Pagoda SL Group
W113 Pagoda SL Group => General Discussion => Topic started by: Cees Klumper on April 10, 2004, 01:27:58
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I know one Pagoda owner's wife named his car "mistress", "for obvious reasons".
Have you named your car?
Cees Klumper
'69 white 280 SL automatic
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A friend of ours - with a bright yellow Smart car called "Barney" - told us one night ours needed a name.
Eespecially as our Pagoda is "newer" in terms of ownership than our new car - an SLK. So both two seaters etc
She decided we should call our Pagoda "Audrey", after Ms Hepburn
So we do :oops:
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Hey Cees,
I have an English neighbour 83yo who takes an active interest in "OUR" car. Bit like grandparents with their grand children "all care but no responsibility".
He has named my 250sl "SNOWY" because of its bright white colour (actually Papyrus white 717).
It seems very apt.
Bob (Brisbane,Australia)
early 250 SL, RHD
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Can I turn this around and ask for help in naming my car? A clean, original '71 280 SL, Tobacco Brown, Tan Top, cognac interior, manual tranny, lives in New York City.
I have a few potential names on my list but no name jumps out as just right. The names are:
"The Brown Beauty"
"The Brown Streak" (like 'Blue Streak' but it doesn't work with Brown!)
"The One" (the one what?)
"Brownie" (not so good, the traffic police around here were called 'Brownies' because of their uniforms).
"Hans" (but I'm not sure if the car is a boy or a girl)
"Mannie" (from the transmission but a little too subtle)
"Brown Beast" (ugh)
"The Chocolate Kid" (too sweet)
"Old Faithful" (sounds more like an elderly hound dog)
I sometimes call it "The Jalopy" but never when I'm near the car, might be insulted.
I'm not heavy footed, so names like "Lightening" "The UFO", "Speedy", don't work.
I seem to favor names that include 'Brown' but I'd accept a non-Brown name if it fit.
Any suggestions?
Richard M, "The Driver"
For inspiration, a photo of the car is at www.panix.com/~rmadison/mercedes.shtml
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Mine is "Olga". A nice German girl. -JP-
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One of my employees dubbed my car "Benzino (pronounced ben-ZEE-no)." The name stuck.
Sort of gives a bit of cool italian european flair. Makes you want to put the top down, wrap a white silk scarf around your neck, pop in a tape of Pavarotti's "ti adoro" into the cassette, and take a spin in the countryside.
Cheers,
Don
71 280sl ivory with red leather
quote:
Originally posted by cees klumper
I know one Pagoda owner's wife named his car "mistress", "for obvious reasons".
:oops:
Have you named your car? :?:
Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic
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quote:
Originally posted by 280SL71
Can I turn this around and ask for help in naming my car? A clean, original '71 280 SL, Tobacco Brown, Tan Top, cognac interior, manual tranny, lives in New York City.
How about "Golden Brown", or "Brown Sugar"
Great songs by the Stranglers or the Stones. Both with interesting double entendres. Brown Sugar is about the right age, too
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Hi Bob - actually I thought of this topic because you posted your car's name "Snowy" once before!
Bill Cosby once described his children's grandparents, who doted on their grandchildren, this way: "These are not the same people I grew up with. You're looking at old people, trying to get into heaven now!"
I will have to think of a name for my white W113 now ... So far, I've been calling it "The White Mercedes" to distinhuish it from "The Blue Mercedes", our C180 that trucks the family around.
But first let me try to help out Richard. How about:
"Perfect"
"'71"
... this is more difficult than ironing out a cold start problem.
P.s. Dan Caron named his car 'The Red Rocket'.
Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic
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My wife calls my 230SL, "your other wife". I call her "frauline".
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Hey Cees,
What ever it takes to inspire you to come up with a new post.
I hope the name you choose suits your cars' personality.
You are right about choosing a name ... it IS harder than fixing a cold start problem.
