 Nova with three on the column. Loved that car.
🙂
That sky-blue car was my dad’s pride and joy. Since it was a convertible, he wouldn’t let the men at the gas station wash the plastic back window. Every other weekend, we washed the car and went to the drive-in movie theater with the top down.
I love horses, so it’s no surprise that my first special car was a Mustang pedal-car that I had as a little kid. 😎 As for the real deal, Mustangs were better looking than the Pintos.
My 2nd special car was getting a used Ford Gran Torino 4-door–the closest I could get to having a Starsky car without the red paint and white stripe. First car I had when I got my driver’s license. I remember I went through a period where the starter was broken so I had to carry 2 sets of keys–had to leave the car running, hurry into the store and unlock with the other set of keys because if you turned the car off, it would be a while before it started up again.
My all-time favorite vehicle is Jeep Wrangler. Had one on lease about 20 years ago & loved it. Until your post, I never paid attention to the fact that the name ties in to my interest in horses and the old west.
And now you’ve got my trivia brain going because I thought about Chevy Cavalier and wondered if there are any other car names that represent attitude or emotion. I’ll have to ponder that one.
Good morning, Brenda!
The Ford Mustang was an automotive phenomenon. I don’t know how much the name had to do with it, but I suspect it added to the sense of freedom and beauty we associate with those horses.
I suppose auto companies have long lists of names to consider when they come up with a new model. I’d love to know how the final decision is made.
First car, the one I learned to drive on: a Hillman Minx. Anyone heard of that one? It was my dad’s response to mid life crisis. The first car that wasn’t a hand me down was a Chevy Blazer. I didn’t start naming my cars until recently.
My favorite? Probably my bright orange Honda Fit. But it’s not a mountain winter car, so my current ride is a red Honda CRV Hybrid, named Ruby.
The Hillman Minx? Interesting name for a family car. I had never heard of the Minx, so just looked it up and found some related models: The Singer Gazelle and the Sunbeam Rapier.
Was the Minx a standard shift?
“Ruby” – love that name.
Yes, it was a stick shift. On the column, and “backward” because they didn’t change anything when they put the steering wheel on the American driver’s side.
Discounting the sexy lady in THOR, a Valkyrie in mythology was a Grim Reaper and bang maid for the dead. Not the name for any car I’d drive.
I’ve never bought any car that wasn’t in the cheaper range because I don’t drive that much, and I’m not the type who needs a fancy car for my self worth, My last three cars have been Ford sedans.
Good morning, Marilynn,
I wondered why an auto company would name one of their models “Valkyrie.” Seems like the driver is putting him/herself at great risk!
I miss my FIAT X/19. It put my mechanic’s child through college, but it was fun. I saw a modified X/19 at a car show this year. Bright orange. Under the hood a Honda VTEC and racing 6 speed, about 200 horsepower. A bit quicker than when it left Italy with 75 hp.
Currently I am on my second Prius. It is approaching 300,000 miles. I drive about 25,000 miles a year. I love 50 mpg.
What is it about sports cars? They capture our hearts, but oh, the expense!
My husband owns a Prius. The gas mileage alone is worth it.
Doesn’t FIAT stand for “Fix it again, Tony.”
In my single days, I drove a blue Volkswagen Beetle – circa 1969. I named her Hermalita. Hubby had a red and white VW bus named Grace. Now I drive a Chevy Spark. It’s bright green and I named her The Skittle.
And yes, I do put the make, model, and even the color of my character’s vehicles. It adds a little touch of personality.
Good morning, Jane.
“Hermalita” is a great name for a VW Beetle. Does it have a meaning or did you just like the sound of it?
The choice of a vehicle tells a lot about a character, and sometimes it can create a connection with the reader who may have had a similar car.
Names in general
Superleggera is Italian for very light. Normally a high performance version, but sometimes just because it sounds cool.
Testa Rossa and Testarossa both mean red head. Ferrari went with the one word Testarossa when they reused the name in the 1980’s.
Ford’s SUVs all have “ex” sounding names. Escape, Explorer, Expedition, Excursion.
The Mustang was the first of Detroit’s 1960’s sports cars. Hence the term pony cars.
Porsche and Saab went to court over car names that were three digits starting with 9.
