The name-adoption process, specifically the naming of vehicles after animals, is a thing, and typical examples include the Mustang and the Beetle. The nomenclature basis for the Mustang isn’t well known as most people do not know the story of the World War II fighter plane, which is what the Mustang is named after. They believe the animal tagged the wild Mustang of the American west, a horse, inspired the name. This notion is believable, as the mustang horse is wild, swift, and sturdy; you would expect a car to have these qualities.
Interestingly, fishes also get to be part of the name-adoption ritual. When you think of fish, you do not think wild, swift, and sturdy; you think wet, cold-blooded, and flexible. The general idea of naming cars after animals is to inspire a vision of how being behind the wheels of those vehicles will feel. Therefore, naming cars after fishes arouses fascination, which raises questions like what unique quality inspired the car’s naming.
In this article, I’ll be highlighting five cars named after fish and the quality that inspired the name adoption.
Plymouth Barracuda
The Barracuda is a large predator fish popular for its ferocious appearance. This is a quality you would want a car to have, hence why the 2-door muscle vehicle was named Plymouth Barracuda. The 1970 model of the Barracuda bodied the name more so than the 1964 model.
Opel Manta
The Opel Manta was a well-revered sports coupe by drag racers in the 70s-80s. It was named after the fish Manta-Ray, the largest ray in the world. The model had a rear-wheel-drive system which means it could swim – drive rather sideways, that’s ray-like flexibility.
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Hyundai Tiburon
Hyundai stirred the sports car market waters with the production of the beautiful Tiburon. The word Tiburon is a Spanish word spelled ‘tiburón’ meaning shark, and the Hyundai Tiburon actually has a shark-like physiognomy.
Chevy Corvette Stingray
The modern-day Corvette C8 has quite the stylishly rugged predecessor, the Chevy Corvette Stingray. It was named after the stingray, a fish that allegedly ‘flies’ to move underwater. Popular, and the most likely answer a person would give when asked about cars named after fish, the Corvette Stingray was a fast and beautiful sports coupe that ruled for two decades 1962-1982.
AMC Marlin
The AMC Marlin is considered a disaster speed-wise in comparison with its fish counterpart the Blue marlin which is very fast. Although the target market was young people who wanted sportiness at affordable prices, the design was more suited to people who desired a sporty-looking family vehicle.
Coincidence that all the above-listed cars are sport coupe cars? I think not!
