I was thinking about the word “supercharger” the other day—that’s a hell of a word. It doesn’t really tell you exactly how it works, that it’s a belt-driven compressor for the fuel/air mixture, but who cares? Supercharging just sounds like hot shit. It’s a good name for that device. Now, since I have a problem where anytime I think about something good I immediately also think about something terrible, I started to wonder about the worst possible names for car-related stuff.
I’m talking about names that just sound sort of wrong or unsettling; names that technically make sense, in a way, but just don’t feel right. Like, say, calling a V8 engine a ‘crotch-8’ engine, because, well, crotches are sort of V-shaped, too, really. But it’s just not right.
So, let’s treat this as a sort of goofy little quiz, why not? I’ll give you ten really crappy names for car things you’ll know, and you can try and figure out what the real name is.
Sound good? Too bad: