Given that almost everything in the Austin Powers movies is a reference to something else in pop culture, has Mike Myers ever tipped his hand on how he came up with the name “Austin Powers” itself?
Don’t forget: Danger is his middle name.
Austin is a reference to Austin Morris, which was the company that made the original Mini . This is very much regarded as a pop culture icon of British 'swinging 60s.
And “Powers” may refer to his supposed sexual prowess.
Do you have a cite that Mike Myers has said this?
No, afraid not. But, as you say, most of Austin Powers is based around pop culture of a period. I guarantee that this would be the first thing anyone in the 1960s Britain would think of when given the name ‘Austin’.
The same company made the Austin Martin famously used in a few of the Bond films of the same period.
So all in all I think it is a safe bet.
Um…wouldn’t that be the Aston Martin DB5? Different company (and still going); the Austin Motor Company became Austin Rover Ltd, then joined British Leyland, then it became the Austin Rover Group. Then the whole lot was bought by BMW, before being sold to The Phoenix Group for a symbolic £10 in 2000.
Myers explained the name “Austin Powers” on every major talk show in North America when the first movie came out. In fact, it was very obviously a planned question, since every interviewer asked him about the name. He said “Austin” sounds like a British sports car and “Powers” just sounds masculine - in his own words on every talk show, “Powers by day, powers by night, baby!” (Yeah, he kept using the same shtick.)
He did not specifically refer to a particular auto manufacturer, just that it “sounded” like a British sports car.
I ask because “Justin Power” was a time-traveling international spy played by Jeffrey Hunter in the movie Dimension Five (1966). There is only a two-letter difference between Justin Power and Austin Powers.
Then how did he come up with the name “Basil Exposition” for Michael York’s character?
My guess? Exposition is the part of a movie that provides the background information needed to understand the characters and the action. Which is pretty much what Basil’s purpose is.