the wonderful names we give to the most emblematic cars in the countries that speak Spanish

We often give a nickname for our car and yet, we would never do it with our cell phone or our home. And the thing is that the car, with all its drawbacks, is like an extension of our personality, the freedom of movement and the experiences that we will have forged over time behind the wheel, are not given to us by a mobile phone. We also baptize most popular and emblematic modelsthose cars that have put a country on wheels and that are now part of the collective imagination of a nation.

Of Spain a Argentina passing through Mexicoof the voice al Fitito passing through 4 cansthese are some of the great names we give to the most emblematic cars in Spanish-speaking countries.

Flea, Toad, Flea and Beetle

He Volkswagen Type 11said like this, is not very well known, but It is undoubtedly one of the cars that has received the most nicknames throughout its history. In fact, there is practically no country in which it has been sold and in which it has not had a nickname. And initially Volkswagen He never gave it a name, it was just the Volkswagen Typ 11. Hence, naturally, the public gave it an affectionate name in relation to its appearance.

In Spain was called Beetlebecause it reminded me of a beetle. Also in Argentina it was known as the Beetle, when it finally reached that market in 1980, although they were units manufactured in Brazil and it was already a very outdated model. In Colombia, it is known as a flea and in Peru, little toad. In both cases, in relation to its round and almost morphological appearance.

In MexicoCuriously, it is known as voicea name derived from the French “boche”. Pronounced “bosh” it is a regionalism that means hard-headed or stupid. It is a derogatory nickname that the French gave to the Germans since the war of 1870, when Germany took the regions of Alsace and Lorraine from them, until well after the Second World War.

Pelotilla and Fitito: two names, the same destiny

He Fiat 600developed by Dante Giacosa, father of the Fiat 500, was presented at the 1955 Geneva Motor Show. With its large interior space in relation to the exterior dimensions, it began to be manufactured in Barcelona in 1957 as SEAT 600. With its 633 cc engine and a power of 21 HP it could reach 95 km/h. And that in the 60s, for such a small and round car, was worth mentioning. Its round appearance earned it Spain the nickname of Peltilla.

The Fiat 600 had unprecedented success in Spain, where more than 800,000 units were manufactured until 1973 under the SEAT brand. But it was also in South America and especially in the Argentina. There, the Fiat 600 was during four decades the best-selling car. On the other side of the pond it is known as bolita and especially as Fitito. One might think that it is like an affectionate term that is due to the fact that he is the little guy from the Fiat, but apparently it’s not like that.

It would have its origin in the English word “Fit”, in relation to a bet between Fiat engineers and those from British Leyland, visiting Fiat for a possible collaboration. “How many people can fit inside?”, they must have said. (How many people can fit inside?). To demonstrate that the interior was spacious, 11 Italian workers managed to get on board the Fiat 600. It was the English themselves who then nicknamed the car “Fitito”, giving an Italian touch to the word fit.

In any case, whether in Spain or Argentina, the 600 has been the car with which many families accessed the automobile for the first time.

Four Cans

He Renault 4 L It was sold in more than 100 countries between 1961 and 1992, from France to Japan, where it is still in fashion. Emblematic model of the rhombus brand, with more than 8 million units produced, It is known in Spain as “four cans”. It is a reference to its rudimentary appearance, as if it were made with four cans, based on its commercial name of Renault 4 L.

It is about the Renault’s first low-cost carhence its simple technical solutions and almost austere appearance, with a lot of visible sheet metal on board. In fact, it is said that for the design at Renault they were satisfied with it being a little less ugly than its rivals.

¿And why Renault 4 L? Initially, there were three versions that Renault was going to sell. The entry model to the range was the R3 with a 603 cc engine, only four side windows and simple steel tubes as bumpers. Then there was the R4, with the same tough appearance, but with a 747 cc engine, and finally the Renault 4 L, for example. R4 Luxeluxury in French. It is the model with six side windows, chrome bumpers and a 747 cc engine that finally remained on the market. The R3 and R4 were simply rejected by customers who were only interested in the 4 L.

The Shark

The Citroën DS is without a doubt one of the most beautiful cars in history. Sculpted and not designed by the Italian sculptor Flaminio Bertoni, it has its place in the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA)along with the Jaguar E-Type. And although in France her nickname of goddess is a phonetic consequence of DS, two letters that when pronounced in French sound like goddess in French, in Spain she received the nickname of Shark.

At ground level thanks to its pneumatic suspension, with its sharp shapes that seem to emerge from nowhere and its agility on the road made more than one think about the qualities of the shark.

The haiga

Haiga It does not refer to a specific model but to an entire category of cars, especially American. There are several versions of the origin of the word haiga to refer to “a very large and ostentatious automobile, usually of North American origin,” according to the definition of the RAE.

One of the best known, which I have heard often in Barcelona, ​​involves bullfighters. It is said that the Cadillac, Buick and others Lincoln of the time were the favorite cars of bullfighters who had achieved fame and money. And as soon as they could, they went into the first import car dealer and asked for “the biggest car they could buy.” haiga”.

In GaliciaOn the other hand, that word is attributed to the precursors of the drug trafficking clans of southern Galicia who, after the Civil War, carried out all types of smuggling with Portugal, “importing” everything from medicines to radios and, above all, tobacco.

They too, without studies but with a nose for business, arrived in Coruña or Vigo asking for “the biggest and best car they could find.” haiga”. Which often used to be an American model, because thanks to the numerous American military bases that were then throughout Spain, they were easier to get than a Mercedes, BMW or Porsche. And in the 50s and 60s car imports to Spain were limited to a certain number of cars per year by law.

Perhaps there is some truth in these urban legends, but perhaps there is also some envy in those who referred to those cars as “haigas” so that this error of language would be reflected on their driver.