Sunday, May 29, 2016
Y no MPG names?
Car types are often named after numbers. Most of the numbers are arbitrary, denoting upward steps in status and hierarchy.
Many were intended to calibrate speed and size via the number of cylinders or the cubic-inch displacement or HP or wheelbase. All of these measurements increase with status in the usual American hierarchy.
But what about us frugaloids? Don't we get a numerical hierarchy? Stupid question. Of course not. More MPG is lower status among the cool ones. Can't use inverse scales.
EXACTLY ONE exception. Naturally, it was the only frugal car company. Nash named its 1941 compact the 600, denoting 600 miles on a tank of gas. That's the only frugal name in auto history.
If you wanted to use MPG directly, you could code it by pretending to emulate famous streets. Cadillac Highway 1. Buick Eight Mile. Honda 34th St. Toyota Route 66.
= = = = =
Footnote: Actually there was one other frugal name, but it wasn't advertised to the public. In 1959 Studebaker tried to sell a stretched version of its Lark for taxi usage, and called the taxi model Econ-O-Miler. Only a few were sold.
Labels: Metrology
¶ 4:53 PM
