What Name Have You Given Your Car?

[Dandy Dave]

10 hours ago, Lebowski said:

 

I think it's just plain stupid. Do these geniuses also give names to their bicycles, riding lawnmowers and wheelbarrows? If not, why? You give a name to an animal like a dog or cat so they will come when you call them. Naming any kind of a vehicle is stupid unless you race it a quarter mile at a time.... 

 

Thems fightin words..... I have a power Shovel I built from scratch. 1 cubic foot bucket, 12 HP. Runs, swings, digs, and walks just like the big ones. I had to call it something as I did Manufacture it. It is a" Dandy Dave's Lil Digger". I guess being able to build something like that from a pile of scrap metal does make me a Mechanical Genius. The Shovel manufactures call their large shovels names like Big Muskie and The Mountaineer. Dandy Dave!  

Edited June 10, 2017 by Dandy Dave (see edit history)

[36 D2 Coupe]

Never have named my cars but my grandfather's '29 Plymouth sedan in which my folks brought their first son (me) home from the hospital was called Suzabelle. That's my earliest old car/MoPar connection

[60FlatTop]

13 hours ago, Restorer32 said:

a part time undertaker with a sense of humor.

 

Really.

[Lebowski]

2 hours ago, Dandy Dave said:

 

Thems fightin words..... I have a power Shovel I built from scratch. 1 cubic foot bucket, 12 HP. Runs, swings, digs, and walks just like the big ones. I had to call it something as I did Manufacture it. It is a" Dandy Dave's Lil Digger". I guess being able to build something like that from a pile of scrap metal does make me a Mechanical Genius. The Shovel manufactures call their large shovels names like Big Muskie and The Mountaineer. Dandy Dave!  

 

That's a great name for it but I may be a bit prejudiced since my name is Dave too... 

[SC38dls]

1 hour ago, Lebowski said:

 

That's a great name for it but I may be a bit prejudiced since my name is Dave too... 

Your right it is a good name. Oh, ?wait a minute that's mine too.  

[JACK M]

14 hours ago, Lebowski said:

 

Naming any kind of a vehicle is stupid unless you race it a quarter mile at a time.... 

 

I've always thought that racing a quarter mile at a time is stupid. 

Why would I want to race one guy for a few seconds when I can race 15 or 20 guys for a half hour?

[alsancle]

I have never understood the naming thing either but I do have an observation.   In my musclecar phase I owned both Mustangs & Cougars.  As you know, they are mechanically identical for the most part but have a much different set of owners.  The cougar guys all name their cars, usually with female monikers.   Never saw a mustang guy name their car (although I'm sure a few have).

[Restorer32]

4 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

 

Really.

Yes, really. I guess you need some kind of sense of humor to do that job.

[keiser31]

I would not go so far as to say it's "stupid" to name a vehicle. People have been doing that for years and if their vehicle was like my '67 A100 pickup, we could almost read each other's minds. It always hinted to me that it was about to run out of gas. It was pretty much like a pet or other family member. Yes, I will admit that I teared up when the new owner drove it away after I owned it for 23 years and was forced to sell it. Call me sensitive. It was like losing a very old and good friend.

Edited June 10, 2017 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Vila]

I don't understand giving names to cars either.

 

Mine and my wife's are The 33, The Triumph, The 633, The Old Vespa, The New Vespa, The Z3 and The Mini.  None of the modern stuff is shown.

 

 

Edited June 10, 2017 by Vila (see edit history)

[SC38dls]

Isn't"The 33" or "The Z3" a name?  I think each should do what ever makes you happy and allows you to have fun. I don't think it hurts anyone so go for it and enjoy. 

The proud owner of "The Beast" 

So I'm nuts - I'm having fun 

[MyJetstar1]

When I was a kid, my mom had a new 1969 Camaro that she named "Phyllis". When you road in "Phyllis", your feet were on the floor mat, your hands were on your lap, and you didn't touch ANYTHING! When I'd get out of the car in the summer, I'd have dimples in my legs from those bumpy clear plastic seat covers. Some of my greatest memories as a kid in that car. I've probably had 20 or so 69 Camaro's since, but there is only one "Phyllis".

 

While I didn't name it, friends have tagged my JS1 as the "BBW". It started by my trying to explain it was sort of an oversized 442, and it just went bad from there. Now I get a lot of "Are you taking the BBW?", lol!

[Hupp36]

The  guys in the  Hupp  club  cal  my  1936  Model  N with  Hupp  Super  drive the  White  Tornado.

[Buffalowed Bill]

I responded to a similar topic some time ago. For those of you that think it is stupid to name a car, I feel sorry for you! It only means that you don't have a women in your life that cares about cars. If you did cars would get named by her. In my world when a "new" car comes into the family, and I want to have some input into how it's going to be characterized in the future, I have to jump fast or run the risk having to live with something cutesy. Better half really does a decent job, most of the time, but we do share in the fun about equally.

 

Sources for the names are as varied as the cars themselves, some of them:

1) Name of friend or special person who passed the car on to me. Sometime to honor the person, and sometimes as a tongue in cheek double meaning to honor, and to say to the previous friend "I told you that you were stupid to sell that car." In other words an inside joke.

2) Car was already named when I got it. Unless the name is inappropriate or something that I can't stand, I like to use it.

3) A particular characteristic that the car has. The more universally recognized the better.

A name seems to add a personality to the cars that we car people hold dear. I have found that a name along with allowing the better half to have some input in color choice one of the best ways to insure that she will enjoy a long relationship with the car. Down side is just try to sell a named car. It's like selling a family member!

If two or more of the above sources can be combined, that's even better. Another advantage to naming you cars is having a code that you and the better half can use. This is especially beneficial if you have a large number of cars or have duplicates of the same make and model.

A few of our favorites:

"Oreo"- Black and white 1955 Studebaker Speedster owned since 1964, named forty years ago by my niece when she was five years old.

"Red Rooster"-1931 Studebaker President convertible coupe. It's red and definitely the cock of the walk in my collection.

"Malarkey"-1963 Studebaker Daytona htp. My Dad's last car, and was intended to be my only Lark.

"Humphrey"- 1960 Studebaker all original, four door station wagon. Family name of the 97 year old lady from whom I got the car. In addition everyone who sees it just thinks it looks like it's name should be Humphrey.

"Purple Piggy"-1967 Camaro, Royal Plumb is the color. I got from a friend, as a thoroughly abused car, when it was only two years old. A mutual friend named it at the time. I restored the car in the 80's, but the name remains as part of it's history.

"Tubby" the TBird-Black 1996 Ford Thunderbird with ground affects. Most everyone of my car friends know it as Tubby.

"Pretty Kitty"-1976 Jaguar XJ12C.

"Amy"-1951 Studebaker Champion which I got from a good friend thirty five years ago. When I got it the 1963 Washington license plate was AMY585 so the name had already been affixed by my friend.

Better stop, with over thirty cars I could go on, but I fear that I may have already overstayed my welcome!