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.

Vauxhall Viceroy.

Vincent Hurricane
Singer Gazelle
Ford Puma
Ford Mustang

Vauxhall Victor

Standard VANGUARD

Triumph HERALD

Chrysler VALIANT

GMC TYPHOON

Ford PREFECT

Mercury COMET

Austin AMBASSADOR

Holden HURRICANE


(There are more, but I'm now retiring!)

A whole Squadron of Bristol's.

Slight thread drift but...

BSA A65 Thunderbolt
also A65 Lightning

Jowett Javelin

Reliant Scimitar

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

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!

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. :O

+ Vincent Comet.