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Famous Cars: Patton’s Willys JeepCars That Share Names with NFL Teams
Ever wonder if your favorite football team has a vehicle to match? We found 32 different vehicles that share names with all the NFL teams!
Playing the Name Game with Teams and Cars
The NFL has always had some influence from the automotive industry whether its marketing promotions or even team owners. We’ve already written on Super Bowl Car Commercials, Fantasy Football Player’s Cars, and Super Bowl Players’ Cars. Instead of kicking off this season with another run down of every major player’s garage, we figured it’d be a fun game to relate each of the 32 NFL team names to a car. What seems like an easy task took some critical thinking and a look at the history books to complete, but now you too can know this obscure trivia and impress your friends on Sundays.
Arizona Cardinals – Ford Cardinal
The Ford Cardinal shares a name with the Arizona football team – and has the performance to match. The Cardinals have been in a slump the past couple years, but hopefully Kyler Murray can link up with Marvin Harrison Jr. and turn things around. As for the car, this front-wheel-drive Ford subcompact was created for the 1960s to compete with the likes of the Volkswagen Beetle. It had unattractive styling, an underpowered V4 engine, and was ultimately cancelled before American’s could get their hands on it.
Atlanta Falcons – Ford Falcon
Ford’s other bird named car in the ‘60s did make it to production and it shares its name with Atlanta’s NFL team. The Ford Falcon was an affordable compact car that ultimately acted as a platform for other Ford vehicles in the 1960s. The Falcon’s most notable influence was in the historic Ford Mustang that became an instant success and led to the end of the Falcon itself. So, it acted as a great base but couldn’t compete in the end. Kind of like the Atlanta Falcons who had Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, and Devonta Freeman acting as pillars of the franchise that ultimately blew a 28-3 lead and lost Super Bowl LI.
Baltimore Ravens – Tesla Model S
The closest thing to a car being named in relation to the Baltimore Ravens is the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing, but there is a better relation if we get beneath the skin. Tesla introduced a more powerful powertrain for their Model S electric vehicle in 2020 that was dubbed the Raven. That means Baltimore fans can get a Tesla, switch it to Ludicrous Mode, and sprint off like Lamar Jackson in the Red Zone.
Buffalo Bills – The Buffalo
I could have gone the easy route and chosen the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2 Bison for the Buffalo Bills since they reference the same animal, but I decided to learn about Buffalo, New York’s automotive roots for this connection. The Buffalo Automobile & Auto-Bi Company was based out of Buffalo and produced their own line of single-cylinder engine automobiles from 1900 to 1902. Shoppers had the choice between the 3.5-horsepower Buffalo Junior or 6-horsepower Buffalo Senior. The company was taken over in 1903, the Buffalo automobile didn’t live long enough to see a Super Bowl from the team that shares its namesake, but neither have Bills fans.
Carolina Panthers – De Tomaso Pantera
The Carolina Panthers were an exciting team on paper with names like Cam Newton, Christian McCaffrey, and Luke Kuechly on the roster, but that potential wasn’t enough and they’re building back from the ground up. A similar story can be found when looking at the De Tomaso Pantera, an Italian mid-engine sports car that grew to be the brand’s most popular model. Ford imported the model to American Lincoln-Mercury dealerships between 1971 to 1975. This joint venture helped sell over 5,000 examples of the Pantera before Ford discontinued the relationship. That time period made up nearly 80 percent of the model’s total sales all time. De Tomaso never saw that kind of sales volume again. Oh, and Pantera is Italian for Panther by the way.
Chicago Bears – Stutz Bear
The Chicago Bears haven’t won a Super Bowl since 1985, which happens to coincide with the Stutz Bear. This was a convertible variant of the Stutz Defender, which was an upfitted, armored Chevrolet Suburban. Stutz outfitted the vehicles with Stutz exterior components, a luxury interior, armored body panels, chopped off the roof, added a roll bar, and threw on a trunk. This created an off-roading, battle-ready sedan. Only 46 Stutz Bears were produced and all of them were shipped out of the USA and sold to militaries and royalties out in the Middle East.
