Does your Classic have a name ?

[STEVE POLLARD]

I purchase this '69 Bel Air from a friend of mine down in North Carolina. Prior to purchasing the car, my friend always referred to the Bel Air as "Mr. Bailey". So when I made the purchased of the Bel Air last year, I asked my friend Lynn, who is Mr. Bailey ? Mr. Bailey Pruitt was a Tobacco Farmer in Oxford, NC.  He only drove the car on Sundays and had the am radio removed by the dealership for credit ! It explains why "Mr. Bailey" has only travel 13,000 miles. 

 

Does your classic have a name ?

 

Steve

 

[Dandy Dave]

My 1915 Buick is named "The Chartreus Lady". Dandy Dave!  

[edinmass]

Most of my cars have two names. One if it’s running correctly, the other for when it’s not!

[alsancle]

No.   I call them by what they are.

 

Point of reference is the "Cougar" guys vs the "Mustang" guys.  Cars are identical except for sheetmetal.   The Cougar guys give their cars girls names like they are boats.    That just reinforces the sterotype that the Mustang guys are cooler.

[edinmass]

20 minutes ago, alsancle said:

No.   I call them by what they are.

 

 

I'm witholding comments so Steve doesn't get any more complaints. 

[SC38dls]

The “black” car and the other “black” car. 
some how we know which car we mean. 
 

[TAKerry]

I have never given cars names but my wife does, once the name changes from the 'P.O.S. in the garage' to something else I know im done, and time to start on another project. My Trans Am has become 'The Hot Rod' by default as that is what I refer to when I ask my grandson to take a ride with me. So that is what he has taken to calling it. My wife calls it the 'tin can of death'!

 

[RansomEli]

Our 1929 and 1921 Franklins are named Scott and Zelda, respectively.

 

In honor of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, one of the most famous couples of the Flapper era. He was also the voice of the 1920s.

[Walt G]

No current names for the cars in my garage. When I owned my 31 Franklin it got named "Rosemont" after the Pa. town that was the location of the custom body builder that built the body. I know a lot of the British collectors name their cars and there was a collector of Packards in the Pacific NW area that had all kinds of "pretty" ( for lack of a better word) for his fleet but pet names for cars never did anything for me.

[Bhigdog]

Leaky, Squeaky, Smokey, Rattles and John.............Bob

[60FlatTop]

I figured the wife and the  kids would name the cars if they wanted.

[rocketraider]

9 hours ago, STEVE POLLARD said:

I purchase this '69 Bel Air from a friend of mine down in North Carolina. Prior to purchasing the car, my friend always referred to the Bel Air as "Mr. Bailey". So when I made the purchased of the Bel Air last year, I asked my friend Lynn, who is Mr. Bailey ? Mr. Bailey Pruitt was a Tobacco Farmer in Oxford, NC.  He only drove the car on Sundays and had the am radio removed by the dealership for credit ! It explains why "Mr. Bailey" has only travel 13,000 miles. 

 

Does your classic have a name ?

 

Steve

 

Bet it came from Bullock Chevrolet which is still in business.

 

You have no idea how many of these no-frills cars were sold down here in tobacco land. Every little small-town Chevy, Ford and Plymouth dealer kept them in stock, especially from September thru December when the farmers were selling that year's tobacco crop. Usually six-cylinder 3-speed bottom or mid line four-door sedans with no options, that replaced an 8 to 10 year old version of the same car, which was often as not low mileage. Rarely garaged, but "shed kept" in local parlance.

 

Sometimes a successful large-scale farmer would step up to an Impala, Galaxie or Fury III, but still kinda Spartan compared to what we take for granted on KIAs today. A farmer who ventured into Pontiac, Olds or Mercury was viewed as uppity though for whatever reason nobody sniffed at one who bought a Buick or Dodge.

 

My parents broke the mold in 1969 when they replaced a 1965 Biscayne sedan with an Impala sport coupe. 327 Powerglide and power steering. Mama said she was tired of driving a tractor. She loved that car and my dad hated it, because every time he tried to stop his left foot went for a clutch pedal and hit the brake instead.

 

When they bought my Uncle Malcolm's 1966 Olds 98 the next year, again, she loved it but he hated every gadget it had and being an LS it had plenty.

[Joe Cocuzza]

According to my kids the most common name is :

"When you die, how much are they worth?"

[Steve_Mack_CT]

This topic surfaces now and then.  We name them for fun but today I was thinking about HS cars, and nicknames for them.

School bus - 57 Chevy sedan, yellow with 60s style pinstripes and supposedly a corvette 327, it did run ok and had the vette valvecovers...

Punch Bucket- 69 Chevelle a pal had got nickname for his nailing it from every stop.  I bought it after he snuffed the nose, never put it back together...

Disco car - kids 80 TA (we secretly all wanted!!)

Eisenhower - 70 Chrysler huge, for obvious reasons.

Gray ghost - faded silver olds 67-ish wagon handed down to a lucky classmate in need of wheels, a cool tradition that went through 3 kids IIRC.

