# Convertible sports cars - why "Spyder"?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 23, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023 "2008-08-23T15:00:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023/21 "2008-08-25T10:18:07Z")

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I’ve never heard of it, in any other terms than the Alpha Romeo Spyder. Certainly not a neologism here.

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**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 11:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023/22 "2008-08-25T11:04:31Z")

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Some of these cars that are described as being ‘spyders’ are not that at all, they are coupes.

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**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023/23 "2008-08-25T21:46:40Z")

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No cite here, but the Car Talk guys some years back casually remarked that “spyder” was simply a generic Italian term for a convertible.

Other than that, I got nuttin.

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**Author:** ![Huerta88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/82dd89/32.png) [@Huerta88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huerta88)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023/24 "2008-08-25T21:51:17Z")

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[QUOTE=Princhester]  
\*\*Heurta88 \*\* it isn’t a product or brand name: it’s used (according to this thread) by at least seven different manufacturers.  
[/QUOTE]

Doesn’t mean no one’s intended to use it as a product name; just mean’s no one’s done a great job (actually, someone may have, because when I hear Spyder I think Alfa) of strongly associating it with their own goods and of asserting rights in it.

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**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\
**Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/convertible-sports-cars-why-spyder/461023/25 "2008-08-25T21:54:00Z")

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My first ride was a Spyder.

I think it was a [Murray](http://www.nostalgic.net/murray.htm).

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