Originally I was thinking of calling my car "Guzzler" because of its fuel consumption. I used to accuse it of being a Petroholic but I have sorted out the cause not just the symptoms with the help of our respected gurus.
I have a concern that SNOWY might be too English for my car, but it seems to like the name and has settled into its own personality with it.
Bob (Brisbane,Australia)
early 250 SL, RHD
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My father named our first benz, a big white Ponton Brunhilda (sorry if my German spelling is off) and the SL was Vonairheart. Guess Vagner characters. You've got to have a German name.
My 4 year old son calls the SL, the fun car. I always called it the red car when I was a kid, but now I have two red cars ... hmmmm. Fun car it is.
I come from the boat naming tradition. My first sailboat was called Windfall since it was practically given to me. My second, a Swedish boat, was called Vindfalle (with umlots and everything, the Swedish trasliteration of Windfall). I always wanted to name a boat Breaking Wind, but my wife wouldn't have it.
Since the SLs are such sexy, curvy cars, they need sexy women's names. How about Inga? I met a German girl when I spent a summer in France named Beurgette. How about Chocolate, pronounced the French way?
Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed
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Having a name for your car? How silly...
WHO DOESN'T!! :D
My car has actually had two names since it became a member of our family. In the early days, it was the 63 Kid. My mom called it that because she had 7 of her own and she loved the little car almost as much as us!
Then one day I was driving my little nephew around and he decided to call it a guzzi. The name stuck and for the next 18 years it has been The Guzzi! I know it sounds more Italian than German but believe me, he responds well to the name...
And if you have an automatic, next time you are accelerating through the gears you will hear it ... guuuuuuuuuu, zzzeeeeeeee!
James
63 230SL
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Cees,
Well, since that posting I lost the wife, but have managed to keep the "mistress". I just need to find another name for her.......my car, that is. I have come up with several new names for my ex-wife.
Regards,
Stan
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quote:
Originally posted by houstonbuckeye
Cees,
Well, since that posting I lost the wife, but have managed to keep the "mistress". I just need to find another name for her.......my car, that is. I have come up with several new names for my ex-wife.
Regards,
Stan
Stan,
Congratulations! Atleast you have a mistress! A source of pleasure! Enjoy and ravish it for one lives only once. A wife becomes a painful burden while a mistress is at your beck and call.
With best wishes
Bob
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quote:
Originally posted by cees klumper
Have you named your car? :?:
Yes, mine is "Pago" :)
Albert de la Torre Chavalera
Barcelona (Catalunya/Spain)
Feb.'64 230 SL Euro 113042-10-002432
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I do like the name 'hobel' which I translates to 'old banger' as the #11 300SL race car was lovingly called (MB Classic mag 1/2002 page 19).
Now, while 'kloine Scheisserle' may literally translate to baby in soiled nappy or something like that, Eugen Bohringer refered to his rally Pagoda as such translated as 'littl'un' (compared to is usual 300se rally mount I guess). Faszination SL W113 page 43)
Very appropriate for a Pagoda - no??
naj
65 230SL
68 280SL
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Good one Naj !
I never DID find out what hobel meant but I did think that 'kloine Scheisserle' meant "little sh1t" !
anyway I dont go for names that much but sometimes I refer to her as "the ol' lady".
Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.
'03 CLK Kompressor
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Hey Ben,
Not really a name for the car but a cool plate would be
"Benz 64" or something close to that!
James
63 230SL
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"Elle"
Like her namesake, looks best topless. :D
kns.
1965 230SL, Manual
[1965 220SEb Coupe, Man.]
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quote:
"Benz 64"
Hey James I LIKE it !!
Regards,
Ben in Ireland.
'64 230SL 4sp.
'03 CLK Kompressor
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I came up with Frauline Esselle ... SL, get it? Sounds kind of Germanic.
