Motormouth: Pets can have car names, but petrolheads shouldn't name themselves after car brands

Our pets can have automotive names like Turbo, Lambo, Rover and Boxster, but petrolheads should not name themselves after car brands, no matter how much they love the marques in question.

Naming yourself after a car brand is a little ludicrous, in my opinion. 

It’s okay calling your dog Rover, your cat Jaguar, or your pony Ferrari. My first pet dog was named Momo, because my hot hatch at the time had a factory-fitted Momo steering wheel, and momo is also the Japanese word for peach, and my Maltese-Shih Tzu best furry friend was so peachy.

I considered two other names for her – Turbo, which I felt was more suitable for a hyperactive breed such as a Jack Russell Terrier; and VTEC, which had a nice ring to it but was a bit too technical for something so loveable. 

Loveable creatures deserve adorable names and pets can’t possibly choose their own names anyway. But petrolheads can, and we should do so within reason. 

Imagine automotive-inspired aliases such as "Aston Tong", "Audi Aw", "Bentley Lee", "Kia Soo", "Lambo Boo", "Lexus Loo" and "Porsche Poh". Catchy, easy to recall, and possibly good for conversations, but just a little silly. 

I know folks who are called Sunny, Cedric, and Serena, and none of them drives a Nissan. I have yet to meet people with Christian name variations based on Japanese car models, such as (Suzuki) Jimny in place of Jimmy, (Toyota) Yaris in place of Harris, (Mitsubishi) Lancer in place of Lance, and (Mitsubishi) Dion in place of Dionne.

I have also never met a guy by the name of (Opel) Astra Boey.

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