Lest any of you put a Pontiac GTO in a story, GTO is the abbreviation for Gran Turismo Omlagato, an Italian named racing class. Ferrari 250 GTOs dominated sports car racing in the early 1960’s. Pontiac named their car after the Ferrari. Some Pontiac fans say it is for Grand Touring Original. It isn’t. Dodge and Carol Shelby made a Dodge Charger special edition with the correct English letters, GTH. (homogenated)
Thanks for this extra info, Alan. It looks like Ford is selling adventure as well as automobiles!
I knew about the GTO but didn’t know what the name stood for. Wasn’t that the original muscle car?
Interesting post, Kay.
I don’t give my cars names. I do name my tractors. My first car was a ’64 Olds Cutlass coupe, used, but it meant freedom. I drive pickups. My first was a Chevy LUV 4WD. I could haul firewood. And on the ice, when everyone else was spinning out at 30 mph, I could get up to 45 mph. I still have a ’96 GMC Sierra with 4WD. It has rust on the bottom, but it is otherwise in good shape, and it can get me out the lane when I haven’t had time to plough the snow.
In my teen fantasy series, the characters travel in flying barrel carts. I have given each one a name, but have rarely used the names in my books. I’ll have to remedy that.
My names for new cars would be too political. I better pass.
Have a great day!
Good morning, Steve!
I don’t remember reading the names of the flying barrel carts in your Mad River Magic series, but those barrel carts are characters in their own rights. I look forward to getting reacquainted with them.
I’d love to hear the names you give your tractors.
Have a great week.
The only car I ever named was a stunning 1984 midnight blue Lincoln with leather upholstery and thick Mouton carpet that masked its true identity.
Not long after we bought it, strange things began to happen. Headlights and dash lights went off and on w/o warning, usually going black at night on a dark road. Power door locks locked and unlocked even though the controls hadn’t been touched. Of course, the dealer said nothing was wrong.
One time, I got out to get something from the trunk and left the car running. Big mistake. Somehow it put itself into gear and drove forward. As it moved, the driver’s door slammed and locked itself. I was running alongside the rolling car punching the external buttons to unlock it but, as soon as I did, it relocked itself.
A block wall stopped it but not until it had run over and broken above an above ground water pipe, sending a geyser into the air.
We later discovered during a lemon-law lawsuit that the car had been in a flood. It had been repainted and the upholstery and carpet had been replaced with the luxury trim to camouflage the evidence. But in time the internal electronics corroded, causing erratic, unpredictable malfunctions in the lights, door locks, and gear engagement.
The name? Christine, of course, after Stephen King’s book about the possessed 1958 Plymouth Fury.
Good morning, Debbie.
Oh no! A car right out of one of Stephen King’s books. I hope you got compensated for having to go through that, and I hope you’re going to include a similar experience in one of your books. It was riveting to read about it here.
I wonder if there’s such a thing as automotive PTSD for owners of lemons.
I never have named my cars…learned to drive with a ’53 Dodge stick shift. First car I bought was a yellow Chevy Impalla and the last was a white Venza (that they stopped making the year I bought mine–it figures. Good car)
This was fun! And I do pick cars that suit my characters’ personalities…but not as well as JSB.
Good morning, Patricia.
I also learned to drive on a stick shift in a little Renault. I don’t even know the model name. My father taught me to drive it when we were at my great uncles’ farm. Since it was private property, I could drive around without a license. My cousin Joan and I used to “tour” the farm in that car. I think the cows were afraid of us.
Have a great week.
Fun post, Kay!
I’ve never named my cars.
My first car, when I was 17, was my great aunt Dottie’s ’55 Chevy wagon, salmon pink, which had sat in her garage for at least a decade. I paid her $200.00 for it, after my Dad, who owned a service station at the time, pronounced it in good running order. Wish I still had her. (Why are cars always “hers”?)
We’ve had several different vehicles over the course of our married life. My favorite is the one we have now. A 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee, bought brand-new in August of 2003 and paid off in 2009. And that’s why it’s my fave.
We hope never to have to buy another vehicle.
And, name for a new model? How about the Cheap Jeep? Guaranteed to run the rest of your natural life, and to not depreciate by 50% the moment the tires hit the street. 🙂
Good morning, Deb!
