Our man ponders a taboo subject for the motoring world: is it okay to give your car a name? He says ‘no’, but turns out most Mini owners would disagree…
Do you name your car? This author is a firm believer that a very personal relationship, not dissimilar to love, can exist between driver and car, but not once have I been tempted to give my pride and joy a name.
I’m not sure why this is. My cars have had personality, and time spent with them is akin to hanging out with a friend – even when the car is being obnoxious and spitting oil everywhere (my old Renault Clio was excellent at that). Yet anthropomorphising them has always seemed a bit… silly. A bit Thomas the Tank Engine.
That’s not to say that car naming isn’t a big thing though. Research released recently by Mini World Live, a Mini event in the UK, suggests that, at least within the Mini community, naming your car is the norm, with just 14 percent of participants saying that they didn’t give their vehicle a moniker.
Surprisingly, 51 percent thought their car was male, while 35 percent of Mini owners opt for a female name. The most popular names are Marvin, Jack and Tommy (after comedian Tommy Cooper. Mini Cooper. Get it?), while ‘girl cars’ tend to go by Minnie (duh), Mollie and Millie.
Maybe the Mini, with its cute, characterful looks, is better suited to a make-believe personality. Would you name a Corvette or an AMG Mercedes? Nope, me neither. Then again, come back to me in a few years when my garage might actually hold one and I may have changed my tune.
Oh, and just in case you were wondering, we asked and the above Minis are Mike, Larry, Kyle, Diane, Keith, Laura and Big Dave respectively.
