Aircraft-inspired car names

We’ll start with the mighty Mustang, revered by aviation and auto enthusiasts alike. North American’s P–51 warbird shares a name with Cessna’s business jet and the Ford pony car that stole the hearts of teen drivers and sports car enthusiasts beginning in 1965. (And launched a genre of muscle car competitors from the “Big Three” automakers.)

At the other end of the spectrum is the Pacer, Piper’s beloved 1950s tube-and-fabric, four-seat PA–20—which is enjoying a comeback of sorts—and the jellybean-shaped AMC hatchback produced in the mid-1970s and forgotten soon after.

Muscle car aficionados fondly remember the Oldsmobile Cutlass of the 1960s and 1970s, which evolved into the sought after Cutlass 442 street fighter. But the automobile was named after a real fighter, the Vought F7U Cutlass swept-wing military jet of the 1950s. Cessna’s 1980s retractable 172RG also shares the Cutlass moniker.

What about the Skyhawk? Yep, Cessna’s most popular trainer, the 172, which earned its name in the early 1960s, shares its name with the Buick Skyhawk—a two-door subcompact hatchback available with an “Astroroof” to view the stars and as a practical four-door sedan that faded away in 1989.

That’s not the only Cessna single sharing a name with a car. Consider the Lycoming GO-300-powered Cessna 175 Skylark, designed to bridge the gap between a 172 and the larger Cessna 182 Skylane. The Buick Skylark romped onto the scene in the mid-1950s as a limited-edition convertible to commemorate the GMC brand’s fiftieth anniversary. The Cutlass lookalike remained a beloved classic in the lineup for 46 years.

Who can forget the sleek Aerostar? It’s understandable if you do forget Ford’s first foray into the minivan market, but the multiengine, tiny tail Piper Aerostar looks fast just parked on a ramp. Aero Commander designer Ted R. Smith created the twin-engine speedster in the mid-1960s as a “no-compromises personal speed machine,” wrote AOPA Editor at Large Dave Hirschman (see “Ted Smith’s Dream,” February 2014 AOPA Pilot). The piston version set multiple speed records and inspired a twin-jet design. Not so with the Ford minivan, which faded into obscurity after Chrysler’s minivans entered the market in the 1980s, according to automobile history source Hagerty.

The Golden Age of aviation brought us the high-wing, long range Lockheed Vega designed by Jack Northrop, while the 1970s introduced the not-so-great Chevrolet Vega subcompact that was plagued with engineering challenges. Amelia Earhart’s record-setting red Lockheed 5B Vega that she referred to as her “Little Red Bus” is on display at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

Eclipse Aviation launched the 500/550 personal jet at the turn of this century, and it shares a name with the Mitsubishi Eclipse ground-hugging sport coupe of the 1990s.

The world’s first production jetliner, the de Havilland DH106 Comet, first flew in 1949, but was plagued by crashes attributed to design flaws and metal fatigue. On the other hand, the Mercury Comet midsize car that morphed from the Ford Falcon enjoyed a 30-year run as both a spiffy in-town vehicle and a track-proven powerhouse after modifications to the engine and suspension.

Don’t forget the two-wheelers. The Nakajima Hayabusa World War II fighter shares the same name with the Suzuki Hayabusa, known as the world’s fastest production street motorcycle capable of 186 mph top speed. After it was released in 1999, worldwide motorcycle manufacturers agreed to limit the top speed of all street motorcycles to no faster than the ‘Busa’s 186 mph to avoid a never-ending top speed battle.

Have more aviation-inspired automobile names? Send them on! 

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Special thanks to AOPA member Tim Friedlander who noticed many aircraft share the same name as cars and motorcycles.