Probably a coincidence.
But, German made tanks, regarded as the best in the world today, are named using titles of big cats.
In consecutive order - Milestone German tanks from WWII to present day is as follows:
Panther
Tiger
Leopard
Sound familiar?
Today the
Leopard 2A6M is regarded as the leading tank in the world as it balances the three most important factors in Tank design, and balances them well: Agility, Amour and Firepower.
Maybe Stevie has a fetish for German made battle tanks