After all the computer-aided design, tooling, and manufacturing, one thing is left to decide. The name. Car manufacturers rack their brains over this important factor as it can change the entire identity of the car. Think of the iconic names we have now: the Ford Expedition telling you it's ready to go on an adventure, or even the Nissan Z reflecting its sports car history.But what happens when manufacturers accidentally choose the same names for two completely different cars? There are only so many names, letters, and numbers which look good printed on the tailgate. You might've seen the latest Ferrari versus Mazda debate over the name Luce, too, as the Italian manufacturer prepares to launch its first electric car. We've chosen some famous examples of this phenomenon, although let us know if we've missed any in the comments. Maserati Bora & Volkswagen Bora 1974 Maserati BoraOur first model name mash-up comes in the form of an unlikely pairing. The Maserati Bora was the first to wear the badge, and it's named after a powerful wind impacting the Adriatic Coast. Volkswagen is famed for naming their cars after winds, so when it came time to build a sedan version of the fourth-generation Golf, they went with 'Bora' before continuing with the 'Jetta' name afterward.The Maserati is a wedge-shaped '70s Italian sports car that uses a 4.7L V8 through a five-speed manual, while the Volkswagen Bora is focused on value and efficiency. It was available with many different engines through its seven-year production run, but it's most famous among gearheads for the V6 and V5 powerplants. Pontiac GTO & Ferrari 288 GTO 1966 Pontiac GTO Here are two cars that, alongside the name, share a passion for performance in two distinct ways. The Pontiac GTO came out early just before the muscle car golden period took over, and it's considered one of the first true muscle cars. GTO was first used as a performance pack for the Tempest, but then became its own model in 1966, ushering in an era of massive V8 engines packed into coupes. This car could reach 60 mph in only 6.6 seconds.The other GTO nomenclature belongs to the Ferrari 288 GTO, and here it stands for Gran Turismo Omologato. That name refers to its main purpose being homologation for Group B rallying, and the 2.85L engine produces 400 horsepower. As the first true 'modern' Ferrari supercar, it's become a highly valued collectible. Mazda GLC & Mercedes-Benz GLC 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLC-Class SUVThey may both be very different, but Mazda and Mercedes-Benz have a lot to thank their GLC models for. The Mazda GLC — or 'Great Little Car'— started to modernize Mazda's image in the States, while the Mercedes GLC has been instrumental in making SUVs ever more popular for the German brand.These two cars also show the difference in how modern a 'regular' powertrain has become. Yes, Mercedes-Benz may be a luxury brand, but much of its tech is shared across mainstream brands, like the 48V mild hybrid system that ekes out more fuel efficiency. The 1.4L engine in the Mazda may have been impressive for the time with its fuel economy, but it looks ancient next to the Mercedes. Bentley Continental & Lincoln Continental 2026 Benley Continental GT Coupe (3)Luxury comes in many flavors, but apparently with the same name. While Bentley may have been using the Continental name since 1952 with the R-Type Continental, Lincoln had been using the name from 1940 to 2020. The first Bentley to bear the name was designed to cruise across Europe at 100 miles per hour, and that has continued to this day with the V8 hybrid powertrain and handmade interiors.The last Lincoln Continental's most powerful engine made an impressive 400 horsepower, but that has nothing on the 771 horsepower of the British luxury coupe. It did try to still punch above its weight, though, with optional air suspension and standard AWD. A brilliant name makes us wish that big American sedans could make a comeback. Mercedes-AMG GTR & Nissan GTR 2017 Mercedes-AMG GT RThe three-letter acronym GTR lets you know you're getting into something hardcore. That's true for both the European and Japanese option here, with the Mercedes being the lighter and stiffer version of the GTS coupe sold at the same time. The Nissan GTR is the JDM sports car everyone loves, and even though its future is currently uncertain, the R35 still competes with