by Gabrielle DeSantis

Cars have carried model names since almost the first vehicle came out. From “Model T” to “Mustang” and “Cherokee,” model names give the first impression of a vehicle. Some monikers are fun, like “Bronco,” while other automakers go with letters and numbers. Those alphanumeric names are usually not quite as memorable, but they get the point across. For example, Mazda’s CX series goes sequentially in odd numbers as the vehicles grow in size. Volvo uses alphanumeric naming, too, but that will soon be a thing of the past.

The current Volvo naming system is alphanumeric

Volvo uses an alphanumeric system to name its models. The Swedish automaker uses “XC” for its SUVs, with the XC90 one of the more popular. It’s also the SUV upon which Volvo’s next generation of EVs will be built. 

The company has used an alphanumeric naming model for almost every vehicle it has produced, with only a few exceptions. It has used “C” for coupes and hatchbacks, and the alphanumeric naming model has been in place since 1995.

But Volvo is changing that with its new EVs.

Volvo’s CEO wants the change

Volvo's C40 Recharge is a solid second stab at an EV https://t.co/iZbgTibfXr pic.twitter.com/0VBxGqghLG

— Engadget (@engadget) July 9, 2021

Volvo CEO Hakan Samuelsson said he wants to leave the alphanumeric naming model behind with the brand’s new electric vehicles. The Drive reported that he wants actual names for the new EV models, the way parents would name their children. He’s obviously excited and proud of what his company is doing next.

It was an “interesting and creative” discussion, according to Samuelsson, to try to come up with names befitting the Volvo’s next generation.

In an interview with AutoCar, he said the new EVs will get more emotional names. This is partly because Volvo’s new EVs are a new product of new technology and engineering. Samuelsson wants to mark the occasion as a fresh beginning by giving the new vehicles actual names. He likened the change to naming a newborn child. Volvo is proud of its next generation of EVs, which in turn translates to consumer excitement.

The automaker hasn’t finalized any names yet, Samuelsson said, but expect an announcement when the company announces its XC90 EV successor. Volvo is working on their EVs, so that should be soon.

Volvo’s sales numbers came back for the first half of 2021, and they’re strong. They show growth over the last two years, which is good for the automaker, and announcing new EVs would certainly help bolster that growth. 

The company has plenty to celebrate, and Samuelsson wants to mark it by using names rather than numbers on future vehicles. Car enthusiasts have often given their vehicles names, so it makes sense an automaker would also want to do the same.

Other car brands could use name makeovers

Volvo Concept Recharge previews major changes for @VolvoCarUSA's upcoming electric cars, specifically the next-gen XC90 EV https://t.co/eFXmZkB5br pic.twitter.com/lZAuN2POaG

— Roadshow (@roadshow) June 30, 2021

Some other brands might need to take a page from Volvo’s playbook. For instance, Cadillac has been using alphanumeric naming. The luxury automaker introduced impressive performance vehicles for the 2022 model year, but using alphanumeric naming doesn’t quite have the excitement that an actual name might. 

In fact, Cadillac tried to bring back names with monikers like “Lyriq” and “Celestiq,” but The Drive called the attempt “botched.” They were called “nerdy” names, with none of the luxury and performance on which Cadillac has built a reputation. Let’s hope Volvo takes note of Cadillac’s misstep. 

Mazda is another carmaker that could use a name makeover. Its alphanumeric naming is simple, so it’s not as confusing as other automakers’ systems, but it lacks fun or imagination. 

Time will tell if Volvo chooses names that carry some weight. We look forward to seeing what they are.

Related: The 2021 Volvo CX40 Recharge Might Confuse You When You Try to Start It

The post More Memorable Names: Volvo to Ditch Current Model Naming System appeared first on MotorBiscuit.

by Gabrielle DeSantis

When someone mentions the greatest vintage car collection, things like Jay Leno’s Garage or some other celebrity billionaire will likely pop into your mind. There is also a pile of great car museums both private and public like the Petersen Museum in LA. However, this mental list will almost never include a little place tucked away in the mountains of Colorado called the Rambler Ranch. This omission cannot stand any longer. Rambler Ranch is one of the world’s greatest vintage car collections, period. It also helps if you are really into AMC.

Where is Rambler Ranch? 

Rambler Ranch is down a dirt road just outside of Elizabeth, Colorado. According to The Drive, Rambler Ranch contains the world’s largest collection of Nash, Rambler, and AMC cars. Admittedly, this museum’s greatness is highly contingent upon whoever’s judging being really into AMC cars. But, even if the American Motor Company isn’t your thing, the collection of over 250 vintage cars and memorabilia showcases at the Rambler Ranch should be enough to garner a decent amount of respect. 

For anyone who’s into AMC cars, this place is a haven like no other. But even if someone just likes cars in any capacity, the scale of this collection is enough to impress. 

If the size alone doesn’t make this the greatest vintage car collection, the quality will

Aside from the 250 cars actually in the outbuildings that comprise the museum complex, Rambler Ranch is also home to another some odd 500 cars in the “boneyard” kept for parts. Let’s pretend for a minute that 750 AMC cars aren’t enough to be blown away, the quality and rarity of the collection should push it over the edge as being the greatest vintage car collection on Earth. 

There are a few sporty cars like Javelins and AMXs, and, of course, plenty of Pacers, Gremlins, Concords, and Eagles. Near-mint base model station wagons sit side-by-side with oddly spec’d sedans and piles of thrashed government fleet vehicles. A generous number feature insanely rare trim packages. But make no mistake; this collection is for the AMC aficionado. This is for the person who doesn’t just see past the American underdog automaker but celebrates them for it. 

How did the Rambler Ranch start? 

Terry Gale, the owner, and operator of the greatest vintage car collection says it was basically an accident. “It just evolved into what it is today. It was never my intention to do this,” he says, with seriousness. 

Like many American kids from the 60s, Gale’s father had a 1954 Nash Ambassador Custom. This one was finished in Caribbean Blue and was bought for $50. Gale’s dad loved strange old cars and when he bought the Nash, these weren’t something that many car people cared about. 

“And my dad drove it for a couple of years, and I remember the day it broke down. My sister-in-law was driving it and the oil pump went out, and it had 129,000 miles on it. And they towed it home… to the farm, and it sat there at the farm for 18 years. I remember going out in the field and sitting in it, playing in it when I was younger… After my dad passed away in 1977, a few years later my brother was cleaning up the farm and asked me, ‘Do you want dad’s old Nash? I’m going to haul it to the junkyard.’” What happens next is easily guessed. 

The begins of Rambler Ranch stretched throughout the years or restoring his Dad’s old Nash and hanging around places where AMC people do. Because he had a love for the brand and these cars were relatively cheap, he just kept buying them until he had enough to start organizing them into a museum.

“And I just started buying things to make it fun and interesting and pretty for people, cause everybody just loved coming out there because it was just so different, ” he said with enthusiasm. “And then after discovering that really no one in the world has done this, that there are no museums for Nash, Rambler, or AMC, I thought, here’s something I can do that no one in the world has done.”

He loves these old cars and views his work as a way to preserve and celebrate the unheralded automaker that he loves so much. The museum stretches to many things outside of cars. Basically, if it can be traced back to Nash or American Motors it has a place at Rambler Ranch. 

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