"Valvecover" reference to the straight 6 in pal's 68 or 69 Nova.

Any junky car was a "roach".

Others...

Edited July 29, 2021 by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)

[Ben Bruce aka First Born]

  George, for Dad from whom I learned to love cars, and especially Buicks.

 

  Ben

[STEVE POLLARD]

7 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

Bet it came from Bullock Chevrolet which is still in business.

I have the paperwork, Yancey Chevrolet Company, Oxford, NC

[rocketraider]

Names? Only ones that ever had a name as such were the late lamented Custom Cruiser wagon- the Gray Ghost- and the 69 Toronado is Toronado Rex. Most have been identified either by color or what they are. The Hurst/Olds is always referred to as the Pace Car and the 76 Ninety Eight as the big girl. The Starfires are the blue car and the green car.

 

Though I did have a lot of unprintable names for that 97 Olds Bravada I had. POS was one of the kinder ones. That thing broke me of modern GM vehicles and drove me to Fords for daily drivers. Crappy vehicle, worse than crappy dealer- what was there to love?

[auburnseeker]

My 51 Dodge's initials are F P O S.  or atleast that's what it's used to being called for the last year. 

Now my 31 Auburn is named Victoria.   It's going to take alot for me to refer to her as anything else. 

Most the rest don't have names. 

Though I really need to name the new toy.  What do you think I should call her Ed? 

[Steve_Mack_CT]

7 minutes ago, auburnseeker said:

My 51 Dodge's initials are F P O S.  or atleast that's what it's used to being called for the last year. 

Now my 31 Auburn is named Victoria.   It's going to take alot for me to refer to her as anything else. 

Most the rest don't have names. 

Though I really need to name the new toy.  What do you think I should call her Ed? 

Way to drop a bomb Seeker...

[auburnseeker]

Hey Steve the new toy is not the Auburn.  Something new only Ed knows about and he even liked it. 

[Mark Shaw]

Ruby is a 1908 Model F Buick

 

 

 

Scooter is a 1912 Model 34 Roadster

 

 

The Bumble Buick is a 1915 C25 Speedster

 

 

This 1931 Model 67 Buick is Michelle (named after a previous owner)

 

 

Edited July 29, 2021 by Mark Shaw (see edit history)

[rocketraider]

Steve, I have a good friend who graduated from JF Webb High School in Oxford and his family have several exceptional Chevrolets. Waiting on him to reply if any of theirs came from Yancey.

[Paul Dobbin]

I bought a unrestored 1935 Ford V8 Pickup in 1990.   Purchased from a photograph, I knew it said BOO BROS. on the doors.

I learned later, on the 1998 Glidden Tour that the children of the previos owner had decorated it for a Holloween Parade in

the 1970's and that it had a brother in a 1936 Ford flatbed, the other brother.  

Both trucks were in Trempleau WI and another guy on the Glidden Tour was from there too.   When I told him about my truck,

he related the brothers story.

I made it usable and filled it with antique junk and it;s still known as the BOO BROS. truck

[keiser31]

My original 1931 DB coupe is called the "red '31" and the other is the "blue and black '31".

[plymouthcranbrook]

I was told when I bought my 80 Volare it’s name was Helen after the original owner. That did not last long. Now depending on which one I am talking about it’s the Volare, or the 52, or the Kia, or the Traverse.  The last car I owned that had a name that stuck was the broken down 1954 Plymouth I drove in High School.  It’s name was the DSP. Dilapidated Sh*t Pile. A name well deserved and earned.

[Grimy]

I name my cars, except for the 1922 Paige, but its time is coming.... 

 

The 1918 Pierce is Colonel Clifton, named after the grand old man of the Pierce-Arrow Motor Car Company and president of the company when this car was built.  There's an excellent biography of COL Clifton the human by retired PAS editor Roger Sherman.

 

The 1930 Pierce roadster is Isadora (after Isadora Duncan the dancer) because scarves are de rigeur for female passengers and Ms. Duncan famously met her demise when her long scarf got caught in the knock-off hub of an Amilcar.

 

The 1925 Pierce Series 80 sedan is Humphrey (came with that name from the PO who had him from 1956 to 1994).  Similarly, the 1934 "production" Silver Arrow coupe was named Archie (for the archer hood mascot) by the PO.

 

The 1936 Pierce sedan is The Princess, although she is a heavy girl.

 

More prosaically, the 1948 Jeepster is Willy.

 

And I had the first of two DeSoto Suburbans in college, and my friends referred to it as The Green Latrine.

[STEVE POLLARD]

2 hours ago, rocketraider said:

Every little small-town Chevy, Ford and Plymouth dealer kept them in stock, especially from September thru December when the farmers were selling that year's tobacco crop. Usually six-cylinder 3-speed bottom or mid line four-door sedans with no options, that replaced an 8 to 10 year old version of the same car, which was often as not low mileage. Rarely garaged, but "shed kept" in local parlance.