modern cars.What's interesting here is the similar specs for two different engines. Both the V6 and V8 are twin-turbocharged, but there's extra torque in the Mercedes with those two extra cylinders and slightly higher displacement. It's no surprise it's called the GTR, then, as it's 33 lbs lighter than the S with a slightly higher top speed of 198 mph. Ford Sierra & GMC Sierra 1978 ford sierra rs500 Is this the best two-car garage here? You've got a comfortable and capable big pickup truck with the GMC, while a Ford Sierra Cosworth can give you all the fun you need on the weekend. Sierra means a 'long jagged mountain chain', and with these two cars, you've got all you need. The roads in the mountains are twisty, meaning 200 horsepower is all that's needed, and when the weather is tricky, the other Sierra can help you out.While the high-performance Sierra Cosworth (or, as it's called in the UK: 'Cossie') was never sold in the US, the regular car did make it over to US shores as the Merkur XR4Ti. It was sold by a different manufacturer to Ford, and while it made waves in Europe, the US never really took it on. Dodge Charger Daytona & Ferrari 365 GTB/4 Daytona 2026 Dodge Charger Daytona Four-Door Scat Pack Plus Bludicrous (9)Many great cars are named after places, and a common one is Daytona Beach in Florida, home to one of the greatest race tracks in the US. Dodge has a long history there with Nascar, and the original Daytona-badged Dodge was the first Nascar to record a 200 mile per hour lap. Dodge decided to bring the name back at the same time as bringing in the first-ever electric muscle car, and while the reception was mixed, it's still a great performance car.The Ferrari 365 GTB/4 was never officially named the 'Daytona', but the media used it to refer to this car straight after the 1967 Ferrari 1-2-3 at the famous 24-hour race held there. It did go onto race itself, but it was mainly marketed as a grand tourer thanks to the large proportions and reasonable practicality. Chevrolet Nomad & Ariel Nomad 1956 Chevrolet Nomad These two cars share almost nothing — apart from having four wheels — but they're still named the same. The Chevrolet Nomad is what we'd call a shooting brake now as it's a wagon with only two doors and a massive cargo area. It went on to be an instant classic as part of the 'Tri-Chevy' fleet, and under the hood was a 4.6L V8 engine with 220 horsepower.The Ariel Nomad, as you can probably tell, adheres to a slightly different formula. This one's all about fun, as it's built to be a fast off-road car that's capable of 305 horsepower and 382 lb-ft of torque when specced right from a Ford engine. In a way, they're both Nomads. The Ariel will be able to get you places, while the Chevy can carry everything you need and more. Citroën XM & BMW XM 2025 BMW XMAnother odd comparison between two very different cars. Both look quirky in their own way but have very different purposes. The Citroën XM was styled by Bertone at a time when customers were complaining of car designs becoming too boring, and thanks to its clever suspension and packaging, it won European Car of the Year in 1990. While it sold in decent numbers, it was also known to be plagued with electrical issues.It's good then, that the BMW engineers didn't employ Citroën to do the electrics in their XM, as this controversial SUV was the test bed for the hybrid powertrain that would eventually end up in the M5 sedan and wagon. Pairing the V8 with an electric motor gives it a massive 644 horsepower through an eight-speed gearbox. Buick Century & Toyota Century 2000-2005 Buick Century - front 3/4 angleThe Century name has been used twice, first on a long line of Buick vehicles from the '30s until 2005 and on Toyota's only V12 production car in 1997. What you might not know, though, is that the latter came out in 1967 as a celebration of the company's founder's 100th birthday. It's the late '90s second-generation that gets all the attention thanks to its incredible luxury and buttery smooth V12, though.The Buick Century might not be a looker post the final generation in 1997, but before that, it was liquid full-size Americana. The second generation, for example, introduced the one-piece wraparound windscreen that this period of GM is famous for. While both try to be comfortable cruisers, it's hard to ignore the allure of that V12 engine, so we'll take the Toyota, thanks.