Cars named after places where they were never sold

[Madman]

Part 38: Kia Mohave


Body-on-frame SUVs are something of a rarity these days.  Let's face it, despite what the TV ads want you to believe, nobody is taking their shiny, brand new $70,000 SUV into the wilderness where it might get scratched.

But the Kia Mohave is one of those increasingly rare body-on-frame SUVs in a world of unibody crossovers.  The first generation Mohave had a very brief career in North America as the Kia Borrego.  After flopping spectacularly upon its launch for the 2009 model year, the Borrego was immediately dropped from Kia's US lineup, making the Borrego a one-year-wonder in the US.  Canadian sales fared little better, limping along into 2011.  Most Mohave production went to the Middle East, China, Central Asia, South America and Russia.

A second generation model, shown above, went into production in 2019 for the 2020 model year.  The Mohave was never a big seller for Kia and South Korean production peaked at around 15,000 units a year back in 2016-17.  It is set to be discontinued in July 2024, with no direct replacement.

The second generation model never made it to the southwest American desert after which it was named.  I guess you could always order the badge from South Korea to stick on your 2009 Borrego, if you must.  But since hardly anyone knows what a Kia Borrego is in the first place, I really don't see the point.

[Madman]

Part 39: Plymouth Cambridge


I guess you can call this a "two-for-one" entry.  Why?  Because Plymouth and Cambridge are two cities in England where the Plymouth Cambridge was never offered for sale.

Base model Plymouths were offered in two wheelbase lengths in 1951 and 1952; the short-wheelbase Concord and the long-wheelbase Cambridge.  For 1953, the Concord was dropped, leaving the Cambridge as Plymouth's sole base model.  After just three model years, the Plymouth Cambridge was no more.  It was replaced by the Plymouth Plaza for 1954.

Early '50s Plymouths were considered stodgy and old-fashioned compared to their longer and lower Ford and Chevrolet rivals which, when grouped together, were often referred to as "the low-priced three."  Chrysler President K.T. Keller insisted his company's cars be practical transport in which a man could sit upright without having to remove his hat.  This design brief led to cars that were far less stylish than its Detroit rivals or even some of the independents such as Studebaker and Nash.  Chrysler's styling philosophy would soon change, however, beginning in 1955 with the first of the Virgil Exner designed "Forward Look" Mopars.

There's an interesting side note to the Cambridge that I'd be remiss were I not to mention.  Due to the fact Chrysler had trademarked the Cambridge name in North America, the British Motor Corporation had to rename the Austin A55 Cambridge models it exported to the New World from 1957-61 as the Austin Cambrian.

[Madman]

Part 40: Packard Mayfair


The 1951-53 Packard Mayfair was the pillarless, two-door, hardtop coupe variant of Packard's "Junior Series" 250 range.  This was Packard's response to rivals such as the Oldsmobile 98 Holiday, Buick Roadmaster Riviera, Lincoln Capri, and Chrysler New Yorker Newport.

The Packard was at a competitive disadvantage to these other cars, however, due to its dated flathead, side-valve, straight eight cylinder engine.  Oldsmobile had their much more modern and highly regarded "Rocket" V8, made famous by the Ike Turner song. Buick had a straight-8 in the early fifties, but it was a more advanced overhead valve design.  By 1953, Buick introduced it's all-new "Fireball" V8.  Lincoln had their OHV "Y-Block" V8 engine and Chrysler had their "FirePower" Hemi V8.  Against this crowd, Packard's powerplant was looking very old fashioned.

Packard compensated for this technological deficit by offering its much-lauded "Ultramatic" two speed automatic transmission.  Packard was the only independent American carmaker (not one of the "Big-Three") to design and produce its own automatic transmission.  Two speeds may not sound very exiting today, but this was common for early automatics.  Buick's Dynaflow, Chevrolet's Powerglide, Chrysler's PowerFlite, and General Motor's Hydramatic transmissions were all two-speed units.

By this point, Packard was facing intense competition from Chrysler, Lincoln, and especially Cadillac.  Packards were seen as being stodgy and old-fashioned to younger buyers.  Perhaps that's why Packard chose to name this car after one of Greater London's more fashionable districts?

Mayfair, in the City of Westminster, is home to the five-star Dorchester Hotel, Saville Row, Bonham's, Christie's and Sotheby's auction houses, The Ritz Hotel, and the luxurious Burlington Arcade shopping centre.

Prior to World War II, a small number of Packards were exported to a dealer in London, Leonard Williams & Co. Ltd, who converted the cars to right hand drive and even provided coachbuilt bodies.  They supposedly continued to sell a few Packards after the war, but I could find no evidence of Leonard Williams ever selling a Packard Mayfair.

Considering post-war rationing in Britain continued all the way into 1953, I'd be shocked if anyone dared splash-out on such an extravagant imported car, even it they could afford it!

[Madman]

Part 41: Dodge Mayfair


Following on from the previous installment, Packard wasn't the only company to make use of the Mayfair name.  Austin used the Mayfair name to denote the limousine version of their prewar Twenty saloon.  But there was one more automotive tribute to the posh London neighbourhood that remains largely unknown.

The Dodge Mayfair was a Canada-only model.  Many Canadian Dodges during this time were, in fact, Plymouths with Dodge front ends stuck on.  These cars were often referred to as a "Plodge" for their mix of Plymouth and Dodge components.  The first Dodge Mayfair came in 1951 as a two-door hardtop and was equivalent to the US Plymouth Belvedere.  The Belvedere was part of Plymouth's Cranbrook series and the US and, likewise, the Mayfair was a subseries of the Dodge Regent, Dodge of Canada's equivalent to the US Plymouth Cranbrook.

