Some cars convey a romantic image. By their very design they’re sleek and sexy. Watch any movie and you can usually pick out the romantic lead by the car he drives. Same goes for the good guys, bad guys and the woman in distress.
If you’re writing a romance novel, it’s a lot better if the sexy, romantic hero drives a Ferrari, Porsche, Jaguar or even a Rolls-Royce (in which case he probably has a driver). A nice sexy sports car like a Fiat, Alfa Romeo, or a Triumph is also acceptable. If you’re going for class and rich you could throw in an Aston Martin
The romantic lead should not be shown driving a Daihatsu, Buick or Mitsubishi. And heaven forbid he drives an Oldsmobile. Come on the name just doesn’t conjure up romance. Speaking of names…..
Sometime cars have names that convey romance. I’m not talking about the actual image of the car, just the name (i.e. model type). The most obvious to me is the Highlander. I wrote about a Scottish Highlander and I certainly like reading about them. The Highlander is a big ole SUV so it would be a fine fit for a Scottish laird. Highlander tops my list.
I also like the name Quest. Although the practical mini van has very little to recommend it as romantic, I can just imagine a few burly warriors throwing their swords, shields and gear in the back cargo hold and heading off on a QUEST to rescue a damsel in distress.
For a contemporary novel, I can see how a Fit, Focus, Intrigue or Aspire might make the list for a romantic image.
If you’re looking for a good romantic local we have Montana, Monte Carlo, Malibu, Tacoma (like Sleepless In Seattle), Oasis (as in Midnight at the Oasis) New Yorker, Park Ave and Newport.
For the paranormal crowd we could use Aries, Taurus, Saturn, Mercury, Equinox and Mystique.
I also like the sound of Challenger, Charger, Conquest and Odyssey. All rather warrior and alpha-male sounding.
Speaking of alpha-male, there’s a whole list of cars with names that work well as job titles, such as Comanche, Aviator, Navigator, Pilot, Ranger, Trooper and of course, Escort (gotta love that one!).
If we want to hit the Regency period we can use a Regency (duh), Regal, Imperial, LaBaron or Marquis, and throw in Cavalier for good measure.
A few others I like, just for fun and sex-appeal are Lancer, Legend, and Encore, as in give me more…..
But two of my all time favorites are the 57′ T-Bird with opera windows and the classic Ford Mustang, one of the most successful muscle car names of all times. In my next novel, Somewhere To Belong, my romantic lead, Daniel, drives a classic candy red Mustang, so you already know he’s a Rebel.
I drive a PT Cruiser. It has classic styling with a California beach image, especially if it’s a woody. I’m a little old fashion and a lot California girl.
So, what does your (dream) car say about you? Sleek and sexy, warrior, alpha-male, high style, rich or classic? Inquiring minds want to know.
Enjoy Always, T
Tricia Linden 
Lady Tricia
Ah, me. And, perhaps in a lesson to writers, ‘what’s in a name’ so often depends on the reader more than the writer :-).
For example, Ford at one time produced the Chevy Nova. New, right? Or maybe it burns down the highway like an exploding star… all good, right?
Well, not so much in Latin America. Because in Spanish, ‘Nova’ means, um, ‘doesn’t go’ :-P.
There’s the Toyota Fiera. Fiery, red… so long as you’re not in Puerto Rico. Fiera there is ‘ugly old woman’. And I’m not going anywhere near why nobody wanted the Mitsubishi Pajero in Spain, or the seemingly mild named Pinto in Brazil. Though I’m not sure it’s fair to expect the marketing department to check out Brazilian-Portugese slang before they pick a name (blushes).
We write names because they ring to our ears. But we don’t know what ears, or eyes, they’ll be under next. And if even the Rolls-Royce (by the way, and I know you didn’t, but never ‘Roller’. Inside the company their familiar name is ‘Royces’) Silver Mist can generate a less than enthusiastic response among German drivers (‘Silver Animal Droppings’ isn’t most people’s first choice of status symbol), can we assume anything’s safe? :-).
For me, maybe I’d go with Kathy Mattea and the 455 Rocket. A machine that thought ‘mean’ was for wimps, with added ‘hell yeah’. But I think I’ll pass. The Rocket in that song wasn’t keen on the whole gravity thing….
“She was made for the straight aways
She grew up hating Chevrolets
She’s a Rocket, she was made to burn…”
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OMG, You mean I have to deal with the whole cross border, lost in translation thing too? Not just my own limited perceptions of what things mean? Always another challenge to deal with. I think I’ll ride the bus. Or walk. Walking’s good, right?
Enjoy always and keep smiling, T
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I had an orange car once that I called a pumpkin. I felt like a regular Cinderella without a prince charming. BTW, Graeme makes me laugh.
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