1) Clown Shoe
The BMW Z3 M Coupe is objectively a pretty ugly car. Its weird long hood and bloated rear end are all kinds of wrong, and saw it christened the Clown Shoe. And yet, we love it. Apparently, it was a bit of a skunkworks project by BMW engineers, and the board took some convincing.
2) Screaming Chicken
No, we’re not talking about those annoying squeaky dog toys. The Screaming Chicken was the colloquial name given to the massive decal on the bonnet of the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. It was so popular that other manufacturers introduced their own versions...
3) The Hammer
With a full name like Mercedes-Benz 300E 5.6 AMG, it’s no surprise this bonkers pre-merger AMG was given a nickname. What a moniker it was, though, with Hammer referring to the brutal acceleration provided by AMG’s 5.6-liter V8 that was reworked from its role in the larger 560 SEC coupe.
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4) Widowmaker
To create the 993 generation 991 GT2, Porsche took a Turbo and stuck on widened arches and then sent it on a crash diet. They also decided to give it more boost and then stripped out the AWD for good measure. Not everyone could handle its power, hence the tag.
5) Godzilla
The AWD R32 Skyline GT-R was given its infamous nickname by the Australian press as it obliterated its competition in the local touring car championship in the ’80s and ’90s. The name stuck, but officials banned turbocharging and AWD in the ATCC after two years of dominance.
6) Batmobile
BMW claims that it was fans of the brand that christened the 3.0 CSL ‘Batmobile’ thanks to its ludicrously aggressive aero. The look even made it onto the final 167 homologation-special road cars, although the rear wing wasn’t road legal, so it came in the boot ready for buyers to attach themselves.
7) Flying Brick
Do we really need to explain the origin story of the Volvo 240 Turbo’s Flying Brick nickname? Heck, just look at its slab-sided goodness. The racecars genuinely flew too, with ETCC and DTM titles in 1985. And of course, the 240 Turbo walked so the 1994 850 Estate could run.
8) Beast of Turin
Ever been to Goodwood Festival of Speed? The Fiat S76 is a fan favorite at the Duke’s driveway hillclimb, mostly because it uses a ma–hoo–sive 28.4-liter four-cylinder engine that spits flames. Yeah, Beast of Turin works. Originally built as a land speed record car in 1910.
9) Moby Dick
One glance at the long-nosed, long-tailed 935/78 in Martini livery, and it’s fairly obvious why it was compared to Herman Melville’s fictional white sperm whale. Built to win at Le Mans with up to 850hp at the rear wheels, reliability issues meant it finished eighth.
NOTE: This story first appeared on TopGear.com. Minor edits have been made.
