Automotive names are designed to grab potential buyers’ attention and play within the imagination of everyone else’s. It must create images of excitement and exhilaration in the mind’s eye, rather than boredom or indifference.

When a new supercar is unveiled, many expect it to have an exotic-sounding name – something like Aventador, Roma, Zonda, Valkyrie, and Superleggera. These names give the illusions of beautiful cities, twisty coastal drives, or beautiful mountain passes. Unfortunately, some companies use abbreviations or internal project codes for their production cars, resulting in names like 720S, NSX, GT, and 918. These do not make the imagination jump to nice places and experiences, but rather force the mind to do maths, calculus, and calculate drag coefficients. Not exactly the most fun subjects to think about – unless you are a mathematician or engineer.

So, while most manufacturers have gotten the whole naming of a supercar thing under control, some still insist on logical-yet-boring-sounding names for their most exciting cars. As an example, here are five supercar names that sound cool and five that missed the mark.

10 Coolest Name – LaFerrari

2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta In Red On Bring A Trailer
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The LaFerrari was specifically built to be the best car the company has ever made. It was literally called ‘The Ferrari’, denoting that it was the ultimate iteration of any model they make. Only 700 LaFerraris were produced, of which 500 were coupes and 200 were LaFerrari Apertas.

161-Mile 2017 Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta Sells For $5.36 Million On BringaTrailer
Via: BringaTrailer

The LaFerrari was such an exclusive model, that Ferrari only allowed loyal customers to buy the car – and only after Ferrari confirmed that the invited customer had owned a certain amount of their cars and set other prerequisites. It was a ridiculous set of rules, but then again, it was LaFerrari. What else is there to say about one of the most famous automotive brands in the business?

Related: Record-Breaking Ferrari LaFerrari Aperta Sells At $5.36 Million

9 Coolest Name – Apollo Intensa Emozione

apollo-intensa-emozione
via Wallup

The Apollo Intensa Emozione is a hypercar built by the German auto company, Gumpert – who changed their name to Apollo Automobil Gmbh from Gumpert Sportwagenmanufaktur. The Apollo IE was teased in 2017 and then revealed later that year, before being put into production in 2019.

Apollo Intensa Emozione
via The Manual

The name is Italian for ‘intense emotion’ and was most likely chosen due to the 6.3-liter naturally aspirated V12 mounted in the middle of the car. The engine is supplied by Ferrari and the sound exits through an exhaust tip which costs about the same as an entire BMW M4 F32. Each of the 10 planned cars has a price of $2,700,000 – a number that elicits quite a lot of intense emotion.

Related: 10 Reasons Why We Desperately Want To Drive The Apollo Intensa Emozione

8 Coolest Name – Koenigsegg Jesko

Koenigsegg Jesko - Front
Via: Koenigsegg

Koenigsegg is a Swedish hypercar company that currently builds some of the fastest cars on the planet. The Jesko is no different. It is powered by a 5.0-liter twin-turbo V8, which produces 1,281 hp with normal fuel, or 1,603 hp when running on E85 fuel.

Konigsegg Jesko - Rear
Via Koenigsegg

The Jesko was named after the owner and CEO’s, Christian von Koenigsegg, father, Jesko von Koenigsegg. The name fits in perfectly with the car, as Jesko means ‘the brave one’ – appropriate for what may very well be the fastest production car ever made. A properly exotic name for a hypercar.

7 Coolest Name – Pagani Huayra

2012 Pagani Huayra
Pagani

The Pagani Huayra is named after Huayra-Tata, ‘the god of the wind’ for the Quechua people of South America. This is a great name for a hypercar that ‘goes like the wind’. The Huayra is powered by a 6.0-liter twin-turbocharged AMG V12, producing between 730 and 838 hp – depending on the specific model.

Pagani Huayra Pacchetto Tempesta
Via: Netcarshow

The Huayra was the successor to the equally exotically named Zonda and still has one of the best-looking interiors of any car ever made. It is a beautiful blend of old-school design mixed with space-age technology and engineering, all blended together to create one of the most elegant hypercars ever produced.

6 Coolest Name – De Tomaso Pantera

De Tomaso Pantera - Front Quarter View
Via Mecum Auctions

The De Tomaso Pantera was named after – as probably guessed – a panther. It's not as cleverly named as the preceding Mangusta – so called because mongooses are known to kill cobras (wink-wink) – but it's still a legendary car with an amazing American V8 soundtrack.

De Tomaso Pantera - Rear Quarter View
Via Mecum Auctions

The Pantera was De Tomaso’s most popular model, selling more than 7,000 units over its 20-year production run. The Pantera had many problems and was considered quite old-fashioned when it was still in production, but it was one of the best cars of the 1970s.

5 Missed The Mark – Audi R8

Audi R8 (2006)
Via Audi

The Audi R8’s name was quite confusing when the car was launched in 2008. The concept car for the R8 was called the Le Mans, in conjunction with Audi’s many 24 Hours of Le Mans wins. Instead, the car was named after the actual car which won Le Mans, the R8 LMP.

Audi R8 V10 Performance RWD, blue, front quarter on grass
Via: YouTube via CarWow

While it would have been pretty cool to see the Audi Le Mans V10 Plus name in the current Audi lineup, the R8 has made up for its boring name by being a brilliant supercar – from the first generation V8, to the current V10 RWD. The R8 has always been the go-to everyday supercar, even if it has an overly German name.

4 Missed The Mark – Ferrari F40

Ferrari_F40_1987_feature
Via: FavCars

The Ferrari F40 is a legendary car – one which has gone down in the history books as one of the best cars ever made. So good, in fact, that James May has stated that the F40 would be the last car he’d drive if the world runs out of fuel.

ferrari_f40_1987_rear
Via: FavCars

The F40 was named for Ferrari’s 40th anniversary, which was a bit uncreative, to be honest. It was the last car that the man himself, Enzo Ferrari, oversaw, and it would have been great if the F40 was called the Enzo, or the GTO, or something along those lines. No matter though, as the F40 – like the Audi R8 – proved itself to be absolutely fantastic.

Related: Supercar Icons: Ferrari F40 Vs Lamborghini Countach

3 Missed The Mark – McLaren F1

McLaren-F1-1993
via NetCarShow

The McLaren F1 is one of the most meticulously designed and engineered cars ever made. The level of detail and tolerance that went into creating it is simply awe-inspiring. The only aspect which slightly dulls the car is the name, which comes directly from Formula One.

McLaren-F1-1993
via NetCarShow

The McLaren F1 was powered by a magnificent BMW M70/2 naturally aspirated V12 and held the production car land speed record from 1994 until 2005, when the Bugatti Veyron surpassed it. The F1 is one of the greatest cars on the planet, likely to never be repeated – except maybe with the upcoming GMA T.50 and T.33.

Related: Here's A Guide To Cleaning The Engine From A McLaren F1

2 Missed The Mark – Nissan GT-R

Blue Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R
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The GT-Rs have always been the flagship Nissan sports cars. They have the best and most powerful engines, the highest top speed, and all-wheel drive for the later models. The GT-R has become the staple of sensible, yet ludicrous performance figures – especially with the last R35 generation.

2022Nissan_GT-R_Nismo
Via: Nissan

The interesting thing is that the ‘GT-R’ means exactly what one would think – Gran Turismo Racing. With the convention of Japanese manufacturers using Western naming strategies for advertisement purposes, the ‘Gran Turismo’ part stuck. Now, the GT-R is the epitome of Japanese performance – even if the current one is over 11 years old.

1 Missed The Mark – Vector W8

Vector w8
Via Pinterest

As exotic car names go, the Vector W8 has an unimaginative one. The car was named the W8 because the designer and engineer’s name was Gerald Wiegert and the car had eight cylinders – W8. Pretty straight-forward. The fascinating part of the car was the drivetrain.

2560px-Vector_W8_Twin_Turbo_ Axion23, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Via: Axion23, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

The W8 was powered by a heavily modified GM 6.0-liter V8, which had a couple of turbochargers bolted to the side, all mated to a 3-speed automatic transmission from an RV. The car produced 625 hp at its lowest 8 psi setting, but thanks to a driver-controlled adjustable boost-pressure gauge, the engine was dynoed at 14 psi, producing 1,200 hp. If anyone actually tested it, the Vector W8 would have probably been the fastest production car in the world. It deserved a cooler name!