Anthropomorphism Runs Amok With Auto Enthusiasts!

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Otto Halliwell (Robert Duvall) in “Gone in Sixty Seconds” knows a thing or two about naming cars. Image courtesy of hollywood-diecast.com

It turns out that a lot of people name their cars.

Like, a lot.

The phenomenon is called anthropomorphism, which in layman’s terms, is the act of assigning human characteristics to non-human things.

We’re not going to bother ourselves with trying to figure out why people do this. We’re simply going to celebrate it.

Our friends at Summit Racing solicited the question on their Facebook page: Have you ever named a car???

The answer: Yes. Yes, you have.

Here are some of those cars and stories.

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Name: Voodoo Owner: Nicole L. OnAllCylinders: If you haven't noticed, Nicole has three cars. She built them herself. In related news, we're totally smitten.

Name: Bad Obsession Owner: Stuart A. OnAllCylinders: Stuart named this 1978 Trans-Am after the Guns N' Roses song. He reports being obsessed with Trans-Ams since watching 'Smokey and the Bandit' as a 7-year-old. Now 38, Stuart has owned this pretty machine for half his life and says it is the only car he has ever owned. Great story, Stuart. Here's to another 19 years with your obsession!

Name: Cherry Owner: Austin G. OnAllCylinders: She has her name because she's in 'cherry' condition. Looks that way to us, too, Austin. Nice work.

Name: Gator Owner: David O. OnAllCylinders: David says this El Camino looks mean. And has a nasty bite. Rawr. Thank you for taking the time to share this, David. It's very cool.

Name: Greaser Owner: Mitch J. OnAllCylinders: We don't have many details on why Greaser is named so, but Mitch made it clear it was a tribute to his father. So, we were immediately on board. This gorgeous rig features a modified 305 V6, glass pack mufflers, a 1955 Chevy Bel-Air steering wheel, Wheel Vintiques steelies, a quadrajet carburetor, relocated gas tank, modified fuel pump, a 70s Challenger dual-snorkel air cleaner, and more. In other words, it's fantastic. Great tribute to Dad, Mitch. We love it.

Name: Great White Owner: Brandon F. OnAllCylinders: As Brandon tells it, there's almost nothing this truck can't do. He was just a 6-year-old boy when his dad bought Great White (already 11 years old at the time). Great White can pull almost anything and climb almost anything, Brandon says. He took possession of the car after his father fulfilled his promise to give Brandon the truck once he became an Eagle Scout. Brandon has dropped a lot of hard-earned money back into the truck to keep it running and awesome. Really appreciate you sharing your story, Brandon. Keep on keepin' on.

Name: Hillbilly Deluxe Owner: Tina W. OnAllCylinders: This bad girl is hot freaking pink. Tina's 1984 Chevy Custom Deluxe with a 327 is lowered and features 20-inch wheels. And while part of us doesn't want to like this, we sort of can't help ourselves.

Name: Horsey Car (named by the owner's 2-year-old son) Owner: Tim H. OnAllCylinders: We're dads, too. So we can relate to what's going on here. Thanks for sharing, Tim. Take care of that GT. And your son!

Name: KARR Owner: Nicole L. OnAllCylinders: KARR is KITT's evil prototype and was featured in two 'Knight Rider' episodes, making this Pontiac a huge pile of rad sauce. From Nicole: 'He is an '82 Trans-Am with a 350, 700R4, Borq Warner Differential, 600 cfm Holley carb, Weiand intake, Blue Racer cam, MSD distributor. A lot of performance mods. The LED dash is completely functional. The LED graphs are gauges. Two TV monitors with a front and rear camera. The scanner is KARR's sound effects and sequences. He talks with a mp3 and front speaker.' That, my friends, is something you don't see everyday. Or, ever.

Name: Kmaero Owner: Kathy M. OnAllCylinders: Kathy Mae has been called Kmae most of her life. Making Kmaero the perfect blend of obviousness, appropriateness, and awesomeness. From Kathy: 'She has a HP 350 4-speed, custom interior, and dynos at a solid 425. This is my second '68. My first one had a 396 4-speed and was responsible for the only speeding ticket I've ever received. Had several Mopars in between, but went back to Chevy when I first laid eyes on this one. It was love at first sight, and we won't be parting company anytime soon, if ever.' Good idea, Kmae. It's pretty rad.

Name: No Big Deal Owner: T.J. T. OnAllCylinders: T.J. went through a series of mishaps with his parents driving to pick up this fantastic 1950 Studebaker Commander Regal Deluxe. Like, 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' kind-of stuff. In the end, T.J.'s apparently good-natured parents would laugh it off and say: 'No big deal!' Really good stuff, T.J. Thanks for sharing.

Owner: Ed H. OnAllCylinders: Ed calls her Ole Red because A. She's old, and B. She's red. This is the sort of thing that makes perfect sense to us.

Name: Roldan Owner: Nicole L. OnAllCylinders: Good luck with this build, Nicole. We're excited to see what you do with him! (Still feels weird calling cars 'him!')

Name: Susie Q Owner: Christy R. OnAllCylinders: We didn't get a story, but any lady building and driving this rig is certainly alright with us.

Name: The Black Pearl Owner: Jay S. OnAllCylinders: This 1986 Chevy C10 is black. And we're assuming this might be a factor in the name. The Black Pearl name was made famous by the face-rocking pirate ship in 'Pirates of the Caribbean.' Generally speaking, we condone anything that rocks faces. Well done, Jay. Thanks for sharing.

Name: Violet Owner: Marcy K. OnAllCylinders: Purple is Marcy's favorite color. So she rocks a purple Lexus. With purple pinstripes. And purple brake calipers. We get it. Thanks for sharing Violet, Marcy!