For 1953, the Mayfair became a separate model in the Canadian Dodge range and a four-door sedan was added.  A convertible followed in 1954.  Initially, only six cylinder power was available but, by 1955, a V8 became available as an option.  In 1956, the V8 became standard.  Like all Mopars, the Mayfair was redesigned for 1957 with Chrysler's "Forward Look" design theme.

Mayfair production ended in 1959, after which the Mayfair name was used as a trim level on the Dart.

As you may have already guessed, no Dodge Mayfairs were sold anywhere near the environs of Bond Street, Grosvenor Square, or Hyde Park.  Motorists in Mayfair looking for a car with strong American styling cues would have to settle for a Vauxhall Cresta.

[Madman]

Part 42: Willys Bermuda


The car you see above may look like a Willys Aero, a car produced by Willys from 1952 through 1954, but the company decided that some new names and a new image were in order for the 1955 model year.  The four-door sedan was rechristened the Willys Custom and the two-door hardtop was rebranded as the Willys Bermuda.

Willys-Overland had been acquired by Henry J. Kaiser and Edgar Kaiser of Kaiser Motors in 1953 for $60 million, after which the company was reorganised as Willys Motors, Inc.  It has been speculated the change of name came about due to the Kaiser's affinity for tropical-themed names.

In turning the Aero into the Bermuda, Kaiser gave the car a more Kaiser-like grille, aircraft-inspired tail lamp bezels, and revised side trim that better lent itself to two-tone paint options.  Tacked-on tinsel aside, the Bermuda's bodywork was identical to that of the Aero.

The biggest improvement brought about by the Kaiser takeover was wrought upon the oily bits up front.  Out went the 90 horsepower, 2.6 litre (161 cubic inch) Willys flathead inline six and in went a 115 horsepower, 3.7 litre (226 cubic inch) Kaiser flathead inline six.  Available transmissions were a three-speed column-shift manual gearbox as standard equipment, while extra-cost options included a three-speed-manual-plus-overdrive or a General Motors sourced Hydra-Matic.

Combined 1955 Custom and Bermuda sales were only about 6,000 units, with only 2,215 Bermudas finding buyers.  This was down from a total production of around 12,000 units in 1954.  Needless to say, building 6,000 cars a year was hardly worth the effort, so Willys gave up on passenger car production at the end of 1955 to focus exclusively on Jeep and its derivatives.  By 1963, the company renamed itself as the Kaiser-Jeep Corporation.

But the story doesn't quite end there.  In 1958, the Aero/Custom/Bermuda tooling was shipped to Brazil and, by 1960, Willys-Overland do Brazil were building the reborn Willys Aero for local consumption.  A 1963 restyle, penned by Brooks Stevens, brought the styling into the 1960s and Brazilian production continued into 1971.

However, the Willys Bermuda never made it to the island after which it is named.  Being a small car, it would have been suited to the narrow roads found on the island, despite Bermuda being a right-hand-drive territory.

[Madman]

Part 43: Edsel Bermuda


Edsel: a name synonymous with failure.  Intended to fill a perceived gap in the marketplace between the Ford and Mercury divisions, the Edsel division of the Ford Motor Company was established to do battle with mid-priced rivals such as Pontiac, DeSoto, and Oldsmobile.   A prolonged advertising campaign created high expectations for the new car but, when it was finally unveiled during a live prime-time TV special, the public reaction was fairly underwhelming.

Many found the styling to be overwrought, even by 1950s standards.  The brand also had the misfortune of being launched during the late-1950s economic recession, a time when sales of mid and upper priced cars dramatically declined.  Pricing was a problem too, as Edsels were priced too close to their in-house Mercury equivalents, further confusing potential buyers as to what Edsel's place in the market was meant to be.  As a result, sales never reached Ford's expectations.

Upon Edsel's introduction in 1958, the brand came to market with four sedans and three station wagons.  The base wagon was the Edsel Roundup, the mid-level wagon was the Edsel Villager and the top-tier wagon was the Edsel Bermuda.  I covered the Willys Bermuda in the previous post on this thread, a car made just three years before the Edsel Bermuda.  I don't know if Ford obtained permission from Willys to use the Bermuda name or not.  Somehow, I think things were a bit more casual when it came to using model names back in the 1950's, so I suspect once Willys stopped using the Bermuda moniker, it became fair game!

The 1958 Edsel Bermuda was powered by a 5.9 litre (361 cubic inch) overhead valve V8 and could be fitted with either three-speed manual or three-speed automatic transmissions.  Bermudas were available either in six passenger or nine passenger configurations.  Like most Edsel models, Bermuda sales were dismal.  Total 1958 Bermuda production was 2,235 units, comprising of 1,456 six passenger cars and just 779 nine passenger cars.  The nine passenger Bermuda is the rarest 1958 Edsel model.

The Bermuda was dropped after just a single model year and, considering the extremely low production numbers, you'll be hard-pressed to find one anywhere.  You'll be even harder-pressed to find one on the island of Bermuda itself.  This chrome-laden leviathan is bigger than some of the houses on Bermuda, so it's not difficult to see why Ford didn't see a market for the car on the island!

[FoMoJo]

Edsel Ford was instrumental in the design of one of Ford's most beautiful cars.  It's rather sad that his name is attached to one of their ugliest designs.