# Model A, B, C & T. Any other cars named after letters of the alphabet? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899 "2007-05-05T17:02:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/1 "2007-05-05T17:02:53Z")
Everyone’s heard of the Model A and the Model T. I understand Ford had a few Model B and C cars out there, but just how many other letters of the alphabet got used? Anybody manage to collect the whole available alphabet of these cars? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/2 "2007-05-05T17:05:38Z")
Well, there’s the British MG. And MGA. More than one letter though… ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/3 "2007-05-05T17:06:32Z")
The Ford Ka? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/4 "2007-05-05T17:10:05Z")
Mercedes has letter-named classes: A class [tiny passenger cars] C class [intermediate passenger cars] E class [mid-sized sedans] G class [true SUVs] S class [mid-to-large-sized sedans] Typical naming would be C240, S600, etc ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/5 "2007-05-05T17:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Everyone’s heard of the Model A and the Model T. I understand Ford had a few Model B and C cars out there, but just how many other letters of the alphabet got used? Anybody manage to collect the whole available alphabet of these cars? [/QUOTE] Wiki lists Model A, AC, B, C, F, K, N, R, S, T, V-18 and Y, as well as several numbered “model {something}s”: > **[List of Ford vehicles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Ford_vehicles)** > > Ford Motor Company sells a broad range of vehicles under the Ford marque worldwide. The following list does not include other marques owned or formerly owned by Ford, such as Lincoln, Mercury, Edsel and Merkur. I’m assuming QtM is asking specifically about Fords. There will be a vast profusion of “model {letter}” cars across makes. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/6 "2007-05-05T17:10:35Z")
Jaguar E-type? Mercedes C Class? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/7 "2007-05-05T17:13:06Z")
Ah the Wiki article on Ford vehicles was just what I was looking for, tho I wish it had more photos! Thanks, all! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/8 "2007-05-05T17:15:04Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] Well, there’s the British MG. And MGA. More than one letter though… [/QUOTE] Unless you consider MG as the make and A, B, C, and F being the model. (And for more than one letter, TA, TB, TC, TD, TF, plus the ‘F-series’ TF.) ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/9 "2007-05-05T18:15:10Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Unless you consider MG as the make and A, B, C, and F being the model. (And for more than one letter, TA, TB, TC, TD, TF, plus the ‘F-series’ TF.) [/QUOTE] Trivia: Who was Morris, and how did he make all those cars in his garage? Seriously, thanks for the info. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/10 "2007-05-05T18:24:33Z")
[QUOTE=Jake] Trivia: Who was Morris, and how did he make all those cars in his garage? Seriously, thanks for the info. [/QUOTE] > **[Morris Motors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morris_Motor_Company)** > > Morris Motors Limited was a British motor vehicle manufacturing company formed in 1919 to take over the assets of William Morris's WRM Motors Limited and continue production of the same vehicles. By 1926, its production accounted for 42 per cent of British car manufacture—a remarkable rate of expansion attributed to William Morris's practice of buying in major as well as minor components and assembling them in his own factory. Although it merged with Austin Motor Company to form the British Moto... > [@](#): > > The Morris Motor Company was started in 1910 when bicycle manufacturer William Morris turned his attention to car manufacturing… > > In 1924 the head of the Morris sales agency in Oxford, Cecil Kimber, started building sporting versions of Morris cars, called “MG” — after the agency, Morris Garages. > **[MG Cars](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_%28car%29)** > > MG is a British automotive marque founded by Cecil Kimber in the 1920s, currently owned by Chinese automobile manufacturer SAIC Motor since 2007. M.G. Car Company Limited was the British sports car manufacturer existing between 1930 and 1972 that made the marque well known. MG cars had their roots in a 1920s sales promotion sideline of Morris Garages, a retail sales and service centre in Oxford belonging to William Morris. The business's manager, Cecil Kimber, modified standard production Morri... > [@](#): > > MG got its name from “Morris Garages”, a dealer of Morris cars in Oxford which began producing its own customized versions to the designs of Cecil Kimber who had joined the company as its Sales Manager in 1921 and was promoted to General Manager in 1922. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/11 "2007-05-05T18:34:42Z")
Must not forget the GM [X-Car](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_X_platform) and [K-Car](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_K_platform). ---
**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:** [May 5, 2007, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/12 "2007-05-05T19:07:40Z")
If we’re branching out to platforms, there’s links by manufacturer at the bottom of [this page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobile_platform) ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/13 "2007-05-05T21:05:49Z")
Holden, the Australian arm of GM, designated most of its early cars simply using two letters (FX, FJ, EH, HR, etc.). In fact, they still do use the two-letter designation, but the cars are now better known to the general public by particular names. So, the [Holden Commodore](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holden_Commodore) began production in the late 1970s as the VB, went all the way through to VZ (missing a few letters on the way), and is now in the VE stage (VE was missed the first time around). The current model is so different from the 1978 model that they can barely be compared, but the ongoing name (Commodore) and letter designation (V) marks them as being part of an ongoing development of a particular type of four-door sedan. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/14 "2007-05-05T21:54:59Z")
[QUOTE=Johnny L.A.] Unless you consider MG as the make and A, B, C, and F being the model. (And for more than one letter, TA, TB, TC, TD, TF, plus the ‘F-series’ TF.) [/QUOTE] MGA was the model name they came up with after they’d already gone through the alphabet once and had to start over at the beginning. They didn’t use all the letters the first time through. They were a small shop in the beginning, and some were probably one-offs or prototypes that they decided not to produce. Checking the list at [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG_%28car%29), there’s: MG M-Type (introduced 1929), C-Type (1931), D-Type (1931), F-Type (1931), J-Type (1932), K-Type (1932), KN (1933), L-Type (1933), N-Type (1934), P-Type (1934), SA (1936), TA (1936), VA (1937), WA (1938). The T-series was developed into the TB (1939) and the TC (1945). As part of Britain’s effort to rebuild after World War II, companies could only get raw materials if they exported some portion of their output, and the TC came to America. Legend has it that its popularity was spread by returning American pilots who had enjoyed the cars during their deployment in Britain. The American love of the sports car was born. Further models were: TD (1950), TF (1953), Y-Type (1947), ZA (1953) and ZB (1956). Which left them with something of a problem for their next, all new design. They decided to start at the beginning again, but drop the hyphen, and the MGA came out in 1955. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/15 "2007-05-05T22:03:26Z")
Chrysler used to make a S car. It was very slow. You should see the escargo. ---
**Author:** ![CBEscapee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b19c9b/32.png) [@CBEscapee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBEscapee)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/16 "2007-05-05T22:19:35Z")
There was the K Car from Chrysler. And the Pontiac GTO. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/17 "2007-05-05T23:19:54Z")
How about a single numeral? Renault 5. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/18 "2007-05-06T01:00:26Z")
The British had Q ships and British submarines went by the letter. America had its X planes. ---
**Author:** ![Stan\_Doubt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@Stan\_Doubt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stan_Doubt)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/19 "2007-05-06T04:36:35Z")
The Chrysler 300s may have established the best alphabetical series of autos, but I can say I have owned the strangest of Ford’s alphabetial missteps, the Merkur XR4Ti. As the Ford Sierra and particularly the Sierra Cosworth, the vehicle had a lot going for it, but in the US it was terribly executed, only available at a few Linoln Mercury dealers, and the shocks were too squishy. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2007, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899/20 "2007-05-06T05:11:20Z")
Does the 240 Z count? I didn’t see any one mention the XKE, but that could be because I am tired and not really seeing too well. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/model-a-b-c-t-any-other-cars-named-after-letters-of-the-alphabet/402899.md?page=2)