Some of the coolest and most memorable car names in history draw inspiration from actual geographical locations.
There is a story behind the most popular car names. Most of the major automakers carry the names of their legendary founders. A name might sound trivial, but selecting the right name for the brand or product is crucial, and these automakers do their due diligence while naming their cars. A cool name can help make a car more interesting and iconic. Not all names are cool and creative since some were ridiculously terrible names and would make buyers think twice about purchasing the car.
Every time a brand launches a new nameplate, it must come up with a cool name. We have cars named after real people, like the Ferrari Enzo or the Lotus Elise, and others after animals, like the Ford Mustang or the Dodge Viper. And others draw inspiration from geographical locations. These are some awesome cars named after places.
Ford has built many iconic vehicles over the last century, but few are revered and held in high regard as the Torino. The muscle car lived in the shadows of the Mustang in popularity, but it came in various forms in the 60s and 70s, like the Torino Talladega, which scooped 29 Grand National races during the 1969 and 1970 NASCAR seasons.
It got its name from the city of Turin, which goes by Torino in Italian. Talladega is also a name of a popular NASCAR venue.
The Dodge Dakota was the first small pickup truck to feature an optional V8 engine. It derives its name from one of many towns, cities, counties, and two states in the US.
The Dakota didn’t sell as much as the Dodge Ram trucks. It struggled to fit into the common truck or compact truck segment, stuck in the middle for not being too big or too small. Still, it was so popular that it remained in production until 2011.
You’ve probably heard of the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Bel Air is an area within Los Angeles, California, and Chevy first adopted the name on their cars in 1950 in their workhorse family. The first iteration was a two-door hardtop, but it went on to include many car styles across seven model generations.
The Chevy Bel Air went out of production in 1975, and these cars are icons that dominate many classic car shows today.
The Mercury Montclair is a series of big sedans manufactured by Ford’s defunct medium-price brand between 1955 and 1968. They came in a 2-door coupe, 4-door sedan, and 2-door convertible body styles and slit above the Monterey in the Mercury lineup.
It had similar styling to the Ford Thunderbird and is a true 1950s classic. And it shares a name with the humble suburb town of Montclair in Essex County, New Jersey, alongside other neighborhoods in California, North Carolina, and Indiana.
The Bonneville Salt Flats is one of Utah's most unique natural features: a densely packed salt pan spanning over 30k acres. It became famous for being home to the Bonneville Speedway, which has hosted innumerable land high-speed record runs. Automakers like Triumph have a lineup of motorcycles named after this place, and so did Pontiac.
Pontiac first used the Bonneville name in 1954 on a concept car, followed by a variant of the Star Chief. Then in 1958, the Pontiac Bonneville became a standalone car model.
Morris Motors is a good example of a car brand that was once a giant but no longer exist. The British brand named its cars after the city of Oxford from its days as an independent automaker and long after joining the British Motor Corporation. Indeed, their first ever car debuting in 1913 was an Oxford commonly known as the Bullnose.
The name survived to 1971 with the last Morris Farina Oxfords V and VI. Various vehicles, including trucks, station wagons, and saloon Morris cars, have carried the Oxford name.
The Yukon is the GMC version of the Chevy Tahoe SUV. They are practically twins, with many similarities beyond their cosmetic differences. For instance, they share the same platform, have undergone a thorough redesign for the 2021 model year, and happen to derive their names after places.
GMC first used the Yukon name in 1991. Yukon is the westernmost and smallest of Canada’s three territories, while the Chevy shares a name with Lake Tahoe, which sits on the border between California and Nevada states.
The Ferrari California is a landmark car that debuted in 2008, offering many new concepts in the brand’s road cars for the first time. The car derives its name from America's third-largest and most populous state.
It was the first front-engined Ferrari with a V8, a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, and the first hardtop convertible with a folding metal roof. It proved popular, and today it is one of the cheapest ways to the Ferrari owners club.
Monte Carlo is a Principality in the French Riviera home to the Place du Casino, the gambling center that has earned it notoriety for the extravagant display of wealth. Many manufacturers have adopted the name for their car models. Chevrolet first used the Monte Carlo name on a 1970 model, introducing the brand to the personal luxury car segment.
The Chevy Monte Carlo was a coupe focused on offering comfort than performance, and the American brand used the name until 2007.
Bentley has been known for building cars with an unmatched blend of the finest craftsmanship and performance for over a century. They also competed in races since their first-ever car and have a lasting place in motorsport for dominating the 24 hours of Le Mans in the mid to late 20s. Their Mulsanne model draws its name from the British brand’s association with the popular event.
Mulsanne is the name of a corner on the Le Mans circuit and the former 3.7-mile-long straight approaching it before the addition of two chicanes in 1990.
Bryan is a content marketer who works as a staff writer for HotCars.com where he covers a variety of topics, from the first Motorwagen to the latest Electric vehicles. A writer by day and a programmer by night. When he is not writing about cars, catch him tinkering with his old motorcycle.
