Classic cars with women's names

Down the decades, women's names have been far more popular in the naming of car models (and even one marque – hello, Mercedes!) than men's names.

It may have something to do with the long-held habit of labelling cars (and boats, and other forms of transport) as 'she'. It may also be that these names below just conferred a level of grace and fluidity on these cars (yes, even the Skoda Estelle) that their masculine equivalents just wouldn’t have managed.

Whatever the logic, here are some fine classic cars with women's names.

Skoda Estelle

The Skoda Estelle had the possible misfortune of being one of the last cars produced by the company before the fall of the Berlin Wall and the takeover of Skoda by the VW Group. As such, it's a relic from a slightly less robust chapter in Skoda design. It may have been a serviceable car for ferrying thousands of 1970s and 1980s Czech workers to their factories, but it was generally found wanting over here. To some, though, Estelle's basic, unfussy composition was an integral part of its charm.

For one thing, there was the driving experience. There was a tendency to oversteer that, for some drivers, gave the Estelle's handling a distinctly peppy, almost Porsche-like character. You also got the unusual appeal of an engine in the back, meaning all the engine noise was behind you and a decent-sized boot in front.

On the other hand, build quality was certainly nothing to write home about, and these days you may find it a challenge to locate spares.

Interestingly, the unpretentious Estelle made quite a name for itself in rallying circles, peaking with an outright win at the 1981 European Touring Car Championship. That, combined with its affordability (here was a decent-sized family saloon that could be yours for the price of a Mini), gave it some traction in the UK market.

Today, however, few survive. If you're in the market for an Estelle, the car's history and documentation will be crucial. These cars may well have been poorly looked after for years, with cheap engine oil used and parts left to rot. Or, conversely, they may have been run by a knowledgeable mechanic and had all their minor niggles sorted.

Either way, if you are thinking of taking on an Estelle, or nursing one back to health, its somewhat spotty build quality and variable parts availability means that we'd definitely recommend investing in some classic car cover.

Skoda Felicia

Skoda went down the Christian names route again a few years later, with the Felicia (in fact, strictly speaking, this was the second Felicia – there had been a 1960s soft-top of the same name).

This, though, was a different car to the basic-feeling Estelle. The Felicia was the first beneficiary of Skoda's takeover by the VW Group and, although it doesn't perhaps have the chunky good looks and bombproof reliability of today's Skodas, it was still a giant leap forward.

The Felicia moved the game on considerably from its own predecessor, the Favorit supermini. The Favorit had been perfectly serviceable in a boxy 1980s kind of way. Its successor, however, was more attractive to look at with a more sculpted front end.

The engine range also filled out nicely, with 1.3- and 1.6-litre petrols and a torquey 1.9-litre diesel.

The Felicia occupies a fascinating position, straddling the two chapters of Skoda's history. Brought to market during the VW Group era, it was nonetheless based on designs conceived before the Germans' takeover.

It won many fans in 1990s and Noughties Britain, and tended to be driven fairly carefully – by either first-timers (thanks to its affordability) or older owners who didn't need a fancy badge on the front of their daily shopper.

Citroen Dyane

Dyane, Diane… we hope we can be liberal with the odd letter here, as we honour a rather fine car from Citroen's adventurous 1960s/1970s era.

For many people, a quick glance at a Citroen Dyane will convince them they are looking at one of the French marque's iconic 2CVs. The Dyane, however, was in fact an entirely different model, using the basic 2CV body shape but stretching it to form a larger, supermini-segment car.

The Citroen Dyane was designed, indeed, to replace the 2CV. But superseding one of the 20th Century's best-loved cars proved to be quite a job. As it turned out, the Dyane became one of those cars – like the Austin Metro, Porsche 928 and Volvo 700 series – that got the chop before the car they were intended to replace. No shame here, though – the 2CV, Mini, 911 and Volvo 240 respectively – were all giants on the automotive landscape.

The Dyane actually got the same engines as the 2CV – a 435cc for the Dyane 4, and a 602cc for the 6. The car also retained its smaller sibling's full-length canvas sunroof. It may not have achieved the same iconic status as its predecessor, but the Dyane is still a fascinating product of a hugely innovative period in Citroen's history.

Renault Clio

The Renault Clio took its name from one of the nine Muses in Greek mythology – inspirational goddesses of literature, sciences and the arts. Clio's particular area of expertise was history. Fitting, then, that the car named after her is assured of a hallowed place in the history of automotive engineering.

The first-generation Renault Clio appeared in 1990, to almost universal acclaim. It had a hard act to follow, being the successor to the much-loved 5 hatchback. In fact, though, the Clio continued the 5's lineage in some style, and even turned around Renault's fortunes after a difficult second half of the 1980s. Renault's new models for the later 1980s – such as the 19 or 21 – had not generally shown any great distinction in either engineering, drive or looks, and the company seemed briefly to be in the doldrums after the heights of the 4, 5, 12 and 16. But the Clio changed all that, bringing a sense of style and fun back to the marque. Right from the first generation onwards, the Clio was a brilliantly fun car to drive. It also, like its French compatriot the Peugeot 205, managed to combine compact practicality with cheeky good looks. French style in a nutshell.

