Jaguar suits a car more than cheetah.

Jaguar suits a car more than cheetah.

Animal names are often chosen for cars because animals are graceful, elegant, speedy and don't demand royalties.

The falcon has never received a zac from Ford, nor the humble jaguar a brass razoo from that mob at Coventry.

By contrast, the heirs of Pablo Picasso have drawn several million euros out of Citroen.

Animal names might be cheap but not all are suitable, even if they line up perfectly with a car's real or perceived attributes.

Let's start with the fastest animal on land: the exquisitely styled cheetah.

There have been various estimates of its top speed, the most thorough by N.C.C. Sharp of Brunel University in Britain.

In a 1996 academic paper, Professor Sharp explained the methodology:

''Each trial was started with the cheetah held 18 metres behind the start line. A running start was decided upon as hunting cheetah launch into their major sprint from a moving start, and sustained maximum running speed over a reasonable distance was the desired parameter. An open Land Rover stood, with engine running, about 75 metres down the course. The stopwatch operator stood in the back of the Land Rover holding a piece of meat, which had been shown to the cheetah. On a command, the cheetah was released, and when the timer saw her break the wool at the start he activated the stopwatch. The Land Rover accelerated down the course and stopped after the finish line, when the meat was thrown down. The watch was stopped at the instant when the cheetah's anterior thorax was deemed to have crossed the finish line.''

The average of three runs was 103km/h, which we know to be faster than the state limits for cars in most of Australia.

Sharp says greyhounds tend to win races at speeds of just 54km/h to 58km/h, albeit from a standing start. The fastest racehorse achieved 69km/h covering 400 metres.

Still, the cheetah's cousin, the jaguar, is every bit as elegant, nearly as quick and doesn't sound like it might be a motorised conveyance for a professional cyclist. Hence, it made for a more successful car name.

There was a low-run Chevy-based Cheetah in the 1960s, and a few kit cars since.

From the watery realm comes a shark (the Mako), plus the Marlin, the Barracuda, and at least two rays (Manta and Sting). Strangely, the sailfish has been overlooked despite being the standout with a top speed of 108km/h.

The falcon, in Peregrine trim (that's the homologation special, presumably), has been filmed diving for prey at 259km/h. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology says it can hit the double imperial ton: 200mph, or 322km/h.

That's quicker than the average locally built Ford. On the level, the spine-tailed swift is quickest, according to Scientific American. Its 170km/h is better than some Suzukis, Swift or otherwise.

Geese can flap to 100km/h, yet no major car maker has included a Goose in the line-up. The pheasant generates 400 watts a kilogram. If one weighed the same as a Commodore Omega, it'd have nearly 650kW.

Still can't imagine anyone attending Summernats in a Pheasant.

The grand tourer of land animals is clearly the pronghorn, a type of antelope found in Canada and the US. It tops out at 93km/h and can sustain a steady 60km/h for a full 30 minutes.

Despite Scientific American surmising these are the ''fastest land animals in the western hemisphere'', no one has pressed a chrome badge honouring this unique creature.

The Pronghorn! Think about it, car makers. It's millions cheaper than a slow and rotund painter.