Shawn Rock
Philly, PA USA
1968 280 SL 4 speed
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My wife just named our 280 SL: 'The love of your life'
alternate I: "Brigitte" (after Brigitte Bardot)
alternate II: "Anita" (after Anita Ekberg who drove a Pagoda in a certain movie with Marcello Mastroianni, fountain scene)
...
Cees Klumper in Amsterdam
'69 white 280 SL automatic
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Cees,
How about "Bottomless Pit"? Or "Main reason I'll never be rich"?
Cheers,
Andrew
London
1967 250SL
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I named my 250SL "Elsa" after a boyhood friend's older and beautiful sister...my first infatuation.
My 300TD is named after her mother "Hilda" my first employer as a young lad delivering groceries from their little German butcher shop.
Ricardo
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My wife and I decided to replace the SL of our youth when I turned 50. So we call it our "Geezer Toy"
Chuck Bartlett
1969 Signal Red 4 Speed
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I haven't given thought to a name for my 1968 SL. being it is a family member onece removed and now back I can only associate some of the radio music my father used to listen too when I rode with him. He was a big 40 band person so pershaps I name this car Benny after the Benny Goodman band or Frank after Sanatra. I do talk to my car I tell it not to break down and pad its dash to show my affection . Though if I were frank or Benny that SL has a mine of its own and lets me know dispite my good wishes and care that it needs something more.
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Many of my cars have had names, but if I listed them here, I'd get kicked off.
tom in CA
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Actually, my 280SL is one of two cars that DON'T have names...why I am not sure, just haven't found the right one for it; I'll take suggestions, since most of the better names came from other folks:
-my 300/6.3 is named "Grace"- my neighbor down the street thought it looked regal..and Irish, it's Moss Green Metallic
-my Toyota truck is named "Yoda"
-my 300CD is named "Smokey", courtesy of a former girlfriend.
-my Ferrari Mondial t cab is named "Flora the Red Menace"- any Italian car is a danger to both your sanity and your wallet
-neither my Mini-Cooper (old style version) nor the 280SL have names. My previous Mini, a 1978 edition, was named "Herschel". I gave it that name, but I have no idea why. It just seemed to fit.
Glad I am not the only crazy one here.... :D
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"Maude" 1965 230 SL
I spent the first 17 years of my life on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
PEI is the home to Lucy Maude (Maud) Montgomery, the world famous children's story teller. My mother's name was Dolarena Maude and my grandmother's name was Louisa Maude. So it was so fitting that I call this fine Mercedes convertible "Maude"
Rupert
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Well, it has a silly one and a practical one. The silly one is Carling, because she is so darling and small. The practical one is The Little Red Truck because she has hauled 60-plus bags of mulch for the garden in Sarasota to fight off the encroaching jungle!
She joins Clive, the e-type; The Monster, a rumbling De T Longchamps; Deuce (GT-40), named for Henry Ford; Budgie my 6-series BMW; and a yet-nameless 500SL which has no soul and therefore no name, ditto an old Vette which shall remain nameless until sold.
Trice
1968 280SL US, signal/bl leather, auto
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Yes, it is called "The Kiddy Car"
The name is derived from what I called my Uncle (late, who previously owned it) his first convertible (a 1959 Karmann Ghia); and I continued as a young child to call ALL his "little" cars "Kiddy Cars" because they looked SO SMALL when compared with the Detroit Land Yachts that were so popular in the early 1960's. The Karmann Ghia begat a 1964 230SL in which he was almost killed, and in 1969 that begat the 1969 280SL. There you have it, Cees!
Michael Salemi
1969 280SL
Mike Salemi
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When I'm not forced under the hood, we call it "The Lil Red Car". when I AM forced under the hood, I have additional choice names for it ;-) ...al in all, I love my Lil Red Car!
--
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William Blair Wagner: blairwag@earthlink.net
Education is not always knowing the answer,
...but rather knowing where to look for it!
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On a quite Winter Sunday in New York City thought I’d revive this old topic about car names. I re-read my old reply of a few years ago when I owned the now gone “Brown Beauty” (at least I thought she was a Beauty, but what did I know?)
