Yahoo Autos Who Wore It Better? 10 Names Shared by Automakers
- 1/21
Who Wore It Better? 10 Names Shared by Automakers
What's in a name? Quite a bit, when it comes to cars. Which is why automakers invest considerable energy in giving their vehicles just the right handle. And they sometimes come up with pretty great names, when you think about it . . . but they aren't always original.
Several automakers not only recycle nameplates they themselves have used before (think Chevy Blazer or Mitsubishi Eclipse) but also borrow names that have been used by other automakers. Sometimes it's a coincidence, sometimes it's something of a tribute—and sometimes it's appropriation plain and simple.
The question is, when two cars use the same name, which is more deserving? Scroll through the slides ahead to see 10 of the most notable cases of automobiles from different automakers, even different eras, that have worn the same name. Like a celebrity-fashion reporter on the red carpet, you can decide for yourself who wore it better.
Taphouse_Studios - Car and Driver - 2/21
GTO: Ferrari vs. Pontiac
If there's one case of badge theft that stands out above all others, it's surely GTO, a nameplate famously used by both Ferrari and Pontiac. The letters stand for Gran Turismo Omologato (for "homologation"), and Ferrari was first to use them, on the iconic 250GTO—one of the most coveted classics among collectors, with values skyrocketing into the tens of millions.Only two years later, on our side of the Atlantic, Pontiac slapped those same letters on one of its most famous muscle cars, producing three more iterations through the 1960s and '70s (and another after the turn of the millennium). Though Pontiac is no more, Ferrari has used the name twice since its original: in the 1980s, on the 288, and again in 2011, for a hard-core version of the 599GTB Fiorano. We wouldn't be surprised to see it in use again someday.
Ferrari - 3/21
GTO: Ferrari vs. Pontiac
Ferrari 250GTO
- Achingly beautiful styling
- Race-proven performance
- Most expensive car ever auctioned
Pontiac GTO
- Big-block American muscle
- Still one of the best-remembered models from a bygone brand
- As badass a car as Detroit has ever made
Car and Driver - 4/21
Monza: Chevrolet vs. Ferrari
GM shared another name with the Prancing Horse marque in the 1970s and '80s, when both Chevrolet and its German counterpart, Opel, both made coupes named after the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza—just as Ferrari had in the '50s.
Where Ferrari's was a curvaceous open-cockpit racer, the Chevy (like the Opel) was a decidedly boxier affair and was offered in numerous two-door body styles, with big engines and compact four-pots to keep them light and nimble.
Decades later, Chevy sells a Monza sedan in China; Opel (now divorced from GM) has toyed with making a new Monza coupe; and Ferrari sells 12-cylinder Monza speedsters based on the 812 Superfast to clients with deep pockets and a sense of nostalgia.
Bud Wells - 5/21
Monza: Chevrolet vs. Ferrari
Chevrolet Monza
- Mustang rival smaller than the Camaro
- Four, six, or eight cylinders
- You could get it as a shooting brake
Ferrari 750 Monza
- Light and nimble sports-racer
- Like a Testa Rossa with a smaller engine
- Named when Mike Hawthorn put it on the podium at its race debut in Italy
Klemantaski Collection - 6/21
Sebring: Maserati vs. Chrysler
They're sister brands today, but long before the Italian-American merger, both Chrysler and Maserati also named cars after a racetrack and the endurance race held there since the 1950s.
The Maserati Sebring was built for the U.S. market, based on the 3500GT and wearing curvaceous bodywork by Carrozzeria Vignale's Giovanni Michelotti. A succession of big-bore straight-sixes provided motivation for the elegantly muscular grand tourer.
Chrysler's, by comparison, were more sedate. Between 1995 and 2010, Auburn Hills produced three generations of coupes, convertibles, and sedans under the Sebring name, with four- and six-cylinder engines. But while the sibling to the Dodge Stratus was undoubtedly the greater commercial success, there's little question about who wore the name better in this case.
