Car Name Origins

[JoshStratton]

Hey guys.

I was just wondering something. What exactly is a Camaro? I mean, where did the name originate from? Some cars are easy to figure out. A firebird is a mythical creature, a mustang is a horse, wtf is a Camaro??

I tied dictionary.com. I even tried the spell check on this site and it even said Camaro isnt a word!

This all came about because I was showing my wife these cars Vette and 'Pony' (http://mcspeed.homestead.com/picture_page.html) cause she wants(wanted) a C3.

She replied "Forget the vette, wow to the pony" I had to tell her that it wasnt a Mustang, but then I realized that maybe 'Camaro' is an Indian name for a horse or something, but I wasnt sure.

[slowcamaro]

"Though the car's name was contrived with no meaning, GM researchers found the word in a French dictionary as a slang term for "friend" or "companion." Ford Motor Company researchers discovered other definitions, including "a shrimp-like creature" and an arcane term for "loose bowels." In some automotive periodicals before official release, it was code-named "Panther." Historical examples exist of Chevrolet product managers being asked by the automotive press "what is a Camaro?", with the tongue-in-cheek answer being "a small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs," a sideways reference to the competing Ford Mustang."

-via wikipedia

[JoshStratton]

I guess if I were to just open my eyes I might have seen that....

Thanks!

[67LS1T56]

I'have heard that in Spanish( slang I gues ) it meant young horse.
I gues I'm wrong.

[Damn True]

I have heard on a couple of occasions that Camaro is some sort of French slang for "little friend" or companion.



Side note, Iaccoca originally assigned the name "Cougar" to what would become the Mustang.

[6'9"Witha69]

I heard it was a Latin slang for Integrity

[ProdigyCustoms]

French for comrade (sp)

[woody80z28]

"A small, vicious animal that eats Mustangs."

Perfect.

[1970cuda]

As the launch date neared, the car still had no name. It had been called various names by GM and the press, including Nova, Panther, Chaparral, and Wildcat (later used by Buick.) It is rumored that Chevy also considered using the letters "GM" in the name, and came up with G-Mini, which evolved into GeMini, and finally Gemini. General Motors Headquarters supposedly killed that name, because they didn't want the letters "GM" used in case the car was afailure.

This pre-release car bears "Chaparral" name.

Finally, the car was introduced to the press as the Camaro, considered to be a good name because nobody knew what it meant. Chevrolet produced an old French dictionary showing that the word meant "friend" or "companion", but Ford found an alternate meaning in an old Spanish dictionary-"a small, shrimp-like creature."The automotive press had a good laugh over that, and an even bigger one when one journalist found yet another meaning-"loose bowels." It didn't take long for the laughter to stop after the introduction of the stunning 1967 Camaro!

[Jim Nilsen]

I have also found that in French camaro is a color. I can't remember what color it was when I saw it but when I see it again I will post it here. If I remember right it was a light tan color that really wasn't very appealing that is used by model railroad builders for scenery.

I also have heard all of the other things that were stated.

Jim Nilsen

[Matt]

a total aside...

How did the GTO wind up with the name? It is indeeda Grand Touring car (plush, room for luggage, quick), but Omagliato(sp)?? How was it homogulated for racing?

[Jim Nilsen]

Matt, Ferarri had already started using it so it sounded cool and they used it is one of the things I heard.

Jim Nilsen

[Scott Parkhurst]

a total aside...

How did the GTO wind up with the name? It is indeeda Grand Touring car (plush, room for luggage, quick), but Omagliato(sp)?? How was it homogulated for racing?


The Pontiac wasn't...but the Ferrari was.

The Ferrari GTO was delivered "ready to race" on the track in 1962.
The Pontiac GTO was delivered "ready to race" on the streets in 1964.

~S~