Many well-known vehicles are named after animals, like the Ford Bronco, Volkswagen Beetle, and auto brand Jaguar. Strangely enough, there aren’t many cars named after snakes and reptiles, however. Here are three vehicles named after reptiles, like the Dodge Viper, as well as a strange hybrid.
Ford Shelby Cobra GT 500 | Craig Ruttle/Bloomberg via Getty Images
AC/Shelby Cobra
The Shelby Cobra is a slick little sports car that comes in brilliant colors and looks like a dream. Silodrome reports his beautiful little car was born from the mind of Carroll Shelby after his health forced him to give up racing cars. He decided to take the design already in development by the British automaker AC and make it more powerful by adding an American V8 engine.
The end result was 126 Cobra Mark I, which immediately developed a bit of a fan club. In 1963, there were 61 Cobra Mark II released. Next came the Shelby Daytona in 1964, as well as the Dragon Snake, Slalom Special, and Slalom Snake. There was even a Cougar.
So why aren’t there more Shelby Cobras on the market? While it inspires passion, the Shelby Cobra failed to bring in large amounts of money, which is why it’s not one of the most popular sports cars on the market, in spite of its popularity amongst auto lovers.
Dodge Viper
The Shelby Cobra heavily inspired the Dodge Viper. The first concept Viper was revealed to the world at the 1989 Detroit auto show, which helped drum up interest.
The original Viper didn’t have much in the way of special features, as all the focus went into making a powerful sports car. In that regard, Dodge succeeded.
It was equipped with an 8.0-liter V-10 engine that generated 400 hp and 465 lb-ft of torque. This was paired with a six-speed manual transmission, and the ability to go from zero to 60 in a mere 4.2 seconds.
Glass side windows and air conditioning were not offered, but this was soon remedied in the second generation. The Viper also gained more power, now producing 410 hp and 488 lb-ft of torque. This would soon be increased to 450 hp and 490 lb-ft of torque.
The fifth generation would be the end of the Viper, as it wasn’t selling as well as Dodge would like. It went out with a bang, however, as the engine could now generate up to 645 hp.
Ford Mustang Cobra
There have been many versions of the Mustang over the years, but the Cobra might just be one of the most beloved. The first Mustang Cobra was released in 1993.
Like the Dodge Viper, mundane features like air conditioning weren’t offered. This may have helped hinder sales in spite of the powerful V8 engine.
It did do well enough to entice Ford to continue releasing new iterations of the Cobras well into the early 2000s. It wasn’t meant to be, however.
The last version of the Mustang Cobra was in 2007. This version was aimed more toward drag racing. Like the Shelby Cobra and Dodge Viper, the Mustang Cobra is no longer in production. It is possible to find one used, however. Just be sure to have a mechanic check it out thoroughly before buying.
Honorable mention, the Volkswagen Tiguan
Related
So what is a Tiguan, exactly, and why did Volkswagen feel inspired to name a vehicle after it? A Tiguan is simply a hybrid mixture of a tiger and an iguana.
It’s also made up, so please don’t take your kids to the zoo to see a Tiguan. If you really want to see one, all you need to do is drive past a Volkswagen dealership.
Keyword: 3 Cars Named After Snakes and Other Reptiles