It also shares, with the VW Golf, the distinction of winning the European Car of the Year Award twice – in 1991 for its first generation, and 2006 for its third.

Older generations of the Clio will now qualify for classics insurance, while any examples of the much-revered Clio Williams sporting edition will positively demand it.

Alfa Romeo Giulietta

There have been a few generations of the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. The first was a super-stylish 1950s saloon, produced from 1954-1963. Later came a boxier iteration with some typically lusty Alfa engines, from 1977 to 1985. More recently, of course, we've had the Golf-rivalling 20th Century Giulietta, which in the best Alfa tradition is both engaging to drive and rather lovely to look at.

Our heart belongs, though, to that first generation, a product of a time when Alfa's designs were simply without equal (the slightly later 33 Stradale, from 1967-69, has to be one of the most beautiful cars of all time). This was a car made with one eye on practicality and ease of use – but the other, in that great Italian tradition, firmly on elegance and driver appeal. Its most sublime iteration was probably the 2+2 Giulietta Sprint coupe or, if we are going right upmarket, the wonderful Giulietta Sprint Speciale designed by Franco Scaglione at Bertone.

Datsun Violet

The 1970s was the decade when Japanese cars broke through into the UK market. Striking British factories and long waiting lists for the likes of the Morris Marina had a large part to play in this, of course. Just as importantly, though, word quickly got around that some very capable, reliable and affordable cars were coming out of Japan.

In particular, Datsun – as Nissan were known in foreign markets during the decade – were turning out some great cars, including the Cherry 100A and 120A superminis, the Sunny 120Y compact – and the Violet 140J and 160J small saloons. The latter proved to be a very capable rival, in the compact / small family car segment, to the likes of the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Cavalier.

The first-generation Violet, with its distinctive Coke bottle styling, was a vivid crystallisation of the 1970s aesthetic in car design. The slightly wedgier, straighter-edged Mk2, meanwhile, was imported in decent numbers throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s and became a relatively common sight on Britain's roads. Your choices were simple: 1.4 and 1.6 engine sizes, and base-spec L and slightly more upmarket GL trim levels.

Mitsubishi Colt Celeste

The first generation of the Mitsubishi Colt was, like the Datsun Violet above, another of those cars to break out of their native Japan and onto the world market during the 1970s. It's no coincidence that a lot of these compact, economical cars were conceived around 1973, the year of the major oil crisis in the Middle East that forced up petrol prices worldwide and tempted buyers towards smaller, more efficient vehicles.

The Colt appeared on our shores in saloon form (the Lancer) and, soon after, in attractive three-door coupe style – this latter dubbed the Celeste.

The Celeste presented itself to mid-70s British buyers as a rival to other swoopy but affordable coupes such as the Opel Manta, Toyota Celica and, of course, the reigning Ford Capri. It's probably fair to say, however, that the dishy Mitsubishi didn't quite catch on in the same way as these other rakish coupes. Which is a shame, because it was a smashing-looking thing – with a lovely shallow rake to the fastback rear end, plus the distinctive louvred rear windscreen and three-quarter window that gave it something of a Renault 17 appearance from the rear.

Now, thanks in part to the huge spike in interest in 1970s Japanese cars, the Mitsubishi Colt Celeste has become the very definition of a cult classic. Well-maintained examples – and let's warn you right now, these will be hard to find – will fetch somewhere north of £10,000. If you're lucky enough to track one down, protect it with classic Mitsubishi insurance as soon as you can.

Lancia Flavia

Like all of the Italian marques, Lancia enjoyed a good 1960s. One of the most eye-catching of their elegant offerings during this decade was the Flavia, an executive saloon that also came in svelte coupe form. There was even an outlandish Sport Zagato variant that, to our eyes, lands just the right side of bizarre-looking.

The saloon, which rivalled the likes of the W111 Mercedes and the first-generation Maserati Quattroporte, was a forward-looking car when it arrived in 1961. Front-wheel drive, it got Lancia's new four-cylinder, horizontally opposed power plant, and was furnished with state-of-the-art disc brakes at all four wheels.

Over its 10-year lifespan the car steadily got quicker and more powerful: the 1.8-litre version released in 1967 could comfortably exceed 100mph. If given the choice (and, given its rarity now, frankly any example would do us just fine) we'd go for the coupe. Why? Well, that's the bodystyle where the rather wonderful looks are worthy of all that engineering brilliance going on underneath the bonnet.

Classic car insurance is the name of our game

From a couple of typically stylish Italians to a boxy, base-spec Skoda, this has been quite an eclectic list of cars from yesteryear.

What these cars all have in common (apart from those feminine names), however, is that they are all models for which we'll be able to provide insurance for your classic car. In fact, thanks to our years of experience in the industry, these cars represent just a tiny sample from the many hundreds of classics we can insure.

Get in touch with us today for a quote.

Policy benefits, features and discounts offered may very between insurance schemes or cover selected and are subject to underwriting criteria. Information contained within this article is accurate at the time of publishing but may be subject to change.