The first car is always a sentimental memory, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter how old or what color it was, as Steve mentioned, it represented freedom, a coming of age moment.
I like the Cheap Jeep. If you can convince an automaker to create it, I’ll buy one. 🙂
Have a great week.
ⓆWhat cars were special to you in your life?
ⒶMostly my Chinese-restaurant-red ’58 MGA. I called it “Shen Fu,” which means various things, depending on whom you believe:
Foreign Devil (according to a book I read)
Reverend Father (what missionaries were told it meant)
a Qing Dynasty Chinese writer
a mushroom medicine (Fu Shen or Shenfu)
the first Chinese to visit Britain, Shen Fu-Tsung
the Chinese god of happiness (Fu Shen)
ⓆDo you identify the cars your characters drive?
ⒶMy German General Olbricht drives a beat-up Opel Admiral that has been at the front IRL. Carl Jung drove a Chrysler IRL, but I put him in Allen Dulles’s 300HP Auburn V-12, like my dad’s❇, except with armor plate. My Mary Bancroft rides a motorcycle. (I don’t know if she did IRL, but I would put nothing past her. Nothing!)
ⓆWhat would you name a new model car?
ⒶThe Bletchley Decryptor.
❇ My dad assured me his Auburn could pass anything on the road but a gas station.
Good morning, JG!
“Mostly my Chinese-restaurant-red ’58 MGA. I called it “Shen Fu,” Fabulous. Maybe there should be a law that all sports cars are Chinese-restaurant-red.
“The Bletchley Decryptor.” Now that’s a great name. Maybe we could set up a match race against the Enigma.
Here at Bletchley Motorworks Ltd., we drop the ‘g’ in our competitor’s product.
🙂
😂😂😂
In College in the early 1980s with the gas crisis fresh in everyones mind, my parents and those of my classmate began buying more fuel efficient cars. That meant they gave the older lager gas-guzzlers to us college students thinking the low gas mileage and high (relative) fuel cost would keep us from driving too much. It did. I drove a 1973 Ford station wagon that my friends dubbed the “Battlestar”. Others had a Town Car and there where two Lincoln Continentals parked outside our residents. One guy had an old blue Oldsmobile nicknmamed the “Blue Nun”. Why? The former owner was a nun.
Great names. And smart parents! 🙂
My first vehicle was a primer gray ’48 Ford pickup, 3 on the floor. Would often gather up a dozen or more kids to cruise about town like American Graffiti. Many didn’t have wheels in my economically depressed town, so this filled in as date night. One favorite spot was an area called the Spook Light. Described as a paranormal enigma for more than a century. It has a glowing mass of something that looked like ball lightning, bobbing and bouncing along a dirt road in northeast Oklahoma. With a few beers and some scary stories, it was cheap fun.
Next car was a ’56 Ford I paid $125 for. Painted it robin’s egg blue. Overhauled the engine and milled the heads to increase the compression ratio and horsepower. Then swapped out the rear end gears to produce an overdrive effect. Got great gas mileage. Just had to remember when the speed-o-meter showed 54 mph, it was actually 65. My wheels for high school and much of college.
The most fun was a brand new metallic black cherry ’70 Chevelle Malibu 2-door hardtop with a 350 V-8. Not a true muscle car but it turned out to be a real chick magnet when I reported for duty with the USAF. Still have this car and it plays a significant role in my current WIP, a reverse of the billionaire romance genre.
Living off base in an apartment, I was approached by a couple girls from a nearby finishing school. They were desperate to have a more active social life and asked me to help them. I agreed and they fabricated a cover story for a dumb ol’ country boy, instantly transforming me into an upper class gentleman worthy of being their “approved male escort.” Only 2 girls knew the truth, the rest thought the stories were fact. I arranged parties for them at my apartment on Friday and Saturday nights with a couple dozen guys from my air base. All the guys wanted to be my best friend.
It wasn’t until I was in over my head that I realized one screw up and I could face court martial for conduct unbecoming. As Prof. Bell would put it, career death stakes.
What great stories, Lars! Maybe you should forget the novel and write your memoir. Sounds like that’d be very interesting.