There are plenty of sports cars that have brilliant names that reflect their amazing capabilities. Cars like the Alpine A110 and the Ferrari Daytona are complete representations of this. And yet, sometimes sports car brands release cars that are good but sadly their names do not reflect this.
Sadly even some of the best car brands miss the mark sometimes. These cars in the list below are by no means beaters, but their names sound awful and don't do much in terms of improving their image. Interestingly enough, the majority of these cars flopped.
10 Toyota MR2
The Toyota MR2 is a brilliant car. Released in 1984, Toyota's MR2 was successful and launched over three generations. Toyota's third generation of the car had a great engine and could reach 130 mph. It’s popular among fans and enthusiasts; however, its name is not endearing at all.
The MR2 stands for ‘Midship Runabout 2-seater,’ but in French, the MR2 translated into ‘M-R-Deux’, which sounded a lot like the French word for 'dung.' This makes the car sound lame, and once someone knows the fact of this, it's often hard to escape being aware of it.
9 Venturi Fétish
The Venturi Fétish released in 2002 and was an electric sports car. In fact, this car was the first electric sports car, ever. There was a very limited amount of these produced and it was a decently performing car, as it achieved 241 hp.
Despite its success, the name of the car really lets it down. Being called the Fetish sounds a little odd, with 12-year olds definitely having a fun laugh. Sad to say, but the Fétish was a great car, it just had a bad name attached to it.
8 Geely Beauty Leopard
Geely launched the 'BL' in 2003. The 'BL' stands for Beauty Leopard in English. The vehicle is a sports car and reaches 111 mph. The car is inspired hugely by the Toyota Celica, with the engine also having a Toyota design.
The Beauty Leopard means Meirenbao in Chinese, which has a better ring to it than the English translation. The car itself isn't too bad, with it being fairly powerful. It is also interesting to see the inspiration that Geely took from Toyota. The Beauty Leopard name simply just leaves a lot to the imagination.
7 Nissan Friend-ME
The Nissan Friend-ME was a concept car launched in 2013. The Friend-ME was marketed towards younger men in China. The car's experience is very dominating, and it pulls off the sports car look great. Despite just being a concept car, the car did look like a brilliant coupe.
The car is not yet launched, with it possibly being launched in 2030. However, the name 'Friend-ME' isn't exactly a sports car seller. It doesn't sound like a sports car; instead, it sounds a lot like a small car that does not look as imposing as the Friend-ME does.
6 Audi E-Tron GT
The Audi E-Tron launched in 2018 and is all-electric. The original E-Tron was not a sports car but an SUV. The car itself is very successful. However, the current E-Tron had to be renamed in France because the word quite literally translated into 'turd.' Not ideal for an electric vehicle that is supposed to showcase the best of Audi's brand.
With the new E-Tron GT sports car which is to be launched soon, this will also need renaming as the car will have the same problem. With such a car that has brilliant performance capabilities, the name change and confusion with the existing name is not ideal.
5 Chevrolet Vega GT
The Chevrolet Vega GT launched in 1970. It was a pretty good car and so good that it won the 1971 "Motor Trend Car of the Year" award. Its engineering was brilliant and it was heavily reliable for the consumer. Among these, the engine has lasted well since the vehicle's creation, which is a great point.
Originally meaning Vega as in the brightest star in the Lyra constellation, the name has great intentions but this hasn't exactly worked out with people relating 'Vega' with a slow vehicle, even though the car isn't slow at all.
4 Ferrari Mondial
The Ferrari Mondial was complete with a V8 engine and great in its design. It was also a four-seater, which made it a lucrative sports car. The Mondial was reliable, but people have not taken care of the car as much as one would think. Even so, many have enjoyed the Mondial especially with its power of 300 bhp alongside the V8 engine.
For a sports car coming from one of the most revered brands, the Mondial's name is a letdown compared to the likes of the Daytona, Testarossa, and the Enzo. The Mondial, meaning 'worldwide,' is a bit disappointing, especially since it doesn't sound as romantic as the other vehicles.
3 Mitsubishi Starion
The Starion was a great car produced by Mitsubishi in 1982. It was turbocharged and really reflects the great styling of Mitsubishi. It's speedy too, with the vehicle reaching 135mph for its top speed. The Starion even had a turbo version, which was great too. Owners will tell time and time again about how it is so reliable and great to drive.
However, Mitsubishi state that the car is called Starion due to it relating to the word star and Arion. But Jeremy Clarkson apparently misinterpreted the 'original' name as 'Stallion' for 'Starion' and the name has stuck ever since. Whichever people choose to believe, Starion has seemed to stick ever since, along with the confusion surrounding it too.
2 Ford Probe
The Ford Probe launched in 1988. It wasn't always the most successful with Ford enthusiasts, as they did not enjoy the Japanese engineering nor the fact that the car didn't have a V8 engine. Despite this, the car was cheaply priced and the V6 engine was very smooth for people to drive with.
The name of the car, however, is a different point entirely. The vehicle's name is not exactly endearing. The name just makes the car sound a bit rubbish, and surely Ford saw the double-entendre that came out of a name like 'Probe.' Still, a good car, but a disastrous name.
1 Lamborghini Urus
The Lamborghini Urus is a great car. Despite technically being an SUV, the car is as fast as a sports car. The car is larger than life accompanied with brilliant acceleration capabilities. It's not exactly a family car, but instead is meant for speed and fun. A 4.0-liter V8 engine surely gives the car rights to a sporty status, and its dynamic looks show this too.
However, the name of the car is simply just not brilliant. Urus does not sound exciting and doesn't really fit with Lamborghini's other names—such as the Estoque (concept) or the Huracan. The name Urus sounds futuristic, but it doesn't fit in with Lamborghini's usual style, and the name is just a bit of a downer on the brand.