33 cars named after places

Car named after places

Naming cars isn’t straightforward. The name needs to makes sense in different languages, has to work well in search engines – and you need to check if anyone has already registered the name.

No wonder some carmakers settle for nondescript numbers such as ‘208’ or ‘911’. Pleasingly though, others have been more creative, seeking inspiration by… spinning a globe.

We’ve collated a list of the coolest place names used on cars.

Ford Cortina

It’s one of the most famous car names in Britain, but the Cortina wasn’t always destined to be named after an Italian ski resort. It started life as Project Archbishop and could have been called Consul-225 or Caprino, until somebody realised the latter is a slang word for goat dung. Naming it after the host of the 1956 Winter Olympics was a stroke of genius, as it injected a little glamour into an otherwise humble saloon car. Fortunately, Ford didn’t use the 1960 games as inspiration: the Ford Squaw Valley doesn’t have the same effect.

Austin Montego

By the mid-80s, more and more people were experiencing air travel for the first time, with falling prices, the birth of package holidays and Judith Chalmers asking “Wish you were here?” the main driving forces behind the change. Austin-Rover attempted to cash-in on the nation’s new horizons by naming its rather humdrum four-door saloon after a famous Jamaican tourist destination.

Lancia Montecarlo

Monte Carlo: home of the rich, the glamorous and the beautiful, not to mention one of the world’s most famous motor races. As inspirations for names go, this is up there with the best of them. But Monte Carlo is also known for its casino, and early adopters certainly took a gamble on Lancia’s devastatingly handsome spyder. S1 cars were dogged by reliability issues – most notably the brakes – which led to the Montecarlo being withdrawn from sale for two years.

Vauxhall Belmont

What’s this, a Vauxhall Astra with a boot? No, insisted the firm at the time, it’s far more than just an Astra with a boot: it’s a Belmont. A mini luxury saloon, no less. With a famously massive boot. But buyers weren’t convinced by an Astra renamed after a leafy Surrey suburb, and the name was quietly retired in the early 1990s.

Hyundai Santa Fe

Hyundai’s breakout SUV takes its name from the capital city of the American state of New Mexico, but don’t be fooled. This is no semi-exotic pseudo-Latino runaround. The Santa Fe is as pedestrian and boring as a Hyundai SUV ought to be. Albeit, in later variations, a very capable one.

Ford Capri

To most people, the Capri name made its debut on the hugely popular ‘car you always promised yourself’ of 1969, but the Capri badge dates back to the pretty Ford Consul Capri: the two-door coupe version of the Classic saloon. Capri itself is an island off the coast of Italy, at the south of the Gulf of Naples.

Seat Marbella

Sear is proud of its Spanish origins, which is why it chooses to name the majority of its cars after towns, cities and regions of the country. Ibiza, Ateca, Arona, Leon, Toledo, Alhambra and Marbella are all named after Spanish locations. Sadly, we’ve yet to see a Seat Benidorm or Magaluf.

Toyota Land Cruiser Amazon

Long before Jeff Bezos became a gazillionaire, Toyota evoked the spirit of exploration by naming its seven-seat SUV after a South American rainforest (and/or the longest river in the world). As a genuinely capable off-roader, the Amazon was worthy of the name, too. Its smaller cousin was the Land Cruiser Colorado – another place associated with outdoor adventure.

Alfa Romeo Montreal

Is this the most beautiful car ever to be named after an international exposition? The Alfa Romeo Montreal was originally shown as a styling exercise at Expo 67 in Montreal, before being launched as a production model in 1970. The original plan was for the world exposition to be held in Moscow. Had that been the case, we believe Alfa would have looked elsewhere for a name…

Skoda Kodiaq

The name of Skoda’s large SUV took its inspiration from Kodiak: a town situated on an Alaskan island of the same name. The island is home to 3,500 bears, which, according to Skoda is perfectly apt for a ‘large and powerful SUV with a protective nature, a strong sense of family and a high degree of outdoor expertise’.

Kia Rio

Simon Le Bon and the other members of Duran Duran loved their Kia Rio so much, they wrote a song about their escapades across the sand in the value-driven Korean hatchback. At least they would have done, had the song not pre-dated the car’s launch by 18 years.

Triumph Dolomite

The Dolomite name was first used by Triumph in the pre-war era, but is perhaps most famous for its use in the 1970s, most notably on the Dolomite Sprint. The Dolomites is a mountain range in the northern Italian Alps, numbering 18 peaks.

Bentley Mulsanne

Bentley has strong links with the 24 Hours of Le Mans race, so the fact that it chose to name a car after one of the most famous straights in the world came as no surprise. Safety concerns led to the installation of two chicanes installed in time for the 1990 race, but the Mulsanne Straight remains a formidable test of speed and bravery.

Ford Escort Mexico

The Ford Escort Mexico was based on the RS1600 and named in honour of Ford’s success at the 1970 London-Mexico World Cup Rally. The race was won by Hannu Mikkola and Gunnar Palm in a Ford Escort 1850 GT.

