Quiz: How Did These Cars and Parts Get Their Names?
What’s in a name? Would a roadster by any other name drive so sweet?
Naming brands and products is one of the cornerstones of marketing. A name is often the first element of a brand that customers will encounter. It’s vital that a name is distinctive, authentic, memorable, and enduring.
Automotive brands are known for being intentional with what they name different vehicles and parts, but there are also some name origins that just sort of happened.
Do you know where these cars and parts got their names?
…
Take the Automotive Etymology Quiz below to find out!
1. Rocker Panel gets its name because...
A. They give the appearance of a children’s rocking cradle.
B. They became popular with recreational off-roading (rocking) enthusiasts.
C. They stabilize the vehicle and prevent rocking.
2. Toyota has a pattern of naming its cars after….
A. Japanese Rivers
B. Birds and Flowers
C. Gods and Royalty
3. The Mustang Shelby GT350 got its number from…
A. Carroll Shelby’s childhood address.
B. The number of paces between Carroll Shelby’s office and a neighboring building.
C. An employee’s losing lottery numbers.
4. The Swedish automaker, Volvo, gets its name from which language?
A. Latin
B. Swedish
C. Romanian
5. What was the Shaker Hood’s original name?
A. The Convulsing Air Scooper
B. The Incredible Quivering Exposed Cold Air Grabber
C. The Joggling Air Snatcher
6. The origin of Lamborghini model names can be linked to…
A. Bullfighting
B. Italian racecar drivers
C. Greek Mythology
7. Originally called Willy’s MB, Jeep’s switched its name after…
A. The first horns on the models made a distinct "jeep jeep" sound.
B. Karl Probst, the original vehicle designer, had a pet dog named “Jeep” after the beloved Popeye comic strip character, Eugene the Jeep.
C. It was commonly referred to as General Purpose Vehicle (GP for short)
8. When did Jerrycan get its name?
A. The American Civil War
B. WWII
C. The Korean War
9. Legend has it that the Mitsubishi Starion owes its name to what?
A. A garbled phone call
B. A Star Trek character
C. A Japanese pop star
10. Which famous racecar driver did McLaren name its new sports car after in 2018?
A. James Hunt
B. Alain Prost
C. Ayrton Senna
11. Who coined the term “automobile”?
A. An Italian engineer
B. The New York Times
C. Webster’s Dictionary
12. Where did Enzo Ferrari get the idea for the Ferrari Dino?
A. Stolen Porsche blueprints
B. His son
C. Design submission contest
Think you got them all? Check your answers Below!
1. Rocker Panel gets its name because...
A. They give the appearance of a children’s rocking cradle.
2. Toyota has a pattern of naming its cars after….
C. Gods and Royalty
Here are just a few examples of Toyota's cars named after Gods and Royalty:
- Camry comes from the Japanese "kanmuri", which roughly translates to “crown”.
- Corolla is the crowning portion of flower petals.
- Yaris comes from the Greek goddess “Charis”
- Avalon is the legendary island where King Arthur’s sword Excalibur was forged
- Tacoma was the previous name of what is now Mt. Rainer. The name has been analyzed from the native language to mean “the mountain that was god” and “mother of waters”.
3. The Mustang Shelby GT350 got its number from…
B. The number of paces between Carroll Shelby’s office and a neighboring building.
4. The Swedish automaker, Volvo, gets its name from which language?
A. Latin
Latin for “I roll” is suiting for a company who started as a ball bearing company and planned on putting their name on anything that rolled, from bicycles to automobiles.
5. What was the Shaker Hood’s original name?
B. The Incredible Quivering Exposed Cold Air Grabber
6. The origin of Lamborghini model names can be linked to…
A. Bullfighting
7. Originally called Willy’s MB, Jeep’s switched its name after…
C. It was commonly referred to as General Purpose Vehicle (GP for short)
8. When did Jerrycan get its name?
B. WWII
This slang term for a gas can originated back in the second World War, when American GIs started using a German-designed fluid canister to transport water and gas from place to place. The German version was far superior to that being used by the Allies, and after a few failed designs of our own, America reverse-engineered the German version and sent thousands overseas to aid in the war. Soldiers recognized this design as being German in origin, and since a slang word for a German was a “Jerry,” it was only befitting to name the canister such.
9. Legend has it that the Mitsubishi Starion owes its name to what?
A. A garbled phone call
Admittedly, this one has never been confirmed, but legend has it that Mitsubishi meant to name its new sport coupe the “Stallion” to go along with its Colt. A 1980’s low quality phone call between Japan and marketers in the U.S. allegedly lead to the car being advertised as Starion.
Other theories about the cars origin story is that it was named after the Star of Orion. We may never know for sure.
10. Which famous racecar driver did McLaren name its new sports car after in 2018?
C. Ayrton Senna
The McLaren Senna is one of the fastest cars you can buy today, with a 0-60mph time of 2.8 seconds. Rightfully, it was named after one of the fastest drivers of all time. Ayrton Senna drove for McLaren’s Formula One Team from 1988 – 1993, winning three Driver’s Championships and 35 Grand Prix. Senna has been immortalized in the sport after his career was cut short at the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994, where he suffered a fatal crash.
11. Who coined the term “automobile”?
A. An Italian engineer
Even though the New York Times popularized the term in 1897, the first use of the word “automobile” was by a 14th century Italian painter and engineer simply known as Martini. The word was created by combining the Greek work “auto”, meaning self, and the Latin word “mobils”, meaning moving. Martini never actually built an automobile, but gave the name to designs he had created for a man-powered carriage with four wheels. Pictured is an extract from a notebook of Francesco di Giorgio Martini, 1470
12. Where did Enzo Ferrari get the idea for the Ferrari Dino?
A. Stolen Porsche blueprints
B. His son
C. Design submission contest
The original idea for the Ferrari Dino came from Enzo’s son, Alfredo. The car was the first Ferrari model to be produced in high numbers and at a lower than normal cost; this was in hopes of competing with the wildly popular Porsche 911. Alfredo (or Dino for short) suffered from muscular dystrophy, and pitched the idea of the car from his death bed to Ferrari’s head engineer. The car was named after Dino in remembrance.
Want to learn more about automotive branding? Check out our other articles:
Into the Minds of Consumers: Automotive Branding
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