Cincinnati Bengals – Buick Bengal Concept
The Cincinnati Bengals have been around since 1968 and have flashed championship potential but haven’t wone a Super Bowl yet. There also hasn’t been a production car to share a name directly with the team since that time either. There was a special-edition Dodge Bengal Charger, but that was crafted by a Cincinnati dealership and not Dodge themselves. We could even make the stretch and relate the team to the Sunbeam Tiger.
Instead, here’s the Buick Bengal concept car that debuted in 2001 at the North American International Auto Show. This sleek, blue roadster was created in an effort to shed Buick’s “only for grandparents” persona and aimed at attracting a younger audience. The concept featured a unique powertrain setup that had the 6-speed manual transmission positioned ahead of the engine at the front of the vehicle. The Bengal also featured a 250-horsepower supercharged 3.4L V5 engine and over 100 different voice activated controls. This unique roadster almost went into production but was ultimately shelved by 2004.
Cleveland Browns – Ford Mustang Mach 1
Cleveland has had a rough go of it over the years. Between having no Super Bowl appearances and that 635-day loss streak some years ago, it’s been hard to be a Browns fan. However, the city of Cleveland shares some history with the Ford Motor Company and is linked to one of the automaker’s most popular classic engines. The 351C V8 engine was produced at the Cleveland Engine Plant starting in 1969, which led to it being commonly referred to as the 351 Cleveland. This engine is iconic for having first residing in the Ford Mustang Mach 1 before being the basis behind the Boss 351.
Dallas Cowboys – AMC Cowboy
The Dallas Cowboys have one of the loudest fan bases but haven’t actually had anything to show for it since the ‘90s. There are plenty of trucks and SUVs that refer to the cowboy lifestyle in their design, but there’s only been a concept vehicle to use the “Cowboy” name. AMC produced three concept utes back in the early 1970s all referenced as Cowboys. Each featured a different design to match the AMC Hornet SC 360, AMC Gremlin, and the newly acquired Jeep brand. The only other vehicle that comes close to sharing a name with “America’s Team” was a French knock-off of the Willys MB called the Grandin Dallas.
Denver Broncos – Ford Bronco
The Denver Broncos have had the honor of experiencing both John Elway and Peyton Manning under center, but the time between those two great quarterbacks has been riddled with failed replacements. While the Broncos are having trouble finding their next star passer, I had an easy time relating the team to a vehicle. The Ford Bronco is an off-road ready SUV that can ford rivers, climb cliffsides, and venture into the harshest of terrains. It’s a perfect fit for the mountainous surrounds of the “Mile High City”. Although Denver’s recent seasons relate better with the less impressive Ford Bronco Sport, which is more capable as a grocery getter than out in the wilderness.
Detroit Lions – DAC Delivery Truck
The Detroit Lions have been owned by the Ford family since 1964 and their current stadium is even named after their automotive brand. So, the obvious choice would be a Ford vehicle, but they never produced anything related to the football team’s name – at least not under their current name. Henry Ford’s earliest automotive venture was the short-lived Detroit Automobile Company and with it he produced his first vehicle, a delivery truck. This was a rudimentary automobile and acted as an early predecessor to the Model T. Not much is known about the vehicle aside from a few pictures of it. Nevertheless, this early piece of Ford’s legacy shares the name with the city it was produced in – and the football team that came about some 30 years later.
Green Bay Packers – Packard Pacific
Green Bay has a hard name to connect to a vehicle, but I did find some options. The team had a Chevrolet Silverado Green Bay Packers Edition back in 2014 and I could even relate the 1963 “Swiss Cheese” Pontiac Catalina to the Cheeseheads. I ended up going with an old automotive brand that sounded like the NFL team instead though – Packard. More specifically, I chose the Packard Pacific, a two-door personal luxury hardtop that was only produced for the 1954 model year and is named after a body of water like the city of Green Bay.
Houston Texans – Dodge Coronet Texan
Houston used to be the Oilers back in the day, but the team left in 1997 to Tennesse. Football came back to the city in 1999 under a new name, the Houston Texans. Dodge had a trim level that matched this new team name luckily enough on their Coronet. The 1957 Dodge Coronet Texan was essentially your typical Coronet but had “Texan” badges had been slapped on the tailfins, trunk, and glove compartment. The special model was requested by Texas dealers and only sold in Texas, like the Lone Star Edition Ram 1500 of today.
