What's In a Name: Part ThreeSons, daughters, and gods all play a part in the car manufacturer naming origins of this segment. This list amazes due to the widespread geographic origins.
MaseratiThe company was founded in 1914 by the five Maserati brothers, whose goal was to custom-build fast, reliable and elegant cars for discerning enthusiasts.
In the early days, the Maserati brothers prepared the cars of other companies for racing, but in 1926, the first Maserati car, the Tipo 26, made its debut, along with the company's logo, a trident (a three-pronged spear) adapted from a statue of Neptune in Bologna, Italy.
McLarenMcLaren Cars was formed as a direct consequence of the McLaren Formula One team's domination of the 1988 World Championship season. The McLaren name itself can be traced back to Bruce McLaren, the racing great from Auckland, New Zealand, who founded Bruce McLaren Motor Racing in 1964 after becoming the youngest Fomula One Grand Prix winner, among other F1 successes. Tragically, McLaren was killed in a test track accident in 1970.
Mercedez-BenzThe origins of Mercedes-Benz, the world's oldest car manufacturer, can be traced back to southern Germany in the late 1880s when Gottleib Daimler and Karl Benz each independently invented the internal combustion-engine-powered automobile. Although the two inventors never met, their two companies finally merged in 1926 to create Daimler-Benz AD. The name "Mercedes" was the contribution of a Daimler car dealer named Emil Jellinek, who used his daughter's name (Mercedes) when entering his Daimler car in races in the early 1900s. As part of his negotiations to gain the Daimler concession for a large part of Europe and the U.S., he insisted on selling the cars branded with the name "Mercedes."
NissanThe company now known as Nissan got its start in Japan in 1914 when a company called Kwaishinsha Motorcar Works built the first DAT car ("DAT" is derived from the initials of the company's partners' surnames.) which was soon followed by the "Son of DAT," or "DAT Son" model. Because "son" means loss in Japanese, the spelling was changed to "Datsun," which was used as a car name until 1982. The company was renamed Nissan in 1934, and started partnering with European car manufacturer Austin to gain access to automobile and engine designs. After suffering financial difficulties in the 1990s, Nissan recently pulled off one of the most dramatic corporate turnarounds in history, recording record profits and sales.
Noble
Noble Moy Automotive Ltd. was founded in 1998 by Lee Noble, a self-taught engineer who abandoned formal schooling at age 16 and decided to build his own production cars.
Prior to starting his own company, Noble spent 20 years developing skills as a race car driver and designer. Along the way, he designed the Ascari and Ultima GT race cars. Today, Noble produces high speed sports cars with a MR (mid-engine, rear-wheel-drive) drivetrain layout.
PGR 3 Car Manufacturers—What's In a Name: Part Four
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