Car purists might call it blasphemous to take a “car name” and slap it on the tailgate of a crossover, the latest trend sweeping the industry as car production makes way for more CUVs, SUVs, and trucks. But the practice of taking a once popular model name and adding it to a completely different kind of vehicle is nothing new.
Come with us now as we take a look back at some good and not-so-good examples of the “name game.”
Ford Mustang (Good) – Dearborn’s heavyweight launched what became known as the “pony car” craze when its newly created Ford Mustang 2-door coupe debuted in mid-1964. Volumes have been written about the Mustang over the decades except for the legendary car’s small, mid-to-late seventies cousin, the “Mustang II” as Ford called it.
In the early 1970s, Ford Chair, Lee Iacocca told designers he wanted a small, lightweight version of the Mustang to meet looming emission standards, bumper impact regulations and increasing mileage expectations. Ford was ready with a sub-compact they dubbed, “Mustang II.” Ford’s little pony gets a few knocks for sharing some parts with the infamous Pinto economy car and for being woefully underpowered until Ford dropped in a V8 in later years. But, the new Mustang II continued to sell well for most of the decade before being replaced in 1979 by a slightly larger, more robust next-generation Mustang.
Today’s Mustang and Mustang GT continue this long history of success by offering potent versions in turbocharged 4-cylinder guise as well as 500+ horsepower Shelby Cobra variants while highlighting the cars’ iconic 1960s roots.
Dodge Charger (Good) – Few cars morphed from massive muscle to diminutive 4-cylinder and then back again to massive muscle car like the Charger from Dodge. The original 1965 Dodge Charger was a semi-fastback, 2-door sport coupe, ready to battle Impala Super Sports and Mercury Cyclone GTs on the boulevard.
Unfortunately, by the end of the 1960s and early 1970s, Dodge began to suffer from the same ills that doomed other large and mid-size muscle cars of the era. An oil shortage in the Middle East, rising prices at the pump, and skyrocketing insurance rates on big, burly V8 muscle cars spelled the death knell for cars like the Charger and its domestic competitors. So, the Dodge Charger went on a severe diet and shrank into a small, 96-horsepower hatchback. The funny thing is, buyers at the time didn’t seem to mind, as the new front-wheel drive “Charger 2.2” was still fun, sporty and a good value for the times.
After being out of production for nearly 18 years, Dodge resurrected the hallowed Charger nameplate in 2005 when they launched an all-new full-size 4-door sedan. Once again, Charger utilized a high-performance rear-wheel drive layout with V6 and Hemi-powered V8 power plants.
The top-of-the-line SRT “Hellcat” version of the Dodge Charger for 2018 touts a 707-horsepower, super-charged HEMI engine that will propel the car to 60 miles per hour in a scorching 3.7 seconds.
Pontiac LeMans (Not So Good) – The folks who used to tout “We Build Excitement,” the late, great Pontiac Motor Division, took their shot at reviving a popular nameplate from its gloried past, in the late 1980s. This time around, the subject was the once beloved Pontiac LeMans.
Imagine enthusiasts’ horror in 1988 when they first caught sight of a disguised Daewoo 4-cylinder sedan now carrying the hallowed LeMans nameplate and “arrowhead” icon in the center of its plastic front grill.
How could Pontiac name a tiny econobox after the famed French racing series?
The original Pontiac LeMans of the mid-1960s gave birth to “The Great One” ad campaign, referring to the iconic G.T.O., father of the “muscle car.” But, from 1988 to 1992, the only “LeMans” you could buy from your local “Poncho” dealer was a small Korean import.
Chevrolet Nova (Not So Good) – Any car enthusiast of 1960s and 1970s cars can spot a classic Chevrolet Nova on the street, (also known as the Chevy II).
The Nova performed the yeoman’s work for the brand in the ‘60s, ‘70s, and early ‘80s as a practical 4-door family sedan as well as a sporty, fastback styled 2-door coupe available in high-performance “SS” trim and big-block V8.
What followed next was an embarrassing use of a once-great car name. Chevrolet brought the Nova back from the dead in 1984 as a re-badged economy car from Toyota. Available as a 4-door sedan and 5-door hatch, this “Nova” was actually a Corolla on the inside. Quality was great, as you would expect of a Toyota, but this Nova was a far cry from the pavement-scorching beast that preceded it.
Mitsubishi Eclipse (To Be Determined) – For decades, the Eclipse was sold as a sporty, turbocharged 2-door coupe or convertible and was quite popular with enthusiasts.
In a sign of the times, however, by the dawn of the second decade of this millennium, the Eclipse ceased production due to diminishing sales. Not even the popularity of the Fast & Furious movie franchise could lift the spirits of the Eclipse while increasing numbers of Americans lusted after the next all-wheel drive, high-riding SUV.
Mitsubishi decided to go back to the well and resurrect the once proud “Eclipse” nameplate when it was time to introduce their newest 4-door CUV in 2018, now called the “Eclipse Cross.”
The jury is still out on whether or not this strategy will pay off as brand purists of the late Eclipse coupe are decidedly against the use of the nameplate on anything other than a sporty, 2-door hatchback.
Ford Focus (To Be Determined) – Recently, Ford announced a plan to drop car production except for the Mustang and Focus, Focus “Active” that is. The next generation Focus won’t be a car, but rather a CUV. The timing and execution of this particular vehicle design seem to be right on target.
The next-gen Focus looks like the Focus we’ve all come to know and love, but it’s a tad larger, rides slightly higher, like a crossover, adds some tough lower body cladding and will offer all-wheel drive and hybrid technology. That seems to be exactly what today’s consumer is clamoring for in a car…uh, CUV.
So, even though the name “Focus Active” may take a bit of getting used to, at least it fits the lifestyle of today’s “active” driver.
Written by Mark Arsen for Leithcars.com.
Leave a Reply