Alfa Romeo Milano becomes Junior: here are other cars that have changed names

Goodbye Milan, It’s time for Junior. After the accusations of Adolfo Urso, the Minister of Trade and Made in Italy, for allegedly violating the laws of the Italian Sound, Alfa Romeo decided to suddenly change the name of its first car produced exclusively abroad. Although the motivation is new – other foreign cars agree names referring to Italian regions – this is not a unique case in the world of cars: the Lombard manufacturer itself is no stranger to these faces and some of the most interesting cases also concern Fiat, Porsche and the new Italian brand, as we explain in the following paragraphs. .

It had already happened. The name Milano, which was already used for 75 in the USA, was considered the successor of the Alfa Romeo 147, before the change of heart attributed even to Sergio Marchionne, CEO of the Fiat group, who at the end of 2009 requested a name change for his denomination : again Milan but Juliet. In that case the car had not yet been revealed to the general public: the presentation would take place at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, to better celebrate the centenary of the brand with a car with a nostalgic name. Like Junior.

Messy name. A little while ago, in 2008, the name Furiosa seemed certain for the first car of the Biscione sports organization, which later began to be developed as Alfa Romeo MiTo. Alfa Romeo, as happened with the new B-SUV, had previously entrusted the choice of name to enthusiasts through an online survey: the most popular was Furiosa. An interesting term, but perhaps more appropriate for a large car than a car designed for new drivers. The choice of the company, therefore, fell on the name MiTo, a combination between the abbreviation of Milan, the city of Biscione, and that of Turin, where it would be released until 2018. And thinking that, even before the investigation, it was seen as Junior the approved name more than this car.

The name “sweet”. Moreover, the relationship between Biscione and opinion polls among the general public seems to be complicated. Even his most famous car, the Spider produced from 1966 to 1994, suffered a similar problem: following a competition between participants, the name recognized for this car was Duetto. Very bad was also the name of the famous snack: the manufacturing company, which turned to the Court of Milan, got the removal of the name, used only for the first examples of discovery. Not a big problem: the word Duetto, even as a nickname, would forever remain associated with this car.

Problems beyond the Alps. The case of The second generation of the Fiat Panda it is very reminiscent of the new Alfa Romeo Junior. The car was, in fact, presented at the 2003 Geneva Motor Show as the Gingo: an abstract name, playful as the car itself, but very similar to the Twingo. This is why in Turin, after contacting Renault, they would follow their steps and change the car to Panda in the summer, before it arrived in the showrooms. And it was a good thing.

“Zero” comes from Peugeot. Even Porsche had to rethink the name of one of its cars. And not just anyone, but his favorite sports car, the 911. That’s right: the car was presented (without an engine) at the 1963 Frankfurt Motor Show as the Porsche 901, and then went into production with that name in 1964. A simple number that no one would give too much weight to, except Peugeot who claimed the use of the names of three digits with a zero in the middle: to avoid problems with the French company, the car will be produced under the name 911 after only 82 examples were produced under the name 901.

Rethink the brand. We close the series of models with another name change, this time referring to the recent off-road brand from the Di Risio group. Launched under the name ICKX, it caught the attention of Jackie Ickx, who did not want to use a name associated with him lightly, especially following the famous businessman’s advertising campaign, which revolved around a relationship with a former driver. The case led Ickx to challenge the illegal use of his surname in the court of Turin, and obtain an injunction to prevent its exploitation, as we have explained. in great detail. For its part, “DR notes that in its intention the Ickx brand refers solely and exclusively ‘It was the intention to return him to the former Belgian driver.” Pending the judgment, “DR Automobiles has decided, with the full respect of Jacques Ickx and regardless of what the verdict of the ordinary judge will be, to change the registration of the trademark to ICH-X”.