Avenger, 505, Sierra, and many more
Especially when many model names were still linked to engine displacement, it often happened that cars from different brands had the same name. As recently shown in this comparative classic car test. A Lancia 2000 and a BMW 2000! But there are more such examples.
BMW 505 and Peugeot 505
That BMW was able to use the model name 505 is unique. In 1955, BMW attempted to supply the transportation for the German chancellor, but the efforts of an advisor who received free rental cars from Mercedes-Benz threw a wrench into the works. The Bavarian state car BMW 505 thus remained a unique car. Peugeot never hesitated to claim all numbers with a zero in the middle and introduced the Peugeot 505 in 1979. This is how the Porsche 901 became the 911 and Daf had to remove the number 304 (referring to the number of horsepower) from the grille of its large 2600 truck.
Maserati Bora and Volkswagen Bora
Like the Passat and Scirocco, the sedan version of the Volkswagen Golf in 1998 bears the name of a wind: the Bora. Not very original, 27 years earlier Maserati already had that idea.
Buick Century and Toyota Century
Between 1936 and 2005, Buick used the name Century. That didn’t stop Toyota from using that name in Japan for its flagship in 1967.
GMC Sierra and Ford Sierra
GMC has been putting the name Sierra on its pickup trucks since model year 1968. The American variant of the Ford Sierra is known on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean as the Merkur XR4Ti.
Dodge Diplomat and Opel Diplomat
The name Diplomat was used by DeSoto between 1946 and 1962. Sister brand Dodge adopted the name in 1950. In Europe, Opel started using it in 1964.
Hillman Avenger and Jeep Avenger
The Hillman Avenger ended its career after the dismantling of Chrysler Europe as the Talbot Avenger. American Chrysler used the name in 1994 for a Dodge, now it appears on a Jeep.
Lincoln LS and Lexus LS
In the late 1980s, Toyota targeted the American market specifically with the Lexus LS. However, that didn’t stop Ford from also introducing an LS ten years later, a Lincoln based on the Jaguar S-type.