Indianapolis Colts – Dodge Colt
Edgerrin James, Marvin Harrison Sr., Adam Vinatieri, and Peyton Manning all played together on the Colts. An offensive group like that should have had back-to-back Super Bowls, but the Colts only could muster a single championship while Manning was there. That kind of history is like the Dodge Colt. This economical subcompact car was a badge swapped Mitsubishi that popped up at American dealerships in 1970. The nameplate had everything it needed to be a success and lasted a long while but failed to beat Honda and Toyota products. The Dodge Colt was discontinued by 1995 in favor of the new Dodge Neon. But Neon ended up being like Andrew Luck though, it did great but didn’t last.
Jacksonville Jaguars – Jaguar F-Type
The Jacksonville Jaguars made it easy on me and picked a name that’s shared with a famous British automotive brand. So, I picked the Jaguar F-Type, an exceptional luxury sports car that’s often forgotten about unless it’s placed directly in front of you. Similar to the Jaguars, who I completely forget about until their primetime game every season.
Kansas City Chiefs – Pontiac Star Chief
Kansas City has become the biggest team in the NFL with the help of Patrick Mahomes and Taylor Swift’s boyfriend. The car that best matches this team name is the Pontiac Star Chief. This one is kind of a double relation to the Chiefs since the Pontiac name came from a Native American war chief’s name. We’re currently witnessing the Star Chiefs era, but it’s yet to be seen if it can last the thirteen years the car model did.
Las Vegas Raiders – Mitsubishi Raider
The Raiders may have moved out of Oakland, but the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas hasn’t changed the infamous Raider Nation. This fan base is one of the most devoted and aggressive out of all 32 teams even though the Raiders haven’t seen Super Bowl success since the ‘80s. We paired them with the Mitsubishi Raider, a mid-size truck that ran from 2005 to 2009 and was based off the Dodge Dakota. The Raider name actually started back in the ‘80s with Dodge Raider which was a rebadged Mitsubishi Montero.
Los Angeles Chargers – Dodge Charger
Los Angeles has two NFL teams with two easy to pair names. The first is the Los Angeles Chargers which relates nicely with the Dodge Charger. The iconic American muscle car’s completely gas-powered era is coming to an end with Dodge planning to introduce a fully electric version. So, the Chargers lightning bolt logo fits even better with the car it shares a name with now.
Los Angeles Rams – Ram 1500
The other team is the Rams, which relates nicely to the Ram 1500. This is a full-size, all-American pickup truck started out under the Dodge brand back in 1981. That means the truck has been around to witness both the 1999 and 2021 Super Bowls that the Rams won. The name sharing entities have actually worked together in the past too to feed families for Thanksgiving.
Miami Dolphins – BYD Dolphin
Thank you BYD for coming in clutch with this one. The Miami Dolphins has a more widely known vehicle to share a name with thanks to the Chinese EV called the BYD Dolphin. This is a compact, affordable electric hatchback that can achieve a range of 261 miles on a single charge. It’s slowly taking the world by storm but has yet to make an impact on the United States market thanks to some tariffs directed at imported Chinese EVs. That means the BYD has a better chance of being sold in America than the Miami Dolphins have at recreating their 1972 undefeated season. You know, the one the fans are still clinging on to.
Minnesota Vikings – Chevy C60 Viking
The Minnesota Vikings are a tough team that’s been a dominant force in the north but has nothing to show for their four Super Bowl appearances. They share a name with the Chevrolet C60 Viking, a two-ton work truck from the early ‘60s. These trucks are great for restoration projects and have gathered quite the niche enthusiast following in recent years.
New England Patriots – Jeep Patriot
Thanks to Tom Brady, the New England Patriots are tied for the most Super Bowl championships. During that Patriot dynasty stretch, Jeep produced a compact crossover known as the Patriot. This Jeep lasted from 2006 to 2016, so we can add it to things Tom Brady’s career outlasted.
New Orleans Saints – Dodge St. Regis
The New Orleans Saints had a terrific run with Drew Brees that accounted for their only Super Bowl win. The only vehicle I could find that mentioned a saint was the Dodge St. Regis. Why did they name a car after the patron saint of illegitimate children, lacemakers, and medical social workers? No idea.
