While I was in some other thread, a few "winners" occurred to me: (dictionary definitions come from Bartleby unless otherwise noted.) Armada: NOUN: 1. A fleet of warships. 2. A large group of moving things. How can ONE vehicle be an Armada? Murano: A suburb of Venice, Italy, on five small islands in the Venetian lagoon. It is noted for its glassmaking industry dating back to the late 13th century. I see "Murano," I think of glass--really pretty and expensive glass, but still glass--Just think of the mess if you whack a glass car! Aspire: (paraphrasing Tom & Ray Magliozzi) What does it aspire to? Being a real car? Beretta: NOUN: Ecclesiastical A stiff square cap with three or four ridges across the crown. Birettas are worn especially by Roman Catholic clergy and are black for priests, purple for bishops, and red for cardinals. bEretta is a variant spelling. And, spelled this way, it is the name of a gun. So, what you have here is a stiff square or a something you shoot. Corsica: An island of France in the Mediterranean Sea north of Sardinia. Napoleon Bonaparte was born on the island, which was ceded to France by Genoa in 1768. And look what happened to Napoleon! Probe: I don't want to know where THAT one has been! Hummer: "A hummer is a blowjob. How can anybody use this word in reference to a vanity vehicle without giggling like a schoolgirl?" and, from Wikipedia: The receiver of oral sex may find it pleasurable if the giver hums or sings at the same time, sometimes called a hummer. This in effect makes the giver's mouth into a vibrator, though unlike mechanical vibrators the mouth has built-in lubricant (saliva). A similar effect can be created by placing a small, yet powerful vibrator under the jaw, causing the tongue to vibrate, which can be very pleasurable in small quantities, but can be numbing for one or both parties if overused. Well, maybe that one isn't such a stupid name... Any more?
Any old-timers can help me out here? 40's Chevy: Fleetline, DeLuxe 50's Chevy: 150, 210 and Bel Air (bare-bones to high-end) 50's Dodge: Coronet 50's Ford: Custom (Fairlane starting in '55) Plymouth ??? Mercury ??? Pontiac: Chieftan, Star Chief Buick ??? Cadillac ??? Chrysler ??? Lincoln ???
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ghostofjk @ Jul 1 2006, 02:15 AM) [snapback]279601[/snapback]</div> Rules modification: You gotta say why they are stupid, if it is not evident.
Interesting note on the Cadillac Catera... There was a commercial a long time ago where the tag line was "Lease a Catera". A certain scriptwriter liked it, so on Chicago Hope one of the characters got named Lisa Catera!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mssmith95 @ Jul 1 2006, 06:21 AM) [snapback]279640[/snapback]</div> Yup, that is the all-time stupidest name for a car. ------------- Pontiac Grand Am: What if you're a night person instead of a morning person??? -------------- Tiburon: Any of various large voracious sharks of the West Indies and Central America. Hmmm...Looks like Hyundai found the perfect car name to describe car SALESMEN instead of cars!!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rufaro @ Jun 30 2006, 11:00 PM) [snapback]279557[/snapback]</div> Hey, I used to own one! And you're right. I'll add: Studebaker Dictator (made in 1937)
Suzuki Swift... Dodge Nitro Dodge Neon And when Ford was into constellations - Scorpio, Taurus, Orion Another possibility for Murano - Japanese for small village I don't know if the following qualify for "stupid" but I thought it'll be interesting to know where the names come from RAV4 - Recreational Active Vehicle with 4WD CR-V - Comfortable Runabout Vehicle SLK - Sportlich, Leicht, Kurz (sporty, light, small/short) MDX - Multi-Dimensional Crossover vehicle XJ - eXperimental Jaguar TT - Tourist Trophy Passat - European wind (?) Camry - Kan Muri ( カムリ) or small crown PT Cruiser - Personal Transport Cruiser HHR - High Heritage Roof SSR - Super Sport Roadster (?) Quattroporte - 4 doors in Italian Enzo - Owner/Founder Enzo Ferrari Scaglietti - famous race car driver in the 20s or 30s 599 GTB Fiorano - Racetrack in Italy
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jul 1 2006, 07:59 PM) [snapback]279904[/snapback]</div> And along those lines, remember the Chevy "LUV" truck? Stood for Light Utility Vehicle.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jul 1 2006, 08:34 PM) [snapback]279919[/snapback]</div> Young gloaters will be shot with Berettas...
How about that bright yellow and black truck I keep seeing around town... (complete with a bee flexing on the side) The Dodge "Rumble Bee".
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tideland Prius @ Jul 1 2006, 07:59 PM) [snapback]279904[/snapback]</div> The K in SLK stands for Kompressor
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(wstander @ Jul 2 2006, 11:01 AM) [snapback]280154[/snapback]</div> I always thought that it stood for Kurz, or short in English. Take a look here.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(IsrAmeriPrius @ Jul 2 2006, 02:51 PM) [snapback]280232[/snapback]</div> Hmmm, seems D-C has dropped the supercharged 2.3l 4CYL (which was Kompressor) and now that the 'little Benz' has a 3.5l V6, it means kurz= short I stand corrected.