Did you own this ??  LOL  I didn't mention, but it's a 250 6 cylinder, three speed on the column.... bare bones, I mean nothing at all options and it was purchased 12-24-68...... oh, it was parked in a chicken coop 

 

Steve

Edited July 29, 2021 by STEVE POLLARD (see edit history)

[STEVE POLLARD]

1 hour ago, rocketraider said:

Steve, I have a good friend who graduated from JF Webb High School in Oxford and his family have several exceptional Chevrolets. Waiting on him to reply if any of theirs came from Yancey.

Is his name Lynn Adcock ?

[STEVE POLLARD]

1 hour ago, Mark Shaw said:

Ruby is a 1908 Model F Buick

Beautiful collection Mark !

[TAKerry]

I know this is supposed to be about classic cars but I will add my wifes d.d. Its and Expedition when we got it my grandson couldnt say that and called it the 'Ex Magician'. So that became its name.

[HarryLime]

Perhaps more telling , what is your cars name for YOU ?

[Mikefit]

Named my car Flattery. (It got me nowhere )

[JACK M]

2 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

initials are F P O S.

 

Pretty much describes my fleet.

[Pilgrim65]

3 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

My 51 Dodge's initials are F P O S.  or atleast that's what it's used to being called for the last year. 

Now my 31 Auburn is named Victoria.   It's going to take alot for me to refer to her as anything else. 

Most the rest don't have names. 

Though I really need to name the new toy.  What do you think I should call her Ed? 

Think Grace would suit 

[rocketraider]

1 hour ago, STEVE POLLARD said:

Did you own this ??  LOL  I didn't mention, but it's a 250 6 cylinder, three speed on the column.... bare bones, I mean nothing at all options and it was purchased 12-24-68...... oh, it was parked in a chicken coop 

 

Steve

No, but very familiar with the genre of car and the type of people who owned them!🙂

 

My bud is Marshall Seate. His brothers are Page and Chris. When he saw the picture of your BA his comment was "I need to find me some farmer cars!" It has the Seate seal of approval which is a high compliment!

 

He said far as he knows none of their cars were sold new at Yancey but he remembers the dealership well.

 

###

 

This past Sat I went to the Chatham VA cruise night. Took a pic of a 67 Barracuda for a young friend who's into them, then noticed a 69 Chevelle behind it. Very nondescript light green 2dHT. Normally I pay little attention to a 69 Chevelle because some of the interior and exterior styling details don't sit well with me (yet I like the 68 a lot 🤨🤪🥴). I looked this car over and found:

 

A bone stock, unmolested car with its 307/3-speed intact, whitewalls and wheelcovers, NO power steering/brakes/AC, and only a vinyl top for options. The guy had added an era-correct AM-FM radio and it was missing its smog pump. I was stunned because Chevelles like that simply don't exist here.

 

Owner confessed he had bought it intending to make a 4-speed SS clone but realized what he really had and decided best left alone. So at least one escaped the local Chevelle knucklehead mentality.

[STEVE POLLARD]

29 minutes ago, rocketraider said:

My bud is Marshall Seate. His brothers are Page and Chris. When he saw the picture of your BA his comment was "I need to find me some farmer cars!" It has the Seate seal of approval which is a high compliment!

Thanks ! By the way, my friend Lynn who lives in Oxford has a '69 SS Impala..... maybe your friends have seen it around town - here is a photo of it:

 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, keiser31 said:

My original 1931 DB coupe is called the "red '31" and the other is the "blue and black '31".

 

Solidly in your corner on this one keiser.  That is about as close as one should get to naming inanimate machinery as one would a dog, a cow or a child.

Anything that bestows a greater sense of distinct and independent meaning of entity is treading dangerously close to the province of "time out dolls".   

 

 

 

[edinmass]

4 hours ago, auburnseeker said:

My 51 Dodge's initials are F P O S.  or atleast that's what it's used to being called for the last year. 

Now my 31 Auburn is named Victoria.   It's going to take alot for me to refer to her as anything else. 

Most the rest don't have names. 

Though I really need to name the new toy.  What do you think I should call her Ed? 

The new red toy is easy to name…….

 

BAMFT…….is what I would call it. 🤔

 

The fun part…..Randy has a new redheaded girlfriend. And I’m the only one who has seen her. Sure has nice headlights!😝

Edited July 29, 2021 by edinmass (see edit history)

[Billy Kingsley]

Our Pontiac wagon was named Rudolf, for obvious reasons. 

This photo was taken for the insurance company after it was hit in 1981. 

 

Our Torino wagon was called Sheba for a reason I don't know. 

most other cars we have had have been known as what they are, current Daily Driver is "the Edge" for example. The one exception was the 1990 Ford Aerostar, which was always "the Van".

[76 Caddy]

I affectionally refer to the '76 Brougham as "Big Girl", guys at work call her "Big Bertha".  The Seville is simply called "The Seville".

 

Tim