- 7/21
Sebring: Maserati vs. Chrysler
Maserati Sebring
- Italian GT designed for the U.S. market
- Named for Maserati's victory in the 1957 Sebring 12-hour race
- Michelotti design still one of Maserati's finest
Chrysler Sebring
- Mid-size model preceded the now discontinued 200
- Sedan, coupe, and convertible models were offered
- Third-gen model's JS platform still underpins the Dodge Journey
Car and Driver - 8/21
GT(-)R: Nissan vs. Mercedes-AMG
While most of the cars on this list sharing nameplates have competed in different segments at different times, the Nissan GT-R and the Mercedes-AMG GT R are about as direct as competitors get today. They're both front-engine, two-door performance coupes bordering on supercar territory and are flagships for their respective manufacturers, with stickers in the low-six-figure range. But the way they go about delivering their blistering performance is very different.
Where the Mercedes is a refined scalpel of a driving tool, the Nissan is a sledgehammer. And while they both employ twin turbochargers and dual-clutches, with engines displacing 3.8 and 4.0 liters, the Mercedes GT R's V-8 drives the rear wheels, while the Nissan GT-R's V-6 channels its muscle to all four. Still, if someone told us they drove a $150K-plus giant-slaying import sports car called "GTR," we'd have to ask which one they meant.
Mercedes-AMG - 9/21
GT(-)R: Nissan vs. Mercedes-AMG
Nissan GT-R
- Nicknamed "Godzilla"
- Been around about as long
- Veritable supercar slayer
Mercedes-AMG GT
- The top version of Benz's flagship sports car
- Pro version lapped the Nürburgring in less than 7:05
- Gives crosstown rival Porsche's 911 a run for its money
Nissan - 10/21
500: Fiat vs. Ford
Both Fiat and Ford have, in recent history, sold cars called the 500—the former in numbers, the latter spelled out. The revived Cinquecento (as it's known in its native tongue) is the little retro hatchback that launched Fiat back into the North American market, while Dearborn's was a full-size sedan that briefly took the place of the Taurus in Ford's lineup—at least until it was updated and went back to the more bullish nameplate.
As short-lived as the Five Hundred nameplate was for Ford, though, it sold in greater numbers here than the Fiat 500—even taking into account the 500L minivan and the 500X crossover, which will stick around after the domestically slow-selling hatchback is withdrawn. Overseas, however, it's quite a different story, where the little Fiat remains a hot seller.
Fiat - 11/21
500: Fiat vs. Ford
Fiat 500
- Cute retro hatchback brought Fiat back to America in 2007
- Convertible, electric, and Abarth performance versions available
- Slow sales prompted its departure (for now)
Ford Five Hundred
- Short-lived full-size sedan briefly replaced the Taurus
- Still outsold the Fiat
- Shared underpinnings with Mercury Montego, Lincoln MKS, Ford Freestyle crossover
Ford - 12/21
Century: Buick vs. Toyota
Americans know the name Century as belonging to a line of Buicks, the brand having made sedans with that nameplate for the better part of . . . well, a century. But it's not the only sedan to use the name.
Across the Pacific, Toyota produces limousines by the same name. The closest thing Japan has to a domestic Rolls-Royce, the Toyota Century outclasses even the Lexus LS. It was recently replaced for only the second time in its half-century of history, its V-12 giving way to a hybrid V-8 in the process.
Where Buick once cranked out Century sedans by the hundreds each day, Toyota makes only about 50 every month, for royalty and titans of industry. Akio Toyoda has one (specially upgraded by Gazoo Racing Masters of Nürburgring), and Emperor Naruhito was driven in another (converted to an open parade car) to his recent coronation.
Buick - 13/21
Century: Buick vs. Toyota
Buick Century
- Precursor to today's Regal
- Name refers to its being one of the first cars to top 100 mph
- Made in Canada to cruise the American freeway
Toyota Century
- Japan Domestic Market limo, upmarket from any Lexus
- Toyota badge, Rolls-Royce luxury
- Made for emperors and CEOs
Toyota - 14/21
LS: Lexus vs. Lincoln
For the rest of us mere mortals, the LS is the most luxurious sedan the Toyota Motor Corporation makes. And Lincoln made one, too. The precursor to today's MKZ sat a rung below its Japanese namesake on the luxury-sedan ladder and, like the Lexus, was offered with both V-6 and V-8 engines.
Although the Lincoln outsold the Lexus in the United States by a decent margin during the model years in which they overlapped, the Lexus—now in its fifth iteration across three decades—has been a far greater success for Toyota than the Lincoln was in its solitary generation across seven years for Ford. And the Lexus LS is still going strong, even as crossovers like the RX, UX, and NX gain in popularity over conventional sedans.
