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Jun 10, 2024 11:20:19 GMT
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Some of the "inappropriate" names are an attempt at misdirection. Call a bland car a "Charisma" and maybe it will get some appeal. I did read an article a long time ago about how car manufacturers were seeking to move to names which "mean nothing in any language" But which in some way "evoke the meaning that the car signifies to the market" or some such. Hense all these nonsence names we have now. No doubt whatever name a car has some wag will turn it into something else. Like the Allegro "all agro" - Allegro meaning "briskly" Anyway there are many examples of where name means somethign else (often rude) in a foreign language and some of these may even be true The lamborghini countach apparently has an interesting meaning in scicillian but meh, may not be true The Ford Ka was probably a terrible name as nobody could (or would) pronounce it right, even Ford dealers didn't and I understand they had been given specific instructions on how to say it! Its pronounced as it looks, its supposed to be a clever joke / wordlplay but it fell flat. Ka is the Egyptian word for the essential spirit or soul, its pronounced almost exactly as the English word "car" meaning an automobile, but to this day everyone calls them the Kay-Ay or something that sounds like a cough. Don't ever overestimate the public, Ford....
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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dikkehemaworst
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 1,617
Club RR Member Number: 16
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Jun 10, 2024 11:27:08 GMT
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Skoda Roomster , Roomster means Creamstar in Dutch. Imagine driving that home after a 15 hour shift in a brothell
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misteralz
Posted a lot
I may drive a Volkswagen, but I'm scene tax exempt!
Posts: 2,435
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Language is funny, Mr. Thick HEMA Sausage. We think nothing of picking up a tin of Slag Room Deluxe from the Jumbo, but to English-speaking ears that sounds terribly inappropriate. 😀
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Jun 11, 2024 10:27:16 GMT
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I don't know what people think of Citroen's reliability on your side of the pond, but over here it is not considered fondly, so when they released the: Citroen Cactus...
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Remade In Australia thereimaginarium.com.au
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Jun 11, 2024 11:12:24 GMT
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This is why so many brands don't give cars proper names at all now, just numbers and initials which don't mean anything. 208? MX5? i20? 240? The only car number I can think of is 911 yet somehow Porsche seemed to have survived September 2001 with their reputation intact, and no problems from the American emergency services (as far as I know).
However as you may or may not know, they originally wanted to call it 901 and that appeared on the prototype but Peugeot claimed a copyright over numbers with a zero in the middle.
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Jun 11, 2024 11:20:17 GMT
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I own one of the worst named cars... The Renault Wind
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Currently driving a '68 Karmann Ghia as my daily. Don't ask about previous cars - there have been way too many and I stopped counting at 160!
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mt2man
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,366
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Jun 11, 2024 12:13:54 GMT
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Toyota Corona? Was once a popular beer but the name has since been ruined by a virus! Or a Reliant Rebel, standard they are not very rebellious.
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Jun 11, 2024 17:29:27 GMT
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I own one of the worst named cars... The Renault Wind when did you get that ?
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Jun 11, 2024 17:31:36 GMT
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Toyota Corona? Was once a popular beer but the name has since been ruined by a virus! Or a Reliant Rebel, standard they are not very rebellious. I'm guessing that one is not very standard
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Jun 11, 2024 17:33:53 GMT
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The Citroen Crosser. Yeah. Usually driven by a right... crosser.
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Jun 11, 2024 21:32:26 GMT
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Ititials, but Big Mad Wa**er. Rolls Royce Cornetto Ford Porn mags Fiesta, Escort. Ford Crapi
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Jun 11, 2024 22:23:25 GMT
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Ititials, but Big Mad Wa**er. Rolls Royce Cornetto Ford Porn mags Fiesta, Escort. Ford Crapi Plus as Rodney called Delboy's Capri - the Pratmobile.
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Jun 12, 2024 21:03:34 GMT
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MINI for this.....
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Last Edit: Jun 12, 2024 21:10:40 GMT by minijohn
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norm75
Part of things
Posts: 667
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The comment at the top about the Chevrolet Nova, we also had the Vauxhall Nova here and thought the reason it only stuck for the first generation and the reason it was called Corsa everywhere else was for the Spanish translation.
I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the Toyota MR2 yet, or it’s French translation into MR deux the Toyota Turd
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norm75
Part of things
Posts: 667
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Interesting comment about the Ford Ka and its mispronounced problems.
Sticking with Ford, even Ford themselves pronounce the Ecosport as echo-sport, but there is no H in the name! So it should be eco- sport but they refuse to call it by the name they have given it
I was talking to a mate the other day, his Mrs has just picked up a new car. It is a Toyota Aygo X, which he calls an Aygo (ex) whereas I call it an Aygo (cross) as it is a soft road crossover hatchback abomination.
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Jun 13, 2024 15:51:48 GMT
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So Ford get a focus group together to discuss car names - and amazingly manage to come up with Focus and Ka.
MR2 in French is problematic - M-er-de Also Focus - pronounced in French - somewhat sounds like Faux-cul, or "false bum".
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Jun 14, 2024 14:33:19 GMT
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FIAT Rustica
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60six
Posted a lot
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Posts: 1,673
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Jun 14, 2024 20:29:19 GMT
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Renault KADJAR - wtf? just trips off the tongue.
It's the same system used to generate a million different planet names in the classic game ELITE, and every chinese tat supplier that wants to be anonymous.
place two vowels at position 2 and 5 of a six letter word.
now any consonants placed in position 1,3,4,6 will create a speakable name.
so, _E__I_ (vowels at 2 and 5) add the letters Y R T P and you have YERTIP. Add the letters K F G M you have KEFGIM - Makes no sense but can always be spoken.
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Last Edit: Jun 14, 2024 20:29:46 GMT by 60six
Some 9000's, a 900, an RX8 & a beetle
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Jun 14, 2024 21:15:26 GMT
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Pretty much anything made by the likes of Ssangyong, and what about the LEVC London taxis of late, made by the Chinese, of course (though admittedly, the paintwork is good on them).
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60six
Posted a lot
(╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Posts: 1,673
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Pretty much anything made by the likes of Ssangyong, and what about the LEVC London taxis of late, made by the Chinese, of course (though admittedly, the paintwork is good on them). Then LEVC ruin the whole look by using awful tacky halfords stick on letters for L E V C.
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Some 9000's, a 900, an RX8 & a beetle
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