Popular Cars of Past and Present Named After Horses

Long before cars, motorbikes and airplanes existed, men did their travelling and racing on horseback, so perhaps it is no wonder that so many car manufacturers and racing teams always plump for horse related names when it comes to naming their vehicles. This article is dedicated to those famous motors of past and present who had horse-related names bestowed upon them.

Some lived up to their names, extolling the kind of horsepower one would expect from such a name, while others were sadly lacking in the grace and raw speed expected from a plucky filly or a prime stallion.Saddle up and get ready to go for a ride through the ages.

The prancing stallion will forever be synonymous with any car that is released onto the market by Italian car maker Ferrari

Ferrari’s Prancing Horse and Paint Colours

It makes sense to start off with the most iconic of all horse branded cars, with the prancing horse of Ferrari symbolising so much more than just one type of car, and instead being at the very heart of what the Ferrari brand is all about.
The story of how the Ferrari logo came into being is fascinating in itself. The horse originally came from a fighter pilot named Francesco Baracca, who painted a stallion on the side of his plane. The horse logo brought him great luck as he won no less than 34 aerial battles, which made him a hero in his native Italy.
In the end Ferrari’s founder, Enzo Ferrari, found out about Baracca’s legend and decided that the horse used by the pilot should be set against a yellow backdrop inspired by the local flag of Modena that was the founder’s hometown.
The rest, as they say, is history, as Ferrari and its logo went on to become the preeminent sports and racing car brand in the world, thanks in part to its incredible stallion logo.
However, Ferrari’s love affair with horses doesn’t stop there, because aside from its logo, the Italian car maker even has some of its special paint colours named after famous racehorses. These include My Swallow who was a top racehorse from the 70s who won everything going in French racing at the time. Then there was Vaguely Noble, a horse who was as famous for his stud record as his own racing record, with the horse producing the likes of Exceller and Empery who between them won races like the Epsom Derby and the Gold Cup.
This means that any time a car buyer walks into a Ferrari dealership and selects a car there is every chance that the colour they opt for will be named after a long nosed Grand National runner or even an Epsom Derby or Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe betting favourite.
Either way, there is almost no other car manufacturer on the planet that is as married to equine imagery as Ferrari.

Ford knew they were harnessing the powerful imagery of an American icon when they built the Mustang, but few could have imagined the car’s enduring popularity

Ford’s Mustang Forever Running Wild and Free

While Ferrari’s prancing horse will forever be imprinted on the psyches of car lovers all around the globe, there is perhaps one range of car that even outdoes the Ferrari in the equestrian stakes, and that is the Ford Mustang. The first one of these rolled off the production line in 1964 and they have been selling like hot cakes ever since in the US.
Thanks to Hollywood and other popular American culture, the car then made its way over to the UK and Europe in 2016, so that Mustangs could gallop and roar up and down London and Paris highstreets.
Funnily enough, much as was the case with the Ferrari logo, the Mustang name was commandeered by Ford from a fighter plane called the P51 Mustang, although the name was rejected at first because Ford executives did not see the point in connecting a plane with a car. However, soon thereafter the same name was pitched to them again, but this time as a name symbolising a horse, and this time the men in suits saddled up and got onboard with the idea.
Since the Mustang, Ford have gone out of their way to try and harness the power of the horse multiple times. Unfortunately, many of their other cars such as the Bronco and the Pinto never quite took off like the Mustang did.

Ferrari and Ford are not alone with naming their automotive creations after long nosed beasts, with the likes of Mitsubishi choosing to do the same

Mitsubishi Colt is Another Long Running Horsey Range

The Colt has long been Mitsubishi’s entry level vehicle, a small car designed to give young people the ability to get out there and explore the world, so what better than to name the plucky little car after a young and nippy horse?
The first Colt appeared in the 1960s and it has never looked back since, with the Japanese manufacturer still churning them out until they were recently discontinued. It is a sad end to a strong horse inspired car dynasty.

Cars That Didn’t Do Justice to Horses

While many of the cars featured in this article went on to becoming motoring icons in their own right, there were of course others than pulled up lame, as some manufacturers took what they saw as an infallible trend that would bring them instant success only to realise that a car is only ever as good as its comfort and road performance.

One case in point was Hyundai’s Pony, which far from resembling a spritely horse, actually looked like a creation from Robot Wars, with even a donkey that gives beach rides being more glamouros than the abomination that was the Pony. At least the South Korean company did eventually make up for their Pony gaff by releasing the Equus, which was a far more elegant piece of engineering with equine connections.

A similarly ugly car released by Subaru was its Brumby 4×4, which actually started life as the BRAT before owners decided that Brumby was a more suitable moniker, inspired by one of Australia’s indigenous horse breeds.