The bottom line, though, is that sedans like these are all about luxury. And by that metric alone, the big Lexus has the old mid-size Lincoln licked.
Greg Pajo - Car and Driver - 15/21
LS: Lexus vs. Lincoln
Lexus LS500h
- Toyota's flagship sedan (outside Japan)
- 1990 precursor introduced the world to Japanese luxury
- LS available in hybrid and all-wheel-drive spec
Lincoln LS
- Rear-drive luxury sedan with available V-8 muscle
- Shared platform and engines with Jaguars and Ford's retro Thunderbird
- Replaced by today's long-serving Zephyr/MKZ
Ford - 16/21
SL: Mercedes vs. Saturn
The letters SL belong to a series of convertibles that Mercedes-Benz has produced since 1954. But they were also worn by a line of vehicles made, for a time, by GM's now long-defunct Saturn brand. And in this case, it's plain to see which wore it better.
Where the Mercedes SL has stood at the pinnacle of the German automaker's lineup through six long-serving iterations now, the Saturn SL was an altogether lackluster series of compact sedans produced for about a dozen years across three generations.
The Saturn's only memorable feature was its dent-resistant polymer body panels, but the mass-market economy sedan did have the decidedly more upscale Benz two-seater beat in the sales charts. Mercedes would have move more than 100 times more SLs than it did here last year to match the number that Saturn sold in its heyday.
Ted Thai - 17/21
SL: Mercedes vs. Saturn
Mercedes-Benz SL550
- Hardtop two-seater for the L.A. Law set
- Weighs as much as some SUVs
- Mercedes has announced plans for a new SL for 2022 with small but usable rear seats
Saturn SL
- GM's other "plastic fantastic"
- Friendly, haggle-free dealers
- Replaced by the Saturn Ion before the brand was axed
Mercedes-Benz - 18/21
SLS: Mercedes vs. Cadillac
When an automaker designates its models with letter combinations, the same blends are bound to come up more than once. But though they were both luxury automobiles with V-8 engines, the SLS produced by Cadillac was an entirely different beast from the one made by Mercedes-Benz.
In one corner was a veritable supercar with gullwing doors and 622 horsepower. In the other, the Seville Luxury Sedan, which offered less than half that output and shared its front-drive underpinnings with the Pontiac Bonneville and Buick LeSabre.
Not that we have anything against big American luxury sedans, mind you. But the Seville was a far cry from the world-class cars Cadillac makes today—or AMG's first stand-alone model, which remains one of the best performers ever to wear the three-pointed star.
Mercedes-Benz - 19/21
SLS: Mercedes vs. Cadillac
Cadillac Seville Luxury Sedan
- Won Car and Driver 10Best award in 1992
- Northstar V-8 power, front-wheel drive
- Ran alongside (before replaced by) the Catera/CTS
Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG
- AMG's first dedicated stand-alone model
- Revived the classic's 300SL gullwing doors
- Black Series version brought GT3 racer to the road
Cadillac - 20/21
California: Ferrari vs. Volkswagen
Even more glaring are the differences between the Californias made by Ferrari and Volkswagen. The vehicle was immortalized by the droptop in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Maranello brought the name back a decade ago for its first front-engine V-8 convertible (on which today's Portofino is based).
Volkswagen, meanwhile, applies the name to the camper version of a van it doesn't even sell in the Golden State (or any other in the Union). Of course you can't get a Renault Alaskan in Alaska, either, and we'd be surprised to find a Buick Riviera or a Dodge Monaco on the Côte d'Azur. But as far as cars suited for the place for which they were named, the Ferrari is clearly the winner. Because while we wouldn't mind sleeping in the VW parked by the beach, we'd rather drive along the coast in the one with the Prancing Horse.
Chesnot - 21/21
California: Ferrari vs. Volkswagen
Ferrari 250GT California Spider
- One of Maranello's most elegant convertibles
- Worth tens of millions
- A 1961 model was the real star of Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Volkswagen California
- Camper version of the VW Transporter van
- Has everything . . . including a kitchen sink
- Not actually available in California
Davey G. Johnson - Car and Driver
Some people put red Honda badges on their Acura. Some people put Holden badges on their Pontiac. Do you think anyone puts Saturn badges on their Mercedes-Benz?
