Royale sounded nicer than Monza
Whether they have a name to uphold or not, these seven cars have a noble edge. And be honest: Vauxhall Royale sounds more chic than Opel Monza!
Kaiser Henry J (1950)
Henry J Kaiser, son of German immigrants, manages to build a serious car empire. Not held back by any modesty, in 1950 he names a new compact model – the Henry J – after himself, as emperor in his own empire.
NSU Prinz (1957)
‘Fahre Prinz und du bist König’ (Drive Prinz and you are King), is how NSU promotes its first post-war car at the IAA in Frankfurt in 1957. And that in a still young republic.
Austin A135 Princess III DS5 Saloon (1953)
Initially, the Princesses are super-de-luxe Austins, from the hand of coachbuilder Vanden Plas. Between 1963 and 1974, the Princess is a luxury variation on the Glider and from 1975 a separate model. The royal touch is then gone.
Vauxhall Royale (1978)
Ettore Bugatti wants to build 25 Royales, but unfortunately few royal houses are really interested. After seven copies, it stops. The Vauxhall Royale and Royale Coupé, derived from the Opel Senator and Monza, have slightly more success.
Chrysler LeBaron (1977)
Between 1924 and 1953, the New York coachbuilding factory LeBaron builds luxury cars, often based on a Chrysler chassis. The company name LeBaron is chosen from a list of easy-to-spell, but still chic-sounding French words. In 1977, Chrysler dusts off the name LeBaron for a series of midsize models.
Monarch Sedan (1952)
In the monarchy Canada, Ford Canada produces Mercurys under the brand name Monarch between 1946 and 1961. From 1975, Ford in the US builds the Mercury Monarch, a more luxurious version of the American Ford Granada.
Innocenti Regent (1973)
No idea whether it’s due to the longing for the old Italian kingdom, but the Regent, based on the Austin Allegro, contributes to the fact that Innocenti peaks in sales statistics in Italy in the first half of the 1970s, between Fiat (first) and Volkswagen (third).