Renault Floride

The Renault Floride: an example of a marketing idea that sounded good in the boardroom, but could have done with a little market research. Naming a sports car after the state of Florida was great… for the people of Florida. Less so for the rest of the United States who weren’t too enthusiastic about the prospect of buying a car named after the ‘Sunshine State’. By late 1962, the Floride name was dropped in favour of the Caravelle.

Maserati Sebring

The effortlessly beautiful Maserati Sebring was launched as the 3500 GTI, but became known by its racetrack-inspired name. It evokes memories of Maserati’s victory at the 1957 12 Hours of Sebring with Juan Manuel Fangio, who finished ahead of Stirling Moss to complete a Maserati one-two.

Dodge Charger Daytona

The first official NASCAR race took place at Daytona Beach in 1948, so it was only a matter of time before a car was named in its honour. The Dodge Charger Daytona is arguably the most famous, but others will point to the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, although it was never officially called ‘Daytona’. We also need to give an honourable mention to the Dodge Daytona of the 80s and early 90s.

Hyundai Tucson

Naming a tough and sizeable SUV after an Arizonian city strikes us as a good idea, so we were slightly surprised when the name was dropped in favour of the cold and charmless ix35. Fortunately, Hyundai saw sense, and the Tucson name returned in 2015.

Ferrari Portofino

According to Ferrari, the Portofino takes its name ‘from one of the most charming villages on the Italian Riviera, an eponym for stylish elegance’. True enough, because the historic harbour, lined with painted buildings, is one of Italy’s most beautiful locations. Ferrari isn’t the only luxury brand to be inspired by Portofino, because Sunseeker named a yacht after the village.

Ferrari California

Before the Portofino came the Ferrari California. With its laid-back character and sun-worshipping folding hard-top roof, the California captures the easygoing glamour of America’s west coast. Ferrari had used the name before, of course, but only as part of a longer title (e.g. the 250 GT California Spyder).

Chevrolet Malibu

The Malibu nameplate dates back to 1964, when it was introduced as a flagship model for the Chevelle. The name died in 1983, before reappearing on a new front-wheel drive model in 1997. Malibu is a beach town in California, stretching for more than 30 miles along the Pacific coast.

Porsche Cayenne

Cayenne is the capital city of French Guiana and the name given to the saviour of a European car company. You might not like the Cayenne but it’s a volume seller by comparison to the likes of the 911. It keeps Porsche profitable, which is good news for sports car fans.

Austin Cambridge

There’s something quite ‘Brexit’ about the British car industry’s approach to model naming in the 50s and 60s. Austin rolled out the Hereford, Somerset, Westminster and Cambridge…

Morris Oxford

Morris, meanwhile, gave us the Oxford. Names that are solid, dependable and steeped in patriotism. The Hastings, Thurrock and Great Yarmouth are yet to appear.

Subaru Tribeca

Remember the Subaru Tribeca? It was never a big-seller in the UK, but it has a face you’re unlikely to forget. Tribeca is a neighbourhood in New York City, so the choice of name strikes us as being a little odd. No doubt Subaru was attempting to promote the urbanness of its crossover-SUV.

Bentley Brooklands

The Brooklands, Blenheim and Mulsanne: just three examples of great Bentley names. Then it came up with Bentayga. A word about the Brooklands name: contrary to popular belief the Ford Capri 280 was never officially named after the historic circuit. Instead, the name refers to the Brooklands green paint.

Daewoo Le Mans

The most ironic name in automotive history, or proof that somebody at Daewoo had a sense of humour? The Le Mans was based on the old Mk2 Astra, not the first car you’d associate with the famous 24-hour race.

Colt Sapporo

When promoting the Colt Sapporo in 1980, Mitsubishi felt the need to educate the British public. “Sapporo was the venue for the 1972 Winter Olympics,” said the adman, before continuing, “and is the highly appropriate name for a breathtaking two-door coupe from Colt.” According to Mitsubishi, the Sapporo “adds a wicked degree of luxury and a measure of extra style that leaves the nursery slopes far behind,” which isn’t at all tenuous.

Zastava Florida

You have to admire their optimism. When the Zastava Florida – or Yugo Sana, Yugo Florida and Yugo Miami – was launched in the late 80s, the East European car industry was finding its feet. The Skoda Favorit was the most successful of the new cars to emerge from the east. But in naming its five-door hatchback after a U.S. state, Zastava was getting ideas above its station.

Chrysler New Yorker

For many years, the New Yorker was Chrysler’s premium model, with a production run spanning five different decades. It was also a hit for Frankie Valli and dance band Odyssey.

Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge

Eau Rouge: not so much a place, but a famous corner on an equally famous track. In truth, the name is actually Raidillon, with Eau Rouge being the (red water) stream flowing beneath the track at the bottom of the corner. But ‘Raidillon-Eau Rouge doesn’t have the same ring to it. Sadly, the Infiniti Q50 Eau Rouge concept never made it into production.

Fiat 131 Mirafiori

Naming a car after the suburb in which it is built is a good idea, although we accept that Mirafiori is a great deal more evocative than Burnaston or Crewe.

Mazda Montrose

To the rest of the world, this is the Mazda Capella, but to the Brits it’s the oft-forgotten Montrose. It was named in honour of a Mazda dealer in the Scottish town. The Mazda Barrow-in-Furness was considered but quickly ruled out. Probably.