What's In a Car's Name? Sometimes Weather
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Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
Cirrus...Hurricane...Storm...Cloud. What do these words have in common? Sure, they're all weather terms. But what else?
Automobile buffs, which I am not, will recognize these as the names of current or past car models. For some reason, news of the demise of various car brands and models as the auto industry scales back got my weather-centric mind thinking about cars with weather-related names. It turns out there have been quite a few more than the few that came to mind.
Keep reading for more on cars with weather-related names...
What's in a car's name? Some names are just invented and have no meaning at all, such as the Toronado. Some vehicle names connect to exotic locations, such as Riviera, Outback, Aspen and Tahoe. Others attempt to appeal to the potential buyer's desire for power, such as Titan, Fury and Charger. And some draw on astrology, such as Taurus, Equinox and Eclipse.
Then, there's the plethora of names that peak the interest of weather weenies like myself. Here's my top 5...
5) Chrysler Cirrus
4) Jeep Hurricane
3) Dodge Stratus
4) Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud
1) Geo Storm
Would I (or you) ever buy a car primarily because of its name? I suspect that's not likely. All things being equal, though, I would seriously consider a vehicle emblazoned with the name, Storm of the Century. I'd also propose Nimbus, Twister, Noctilucent and, why not, Scud.
Let's hear your favorite weather-related car names from past and present, as well as those you'd suggest for the future.
By Steve Tracton |
June 25, 2009; 10:30 AM ET
Tracton
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Posted by: Cosmo06 | June 25, 2009 10:52 AM
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I'd buy a Scud. :) I also recommend the name Virga.
Of course, not owning or wanting to own a car, I'd have to look into bicycles with weather names first. I wonder if there's a "Twister" or "Fujita."
Posted by: Ann-CapitalWeatherGang | June 25, 2009 11:10 AM
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can't believe no one has mentioned the many ford/lincoln/mercury cars called 'zephyr'
Posted by: IMGoph | June 26, 2009 9:42 AM
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I thought Zephyr was just the name of a commercial weather instrument company. But, on further investigation - AMS Glossary of Meteorology - I found that:
Washoe zephyr—In the United States, a strong downslope wind on the eastern (Nevada) side of the Sierra Nevada in northern California.
I can't believe no one has suggested "Blizzard".
Posted by: SteveT-CapitalWeatherGang | June 26, 2009 11:16 AM
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The comments to this entry are closed.
The Chrysler Cirrus, Dodge Stratus, and Plymouth Breeze were all essentially the same model.