New York Giants – Chrysler New Yorker
I’m going to make this easy on myself and pick the Chrysler New Yorker to pair with the New York Giants. The New Yorker points back to the New York Special back in 1938, which happens to coincide with one of the Giants pre-Super Bowl era championships. After a brief WWII hiatus, the Chrysler New Yorker returned, and the upscale car continued until 1996. So, the model unfortunately wasn’t around to witness Eli Manning’s two Super Bowl wins over Tom Brady.
New York Jets – Muntz Jet
Can’t use the New Yorker twice, so the Muntz Jet will have to do for the New York Jets. This was a hardtop convertible produced between 1949 and 1954, often considered the first personal luxury car. This streamlined classic featured either a Cadillac or Lincoln sourced V8 under the hood that produced 160 horsepower. It’d probably perform better on turf than Aaron Rodgers did last season.
Philadelphia Eagles – Eagle Talon
I almost chose the AMC Eagle for the Philadelphia Eagles, but that felt like a better fit when Jason Kelce was still playing. Now it feels like a new chapter for the Eagles, so we’ll go with the Eagle Talon for the ‘90s. This was a Mitsubishi Eclipse rebadged under Chrysler’s short-lived Eagle division. The sport compact’s most impressive form came as the Eagle Talon TSi AWD that featured a 210-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder.
Pittsburgh Steelers – Pittsburgh Six
Steeler fans can be found in every corner of America, and they’ll be sure to tell you about their six Super Bowl wins while pretending everything is fine without Big Ben. I could have made a joke about the Steelers relating to the DeLorean DMC-12 or the Tesla Cybertruck due to their steel body panels, but I opted for the historically significant choice. The Pittsburgh Six was produced by the Fort Pitt Motor Manufacturing Company from 1908 to 1911. This blip in Pittsburgh’s automotive history carried a 72-horsepower inline-six-cylinder engine.
San Francisco 49ers – Bugatti Type 49
If it wasn’t for Joe Montana, the 49ers would only have one Super Bowl to their name. His run in the ‘80s comes only second to Tom Brady some two decades later. Unfortunately, the San Francisco team has failed to secure another Lombardi Trophy since 1994. As for their related vehicle, I went with the Bugatti Type 49. This was a luxury grand tourer produced in the early 1930s. It was one of the last vehicles to feature a single-camshaft, straight-eight engine from the French automaker.
Seattle Seahawks – Osprey Defender
For having all that hype around their 2013 Super Bowl run, nobody seems to know what a Seahawk is. The term usually refers to a bird called the Osprey. It is also the name of an overlanding upfitter that makes some great looking Land Rover Defenders. The Osprey Defender is created by completely tearing down a Defender and then it is rebuilt with interior, exterior, and performance upgrades. They can swap anything from a turbodiesel to an LS engine into these Defenders.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Bentley Buccaneer
The Buccaneers need to enlist the help of Tom Brady to get their second Super Bowl and are now looking towards Baker Mayfield to supplant the GOAT. I wish the creamsicles the best, but I don’t foresee another Super Bowl appearance for a long while. Just like we won’t see the return of the Bentley Buccaneer for a while either. This was an uber expensive two-seater sports car that was commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei. Not much is really known about the specifics of the Bentley Buccaneer (since they haven’t left Brunei), but this special car is one of the reasons that Bentley is still around making cars. The commission from the Sultan to produce these six Buccaneers helped bankroll the automaker and kept Bentley alive.
Tennessee Titans – Nissan Titan
The Houston Oilers moved to Tennessee in 1997 and then rebranded into the Titans in 1999. They almost immediately won their first (and only) Super Bowl appearance for that same 1999 season but fell to the Rams. That same year is also when development of Nissan’s first full-sized pickup truck began, the Nissan Titan. The Titan didn’t hit the market until 2003 and lasted until the 2024 model year before being discontinued due to poor sales.
Washington Commanders – Jeep Commander
Thank you for the rebranding Washington. There was no way I’d find a vehicle to pair with the team’s old name. Now, the Commanders works out nicely with the Jeep Commander. This was a mid-size SUV that was produced between 2005 and 2010. Not much to get excited about in regard to this basic Jeep, just like the Washington Commanders.
