Automobile marketers just don't name cars like they used to — and car parts either for that matter.
Back in the 1950s, car parts, their engines in particular, were gifted some of the zaniest names.
From Ram Rod to Cobra Jet, these out-of-the-box names attributed clever pizzazz to the products they described – adding a special charm to the overall mystique of midcentury automobile culture.
Though, today, car consumers are not necessarily gifted with the same clever marketing tactics, we certainly can reminisce in the nostalgia of times gone by.
We've pulled together a fantastic list of incredible engine names, sure to surprise and delight.
Do you love older cars?
Please SHARE these awesome engines with other classic car aficionados in your community. It's hard not to be obsessed with them.
[H/T: Car and Driver]
1. Chrysler Industrial
Before it powered cars, the Chrysler Industrial powered air raid sirens.
2. Oldsmobile Rocket
Some deem GM's 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket the catalyst, igniting the subsequent horsepower war of the 1950s and '60s between GM and other automobile manufacturers.
3. Buick Fireball
Not only did the Fireball's name have fantastic pizzazz, but these beauties also stood the test of time. Buick produced these engines for 22 years.
4. Jeep Tornado
From 1960 to 1965, Jeep released their Tornado — a particularly complex engine for its postwar time. Over the years, this model began, however, producing excessive oil leakage, so it was pulled from production.
5. DeSoto Fire Dome
In 1952, the DeSoto Fire Dome shot onto the markets, completely adored by speed-hungry racers.
6. Ford Cobra Jet
Feeling threatened by other automobile manufacturers' apt talents for conjuring up menacing engine names, Ford employees actually assembled an emergency meeting to name this beauty. What name emerged out of that panic? The Cobra Jet.
7. Dodge Max Wedge
This 1962 offering could produce 420 gross horsepower.
8. Bugatti Veyron
This engine might just be the one exception to the nostalgia rule. Still in production, the Bugatti Veyron is one of—if not the—most powerful engines ever manufactured. It can reach over 1,000 horsepower.
9. Knight Sleeve Valve
The Knight Sleeve Valve, patented in 1908 by Charles Yale Knight, was quite revolutionary for its time. Panhards, Peugeots, and Mercedes-Benz all adopted its technology for quite some time.
10. Plymouth Belvedere Golden Commando Power
Plymouth launched its Golden Commando in 1960, in an attempt to lure those with a need for speed.
11. Dodge Super Red Ram
From 1953 to 1957, Dodge produced this monster of an engine, with quite the aggressive name.
12. Chevrolet Blue Flame
In the 1950s, Chevy installed its Blue Flame into many of its sports cars.
13. Mercury Merc-O-Matic
In 1959, Mercury offered its customers the Merc-O-Matic, available either simply as a three-speed automatic engine, or complete with additional overdrive capabilities.
14. Buick Dynaflow
Buick's 1958 Dynaflow offered customers the optional "Air-Poise" system, complete with trunk-mounted air compressor.
