From Barracudas to Dolphins: The Story Behind Cars Named After Ocean Creatures

Car companies have long borrowed names from the animal kingdom. Think Ford Mustang, Dodge Viper, or Volkswagen Beetle. It’s a smart move, a name like “Mustang” suggests speed and power, while “Viper” brings to mind something aggressive and dangerous. Plus, animals don’t file lawsuits.

But there’s a whole subset of vehicles that take inspiration specifically from the sea, and their stories are just as interesting as the cars themselves.

The Plymouth Barracuda was actually the first American pony car, beating the Ford Mustang to market by 16 days in 1964. It started life as a Valiant variant with a Slant Six engine, but most buyers went for the V8. By 1970, it moved to a bigger platform, and production ended in 1974 due to the oil crisis.

Originally, Plymouth planned to call it the “Panda”, a name that sounds better suited for a cute city car than a muscle machine. Thankfully, they went with Barracuda, a fish that can grow over six feet long and slice prey in half with razor teeth.

Then there’s the Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray, which debuted in 1963 with a fuel-injected 327ci V8 making 360 horsepower. Its design was inspired by a concept racer and a mako shark caught by designer Bill Mitchell. The name fits the car’s flat, pointed profile. And while sharks and rays are biological cousins, the stingray’s venomous tail spike is a reminder that even beautiful creatures can be dangerous.

Meanwhile, AMC offered the Marlin, a fastback that looked more like a hatchback without the storage. It came with a “Twin-Stick Transmission” and sold well at first, but faded by 1967.

Opel’s Manta, named after the ray, launched in 1970 as a small sports coupe with modest power, the top engine made just 90 horsepower. It sold well for years, and Opel recently teased an electric revival called the Manta-e, though it won’t arrive before 2030. Today, Chinese automaker BYD is making waves with its Ocean Series, which includes the Dolphin, Dolphin Surf, Seal, Seal U, and Sealion 7.

All use BYD’s Blade Battery and feature smooth, flowing designs. 8 seconds. It turns out that naming cars after sea creatures, whether fearsome or friendly, still works.