What's Your Favorite Alliterative Car Name?

What's in a name? A lot, especially within today's capitalism machine where brands and automakers have worked hard to bank on nostalgia by reviving old toys, special editions, and model names. Remember the excitement when Ford announced the Bronco was returning? Remember the disappointment when Ford, with a few electric names in its back pocket from prior models, named its electric car the Mustang Mach-E?  In many cases, these vehicles deserved more, including better names. 

Have you ever noticed that some brands like to ensure the names are fun and sometimes go together? I'm talking about alliteration — where the first letter of the words used together are all the same. Someone at both Ford and Chevrolet are big fans of this when it comes to naming cars there because Ford, for example, has or has had the Fairlane, F-150, Falcon, Fiesta, Focus, Freestyle, and Fusion to name a few. For Chevrolet: Camaro, Caprice, Cavalier, Celebrity, Chevelle, Colorado, Corvette, and Cruze. I've probably not hit every car with the same letter for either brand, but regardless, brands playing with the English language is fun, and as a writer I'm here for it.

It so happens that one of my favorite cars currently on exhibit at the conveniently located Gilmore Car Museum is also my pick for this QOTD: the Stout Scarab. Not only is the name incredibly fun and alliterative, the vehicle is almost mesmerizing. Jason Torchinsky wrote about these art deco-shelled beauties back in 2017, arguing in favor of the Scarab as possibly the first real minivan, pre-dating Chrysler's well known claim to the title with the introduction of the Dodge Caravan and Plymouth Voyager in 1984, by decades.

The Scarab's starting production dates range from 1934 to 1936 depending on where exactly you look. For now we can agree that it began in the mid-1930s. The Stout name came from aeronautical-turned-automotive engineer William Bushnell Stout. Stout had long worked in the aeronautics industry, designing one of the first passenger airplanes while also starting the first scheduled airline in the U.S. called Stout Air Service. His work was revolutionary in the Detroit area. Stout Air Service would eventually be sold off to the parent company of today's United Airlines.

Lalita Chemello / Jalopnik

Stout eventually made the pivot to automobiles after his interest in dealing with the stagnant aviation industry faltered. His eventual creation was this clearly flight-inspired, art deco-infused vehicle called the Scarab. Stout named it partly for the Scarab's similar shape to the actual Egyptian beetle, which also happens to symbolize transformation and rebirth, appropriate for the engineer's new venture. Egyptian art features heavily in art deco motifs, as Egypt-mania gripped culture on and off for nearly 100 years. According to Hagerty it had a 135-inch wheelbase and measured about 16 feet in length, featuring a Ford V8 placed in the rear. The ornate decor, complete with a Scarab front and center of the hood wasn't even the best part of the car. Truly you had to go inside where the rear seats rotated so you could sit and speak with your family and friends riding along. Its debut during the Great Depression likely provided little promise to its survival, as the Scarab, along with the company, ended in the mid-1940s.

As I've geeked out enough on the Scarab, which by far might be one of the best alliterative car names, it's now your turn to discuss your favorite. Also, a short note going forward, Jalopnik's Question of the Day posted over the weekends will be limited to discussions — no longer will a Saturday or Sunday question have its answers posted later in the week. But don't fret, because this gives us the opportunity to open up the questions beyond what we can legally post in photos and videos. With that in mind, I open the floor to you.