Lis to cars with Idiotic names

Datsun Cedric VW Sharan Hupmobile

johannes wibbled on Sunday 27 June 2010 11:18

Ka

Made even worse because most people call it a Kay Ay, which annoys me a lot for some reason.

Si

Not sure exactly how you define idiocy in a name, but the most inappropriate of all time has to be Austin Allegro.

I define the name as idiotic if it's a random collection of syllables with no particular meaning, other than fixing the name in the minds of the car buying public.

E.g. what does 'Vectra' mean???

probably produced by a random generator.

Allegro isn't so idiotic according to this definition. And remember the TV ads: "Allegro has VROOOOM", LOL!

Ah, I see. Well, a good example was brought to my attention whilst watching top gear* this evening - Kia Cee'd

Blessedly, I'm a bit too young to remember that. ;-)

• Almost wet myself watching Clarkson's feature on Reliants! :-)

Stu

Oi!

There was alliteration which seemed sensible and the 1500 and 1750 did Allegro!

In message , johannes writes

Mazda Bongo Friendee?

I must have blanked them from my mind as well.

However, my Uncle had the 1500 VDP Allegro in Gold (gag) and being what felt like a propeller driven auto you fairly wafted along.

And a nice segway was his previous car was a Reliant Robin and before that a Regal (Van).

I watched it off the Topfield late last night with daughter and her b/f and I'm not sure she's seen either of us laugh quite like that either!

There were a couple of things that struck me though that seg.

How easily it was to stick on it's side (I drove my Uncles a few times and was a regular Messerschmitt KR200 driver) and how well it seemed to take it (considering)?

It was that first time that has us crying though (and replaying a few times, though we didn't need to as it turned out), coming out of the garages at the start and his arrival at the Reliant drivers meet up. What an entrance! ;-)

Oh, and as for things that piss one off. JC calling it a "Robin Reliant" on at least one occasion! Aaaarrrrggggg!

T i m

Especially since the font used made it look like Rustin' Allegro...

Hell yes, that really gets on my nerves too.

Mike P

Yep, we used to call my grandad's Maxi a Rustin Maxi, for that very same reason.

Mike P

Or Xedos (of which I've had two)?

Appelation Controlee gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Bob Marley drove one, as well.

Very good car, apparently, for movement of Jah people.

I would still be driving my second but it was written off, while I was parked using the phone (good boy) by a lady who wasn't looking where she was going. I watched through the door mirror as she approached - her head was turned towards her passenger. Multi-tasking is evidently not a skill conferred on all females.

Yeah, JC and a Reliant Robin; what a brilliant combination. I like the way he politely thanked the golfers to level the car, as if this was normal. Nothing untoward, just need the right way up, please... This is the proud British underdog of a car, it refuses to give up, rust or break down. It is the Eddie Eagle of a car. I wonder how it must feel to drive it (normally) on a longer trip, it must be pretty uncomfortable. The stability of a car is an important comfort factor if you want to reach destination in a relaxed state.

The outcome was inevitable.

Normal as in scripted yes. ;-)

That did add to the humour though.

Unfortunately whilst the bodies didn't rust the chassis (being made thin to keep them light) used to rust quite badly.

Like all things it depends what you are used to and what your expectancies are. My Uncle went from a Lambretta Scooter to his Regal van as he could drive it on his motorbike licence. To him it was a great car. Plenty of room in the back for his gardening kit and produce, economy as good as the scooter, more stable in the wet and snow and at least he was in the warm and dry. ;-)

And if you don't want to get pulled up for suspected drink driving because you are driving a light 3 wheeled car in a gale. ;-)

Likewise I found my Messerschmitt KR200 very stable but they could easily be flipped if you didn't know what you were doing (as a mate proved in our mates spare Schmitt). ;-(

Cheers, T i m