America has a love of the automobile - maybe that's why car makers occasionally use US names in a bid to capture a bit of that obsession. And some foreign manufacturers want a piece of that apple pie; here are five that wave the red, white and blue, at least in name.
1. Ferrari Daytona
The 365 GTB/4 is better known as the Daytona. The nickname is believed to have come from the media after the Italian's 1-2-3 finish at the 24 Hours of Daytona. Produced between 1968 and 1973, the Pininfarina-designed car was introduced at the Paris Auto Salon. The Daytona gained notoriety by competing in, and winning, the second Cannonball Run, driven by the American racing star Dan Gurney with Brock Yates, the race founder, as co-driver. It took them 35 hours and 54 minutes to travel 4,608 km, at an average of 130 kph, collecting one fine.
2. Zastava Florida
Also known as the Yugo Florida, the Serbian car was introduced in 1987. A number of names were considered but the US state was chosen to honour the Yugo's success in America - more than 50,000 had been sold at this point. The exterior was designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro, the Italian automobile designer, responsible for many classic cars such as the DeLorean and the VW Golf. The production of the Florida was interrupted by the Yugoslav wars and economic sanctions; the car was reintroduced in 2002.
3. Hyundai Tucson
Named after the city in Arizona, the compact crossover is from the same family as the Santa Fe and Veracruz - following a western theme from the Japanese automakers. The Tucson was first introduced in 2004 to compete with the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V and Ford Escape. The Tucson used, what Hyundai calls, "fluidic sculpture" in the design of its 2009 model, and in some regions the Tucson was sold as the ix35. Unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show with power output, comfort and safety features all upgraded.
4. Subaru Tribeca
The mid-size crossover is named after the New York City neighbourhood, a portmanteau of TRiangle BElow CAnal street, home to a plethora of famous people and home to Robert DeNiro's film festival. Initially known as the B9 Tribeca, after the B9X concept car, it opted for a boxer engine to simplify the powertrain implementation of all-wheel drive, in order to reduce powertrain weight. With the 2008 facelift the B9 was dropped from the model name, and Subaru also claimed the larger engine produced better fuel economy.
5. Maserati Indy
Named to honour the Italian's two wins at the Indianapolis 500 the Maserati Indy first appeared in 1968 at the Turin auto show as a prototype to replace the Mexico and the Quattroporte. The two-door four-seater coupe production model was unveiled in Geneva in 1969 with a 4.2L V8. For the models 1970 to 1972 the Indy was also available with a 4.7L engine, and for the final two years of production, 1973 to 1974 it boasted a 4.9L. The initial prototype was by the designers at Carrozzeria Vignale.
