‘Smuggler’s Box’:
You may have heard this term in reference to a Porsche 911 or El Camino. There are other cars that have this area, although it is mainly renowned for being present in the 911. The ‘smuggler’s box’ relates to the little trap door under the luggage compartment where an optional oil heater resided. It is known as such because it was a way that owners of the 911 used to smuggle illicit substances across borders in Europe when the heater was not in place. This was until customs officials caught on to the trick, and began purposefully searching the ‘smuggler’s box’ at border crossings.
Torque:
This is an engineering term, which relates to a rotating force that may or may not result in motion. In your car, torque is the thing that causes it to accelerate. So where does the word come from? Well, ‘torque’ has ancient origins, as it was used to describe a twisted necklace worn by the ancient Gauls and Britons. The Latin word ‘torquēre’ meant ‘to twist’, and this twisting motion is still present in today’s meaning of the word.
Bhp:
Bhp stands for ‘brake horsepower’, and is used as a measurement of work (dependant on torque, the rotating force). So the term must come from the amount of work a horse can do, right? WRONG! (Kind of…) James Watt coined the term when he was working with ponies lifting coal at a coal mine. He wanted to know how much power was available to these ponies, so measured how much on average they could work in a minute. Horsepower in a car is related to the engine output, and this is where the term ‘brake horsepower’ comes from.
Deuce:
Deuce is a term that relates to a 1932 Ford Coupé. The car became known as such following the Beach Boys’ 1963 song ‘Little Deuce Coupé’, after which the band featured a picture of the car on the album cover. The car has been coined a Deuce ever since.
Lemon:
This is a term used to describe a second hand car, which, after purchase, is discovered to have several faults. The OED’s first entry that relates to this sort of figurative usage of the word is as early as 1863, where the word was used as a slang term to describe ‘a person easily deluded or taken advantage of’. As a result of natural progression, the word then came to mean ‘something which is bad or undesirable or which fails to meet one’s expectations’, and its first usage in relation to second-hand cars was in the Morning Post in 1931, where it is said: “Lemon” was a term used in the trade for second-hand cars of little value.’ It could be that the word is used in this way due to the poor old lemon’s tough exterior and sour taste. Life is hard for a lemon.
Spyder/Spider:
This term is used across various different car manufacturers, notably Alfa Romeo and Ferrari, and has come to mean a 2-seater convertible. The origins of this word are debated. The first possibility is that the word ‘spider’ found its way into the automobile lingo following its presence from the days of horse-drawn carriages. ‘Spider’ related to a British lightweight two-or four-wheel carriage, which had spindly wheels and a black cloth top, which made it resemble the creepy-crawly creature. The other option is that the word is a result of a mistranslation as an Italian tried to say ‘speeder’, and the word came out wrong!
997:
This is Porsche’s internal name for its iconic 911 coupé. The name is derived from Porsche’s old numbering system, and is used by brand loyalists and driving club members to demonstrate that they are oh-so-in-the-know.
Boot:
One of the most important aspects of a car for many drivers is the humble boot. This storage area is also derived from the days of horse and carriage, and relates to the area where the coachman used to leave his boots in the rear of the coach. This storage compartment was known as the ‘boot locker’ in the 18th and 19th centuries, and has come to be shortened to ‘boot’ in today’s usage.
Limousine:
This extremely elegant vehicle that has come to be associated with wealth and status derives from the French word ‘Limousin’, meaning ‘of Limousin’, the French region. Locals from Limousin were famous for their long caped cloak, which was worn by shepherds to protect themselves from rain and cold when delivering cattle on horse and cart. Early drivers of limousines wore a similar cloak, which led to the name being used for the stretched black vehicle we know today.