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Car names from aeroplanes

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Car names from aeroplanes

Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:18
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Car names from aeroplanes

A neighbour of mine has restored a Triumph Spitfire. Last time I rode in one was 1969 and with your bum so close to the ground it felt like 50mph at 30mph. The suspension didn't help.
Why Spitfire? Was it the 'slightly' elliptical nose on the bonnet, or just a marketing name to give it some fizz?
It got me thinking. I racked my brain for other cars that had the model names of aeroplanes & failed. Thinking mainly of UK types, but it doesn't matter.

So whose got what in their memory, and why so few cross-over do you think? If Saab were marketing its cars with an association with its aircraft, why not call one of its cars Griffen?

Anyway let's hear them.
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:30
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Vauxhall Viceroy.
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:36
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Vincent Hurricane
Singer Gazelle
Ford Puma
Ford Mustang
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:44
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Vauxhall Victor
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:47
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Standard VANGUARD
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:48
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Triumph HERALD
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:49
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Chrysler VALIANT
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:51
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GMC TYPHOON
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:53
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Ford PREFECT
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:54
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Mercury COMET
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:55
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Austin AMBASSADOR
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 15:57
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Holden HURRICANE


(There are more, but I'm now retiring!)
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 16:12
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A whole Squadron of Bristol's.
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 16:23
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Slight thread drift but...

BSA A65 Thunderbolt
also A65 Lightning
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 16:25
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 16:35
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Reliant Scimitar
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 16:36
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Ford also managed a Corsair, Falcon and Meteor

Re the OP, SAAB of course did produce an Aero version of the 900 plus a 9-3 Viggen special edition
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 16:39
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Lots of the examples above are cases where the car came first, so was not named after the aeroplane! e.g. Standard had a Vanguard in production in 1948, 11 years before Vickers flew their Vanguard (unless you reckon the Vickers Type 170 which is a bit specialist!)
Wot about Armstrong-Siddeley aeroplanes then?
Lancaster
Hurricane
Typhoon
Tempest
Whitley
and then they used names for their aeroplane engines that the car industry seemed to like such as:
Jaguar
Lynx (e.g. Riley)
Tiger (Sunbeam)
and Sapphire which A-S used for both car and engine!
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 17:31
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I suspect that very few cars were consciously named after their aircraft counterparts (with the possible exception of the Spitfire).

That aside, I've always wondered why a French wind was named after a jet airliner.
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Old 17th Apr 2018, 17:38
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Originally Posted by longer ron
Slight thread drift but...

BSA A65 Thunderbolt
also A65 Lightning
+ Vincent Comet.
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