A few months ago a Beige 280SL came to live to live with me. I thought it was a little unfeeling and very unpoetic to refer to such a lovely automobile as “My Car” or simply “The Car”. And it would be quite mysterious to non-owners to name it “Paul’s Work” or “The Bracq” although either would be correct and fitting.
On a good day going downhill with a stiff tailwind, my Tunis Beige ‘Goda’ (originally sold in Italy) could be “The Italian Stallion”; going uphill into a headwind maybe “Old Beige.” Same car, different moods.
Even though the car has Italian roots, “Italian Stallion” confuses outsiders who know that a Mercedes is a German car so, they wonder, (if they think about it at all), why call it “Italian”?
Of course “Beige Beauty” is very alliterative but with all its faults, is it a little immodest to call it a ‘Beauty’, Beige or otherwise?
I sometimes drive around wearing a souvenir James Bond “007” cap. Most appropriate for my car as the VIN ends with “007007” (or as “M” would say “By Jove, the VIN has two ‘Double Oh Sevens’” So is it Ok to call my wheels the “Bond-Mobile” or is that just too silly?
If you have a clever or superbly appropriate name for your klunker (oops) wonderful car, please share it with us.
Richard Madison, driver of “She Who Must be Repaired” (Which prompts me to ask, is it correct to refer to these strong, tough, roadworthy, 170 horse, 3,000 pound machines as “She”?)
Richard M (NYC): 1969 280 SL, Tunis Beige, Euro Model (Italy).
Can be seen at www.panix.com/~rmadison/mercedes.shtml
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Yes, for short I call IT the "money pit".
IT'S real name is "why do you always cost me so much money and why when I just send you in for a quick check over do you cost me at least three times what I imagined it would cost because the mechanic has found yet more things wrong with you?"
[:0]
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Beautiful Sunday afternoon, daughter out playing with her friends.
Wife says, ''Shell we go out for a drive in the Classic ''
(' :D ') ''THE CLASSIC ''(' :D ')
Kemal
280SL
Manual LHD 69
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I call mine 230 SL. Or sometimes for short, just the Benz.
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch...
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"Bottomless Pete" ... anyone?
The pagoda is known as "kinderwagon" and the 111 coupe is my "panzerwagon"... which seem appropriate with all the metal involved.
Waqas in Austin, Texas
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"Pickles" for my 250SL (maybe because she's green). "Hilda" is my 560SL and "Doris" is my 300SD...haven't named the 4Runner.
Best Regards,
J. P. Mose
1968 250SL
1987 560SL
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i call mine mollie merc
1971 siver beauty 280 sl
regards
vince
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The only car we ever named was an 1980 240TD that was called Dooka Dooka.
My older son was just a toddler when we got it, befoe that time his toy cars rolled along the floor as he made buzzing zoom zoom sounds, but after we bought the diesel, his toy cars started to go dooka dooka dooka as he played with them.
Al Lieffring
66 230SL
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Richard,
How about the Teutonic Tunis Tuscany Tourer?
My Arabian Gray 230SL was sold in Bergamo, Italy and lived its first 10 years with 4 owners in/around Milan (Milano?). Got a name for that? And yes, I still owe you fender turn signal photos.
Rodd
Pagoda Technical Manual
please contibute: http://www.sl113.org/wiki/pmwiki.php
1966 230SL
2006 C230 Sport Sedan
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mine is called "the magnet"-for obvious reasons
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"El Rojito"...spanish for "little red one". My wife calls it "red vibrator"....something about how she finds the car stimulating as it slightly vibrates at the right frequency at around 70-75mph... her favorite speed. Don't ask...just leave it there.
abe
abe
1968 280SL Auto
Signal Red w Beige Int
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When my restoration is complete... her new name will be ...
"Teuer!" :)
Bob
bpossel (Memphis, TN.)
