What's in a name?

Mercury Marauder

What springs to mind when the word Marauder is mentioned - Pirates? Vikings? Outlaws? The dictionary states 'to roam or go around in quest of plunder; make a raid for booty'. I don't know if the Mercury Marauder lived up to the name, or whether owners would even want to - it doesn't really matter. It just sounds purposeful. And if you're going to drive a car with a name that sounds like it wants to tear up the road - best to make it a '64 model. Take a look at that vicious front styling - ready and willing to live up to it's name - Marauder.

Cadillac Eldorado

Who else but Cadillac would have the audacity to name a car after the mythical city of gold? The name was used for a while in the 1950s for a range of limited production, hand built beauties, but by 1967 the moniker was applied permanently to a new, sensational front wheel drive 'personal car'. With lines so sharp you could slice your hand on them while washing a fender, the Eldorado looked best in...what else but gold.

Dodge Challenger

It's a pretty neat name for a muscle car, especially one as wide and low slung as the 1970 Dodge Challenger. And if equipped with 440 six pack or 426 Hemi - this is one challenger that would've taken the title.

Plymouth Barracuda

Ford had the Cobra & Mustang, Chevy the Stingray and Impala; why not a fish the Plymouth boys asked? And not just any fish, but one with a mouthful of vicious, razor sharp teeth, one known to be a terrifying predator that punched above its' weight. And it sounded good - Barracuda. And if you want to name a car after a vicious sea creature - you might want to have a few giant killing engine options. Plymouth's high performance 340 was widely regarded as the best of the big three's hot small blocks. Just to make sure all bases were covered - Plymouth offered the biggest engine ever in a 1960s pony car - the 440 Wedge. Shoehorning a 7.4ltr monster mill under the bonnet meant no room for power steering or air conditioning - but drag racers didn't mind one bit.

AMC Javelin

Javelin - the spear used by ancient Greeks in the gymnasium and first Olympic Games. A weapon that required skill and athleticism. One could argue that the same skills had to be applied to pilot a stickshift AMC Javelin, especially when equipped with a 390 big block. A muscular looking car, it won high praise in the motoring press at the time, and forced the big three to accept AMC as a player in the muscle car stakes. Just like the javelin throwers of the ancient games - AMC proved they were willing to compete…with their own Javelin.

About the author

Raph Tripp is the owner of a 1966 Thunderbird, is a passionate classic car enthusiast and writer, and founder of TunnelRam.net. If you wish to publish this article in part or in whole, please credit Raph Tripp and tunnelram.net . This is an original Tunnel Ram production ©2020 Tunnel Ram. All images remain the property of the original copyright holders.