Some of us refer to our cars by name. We not only think of and refer to our car as a "friend," we share a special bond with our automobile. We talk to it, pat it on the dashboard and make sure he or she is clean, well fed and bedded down for the night.

And like many Americans obsessed with their cars, we think much more of our car then just a clump of steal whose only purpose is to get us from point A to point B. For those not so afflicted, they cannot possibly understand why anyone would talk to their car, much less give it a name.

Well, there must be enough of us because Precision Tune Auto Care sponsored a nationwide contest to find out what people are calling their cars today. Betsy still ranks number one as the most popular pet name for a car, followed closely by Baby. What Precision Tune found is that there is a new generation of car names ranging from "Thekidhaulinmoneyvacuumdentmagnet" to
Greenie Weenie."

Some of the leading lifestyle car names were Babymobile, Freedom, Grocery Getting, Mom’s Limo, Mom’s Taxi, Mom’s Pride & Joy, Chauffeur, and Wearmamonie. Sounds a lot like some of the vanity license plates seen on the street.

According to the study conducted by Precision Tune, 21 percent of the respondents gave their cars proper names, including the previously mentioned Betsy to Leapin Lena and Bella Probina. Fourteen percent named their cars after colors such as The Great White Hype, The Silver Bullet, and The Little Red Engine That Can.

Hollywood inspired pet names such as Van-O-White, Happy Gilmore, and Night Rider surpassed cars named after foods. Only .02 percent of Americans reported giving their vehicles names that were food-related, such as The Flying Pea and 2keyla.

Precision Tune chose nine Honorable Mention winners, each receiving $50. Some of those winners included:

Holy Roller: a 1998 Mercury Sable owned by a pastor from Oklahoma who says he believes in rolling through life with the Holy One.

The Flying Pea: a pea soup colored 1971 Mercedes-Benz driven by two sisters from Southbury, Connecticut during their high school and college days.

The Blue Flame: a pizza delivery truck that was nicknamed by the kids in the neighborhood who admired the driver’s quick delivery. From Gulf Breeze, Florida, the deliveryman eventually airbrushed a logo with a blue flame on the side of the 175,000-mile vehicle.

Connie Celica: a bright white sports car with a sunroof. The owner’s first sports car deserved a classy name, she said, because it was so pretty.

Susan Frissell. Women With Wheels. All Rights Reserved. 2003