'71 280SL / '97 E320
Added by Moderator: "Teurer" = "expensive" or "costly"
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Bob,
Maybe "Tor!" would be more appropriate!
Trice
1968 280SL US, signal red/bl leather, auto, kinder seat
Sarasota FL; Alsace France; Switzerland
Think of your Pagoda as a woman with a past...stable now including a 92 911 Carrera 2 Tiptronic
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quote:
Originally posted by abe280SL
My wife calls it "red vibrator"....something about how she finds the car stimulating as it slightly vibrates at the right frequency at around 70-75mph... her favorite speed.
abe
1968 280SL Auto
Signal Red w Beige Int
WOW! ('[:0]') I should take my wife out in ''The Classic '' more often! (' :D ')
Kemal
280SL
Manual LHD 69
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My 24 yars in Ohio certainly have not been erased by my 7 years in GA. With Scarlet interior and a Grey top, My Pogoda is "THE BUCKEYE BENZ"
Daryl
'64 230 SL Buckeye Benz Scarlet interior and Grey top Serial # 508
'77 280SE
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the PO bought the car in Belgium, and there's a french language decal in the trunk which i think supports that the car was marketed outside of Germany, so i've been calling it Leopold (the car, not the decal)
john
64 230sl euro 4 spd
89 190e 2.6
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Just named my 65 230sl Euro version after one of my favorite aunts from Germany - Ursula. Somehow it fits.
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Sloan- you may remember a show Diagnosis Murder with Dick VanDyke, he always had an old (mostly Brittish) cars and was a physician so we went with his characters name - Dr. "Sloan". and right now Dr Sloan is in hospital.
BTW it is of course a beautiful morning for a car show- you all have a right to be mad at me as I am mad at myself for cancelling the may 4 gathering here in ny- was thinking of my very expensive detail(for the other car i was to bring) when i saw the weather predictions
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I wasn't even thinking about giving my car a name but reading some of these has kind of inspired me so I've decided on "Inga"
Inga was a tall, buxom, long blonde haired woman of German ancestry I worked with years ago. Just a stunning woman to look at and a nice person to boot, smart as a whip too.
I Don't know whatever happened to Inga or where she is now, she left the company and disappeared in the fog of time but she was a knockout and a great memory. She would match perfectly with my car!
Mark
1970 280 SL Ivory/Cognac
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"SALLY"
If you have seen the movie cars and remember the color of the charming female star of the movie, you know why ... (never mind that it was a 911 in Cars)
1969 280SL - China Blue/Cream
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"Hensley", she is a blond girl paint code 158 white grey...that explains the black top and interior. Yes, "Hensley", very European sounding. Quick frankly she gets treated like a princess.
Bob Geco
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Here's a recap of the names given to Pagodas by forum members (in case you were wondering). My personal favorite top-3 starts off the list:
Carling
El Rojito
The Red Rocket
Audrey
Snowy
Olga
Benzino
Fraulein
Guzzi
Pago
Hobel
The Ol' Lady
Benz 64
Elle
Fraulein Gisselle
Pickles
Kinderwagon
The Benz
The Classic
Money Pit
Li'l Red Car
The Kiddy Car
Maude
Geezer Toy
Elga
The Magnet
Teuer
The Buckeye Benz
Hensley
Sally
Inga
Sloan
Ursula
Leopold
Mollie Merc
and, my car's name, The White Mercedes
Seems like gender-specific names are more 'she' than 'he' - so it's a girl after all ...
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Wow, Cees...I'm honored. Carling simply named herself; she is a darling and the "ling" ending makes her a small darling. Looking forward to driving her in April!
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"Hansoff" as in hands off!!!
Paul, '63 230SL
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Yes, I named mine years ago "BCW", it's short for Booze and Cheap Women. If I was not spending my money on the 280SL, then I would be spending my money on booze and cheap women. My wife enjoys the idea that I only spend my money on the car.
Bob
P.S. I do spend money on my wife, and she doesn't come cheap!
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I refer to mine by what it is embossed on its license plate - - - " ICON 66 "
Best Regards to all PagodaMen, Larry in CA
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Guess I should add mine here also.
She is called "Silke" a good German fraulein name and I think quite appropriate for an SL.
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Jezebel
She makes me do things :o
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Holly.
From Holly Golightly (Travelling) and therefore presumably related to Audrey who comes in 4th on Cees' list.
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Without really being official, I probably have named it "Damn it!" >:(
However, my wife calls it "The funny car." ::)
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At car meets and cruise nights, women often call my car "cute". However, when I read Pagoda literature from the 60s, it was supposed to be a masculine car, and I agree with that. So we (my wife and I) have been trying to find a masculine name to de-cute-ize the car and empower it with its rightful maleness.
So far, "Otto" is sticking. What makes it funny for us is that though it is a male German name, it is also a play on words in my language for "car".
J
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With apologies to Cees, and with no intent to infringe on copyright, ours is simply
"The White Car"
to distinguish it from my daily driver E500 which is known as
"The Silver Car"
Pretty creative, huh?
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Interesting to have this thread pop up. I had not named a car before, but when I got the 280 SL last year, from the person who owned it for ~40 years, it was christened "Bob" after him. My 250 SL has started to acquire the name "Red" (after almost ten years in my stewardship)- very original thinking on that one, eh?
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... we (my wife and I) have been trying to find a masculine name to de-cute-ize the car and empower it with its rightful maleness. So far, "Otto" is sticking. What makes it funny for us is that though it is a male German name, it is also a play on words in my language for "car".
J
Why not call the car "Arnold" then. Pronounced right (with the Austrian inflection I mean) that should make it masculin (unless followed by "Auw! Paper cut!) ( for fans of the Hans und Franz scetches on Saturday Night Live which was of course a persiflage of Arnie). ;D
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Arnold? Maybe a Unimog I would call Arnold. Or at least something bigger than a SL...It is a *sigh* cute car by today's standards. But at least it is not Mini Cooper cute. I guess in the maleness in 60s european cars had everything to do with being small, nimble, low on the ground, p/w ratio and such. Now, every other guy drives a pickup truck. Not 1 in 10 use the bed of their pickup trucks at all. All claim "it's a practical, useful vehicule". I agree with them: it is as practical and useful as owning a 60s SL Mercedes...
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Interesting that this thread is 8 years old. Some posts from people long gone from this forum...PaddyCrow, for example, who was local here in Michigan but we never chanced to meet.
Great story about car naming from BOB GOODMAN of Washington in Pagoda Style. Interesting names and stories behind them.
BTW our nav systems in the daily drivers are all named "Michelle". The COMAND-NAVI in my aunt's SLK350 is "Brunhilda".
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Mine is called Marilyn after Ms Monroe. Pale and beautuful...
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"Maude" 1965 230 SL
I spent the first 17 years of my life on Prince Edward Island, Canada.
PEI is the home to Lucy Maude (Maud) Montgomery, the world famous children's story teller. My mother's name was Dolarena Maude and my grandmother's name was Louisa Maude. So it was so fitting that I call this fine Mercedes convertible "Maude"
Rupert
Funny, my car is also called Maude after a posh, but slightly fragile character from a 70's Danish sitcom - she had the tendency to go "lie down" every time something difficult was demanded of her...hence the name :-)
Ulf
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Her name varies, depending on if I'm out enjoying a ride, or if the wrench just slipped off a bolt and my knuckles smashed into sharp metal edges... ;D
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Known as the Green Queen in my circles. :D
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Very nice!
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My. Daughter named her's...SADIE...as in Mer-"Cedes"
(http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b229/whoareu113/Mercedes%20230%20SL/P1020940_zps1854beec.jpg)
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I have name mine ALter Madchen, i think it's German for OLd Girl. Perhaps our German Members can tell me if that's correct.
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69 euro - Amelia , '70 - Giselle