Car Flake VI Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1966

The Chevrolet Camaro, a car that always had serious quality control problems, was introduced in 1966 for the 1967 model year, the same year that the Mercury Cougar was. The Camaro, which always had a pleasant body design, was always treated as an afterthought by Chevy, and through four major redesigns, still had its sorry reputation for QC following it into its demise.

Different Camaro sub-models were: the SS 350, RS, Z-28, IROC-Z and Berlinetta, as well as the base model. The SS-350, Z-28 and IROC-Z were performance models and the '67+ RS and '80-'90's Berlinetta were appearance option packages.

There is talk of reviving the model, but this time, they better improve things, quality-wise.

Answer: Henry Ford II

Henry Ford II, a somewhat servy fellow, didn't like the idea of retooling his assembly line to accommodate the new engine, which, at the time, hadn't been perfected yet. Mazda, on the other hand, a company Ford owns a sizeable amount of stock in, at one time had based its entire line on the rotary powerplant. Oddly enough, even 'they' gave up on it after it had trouble with seals lining the engine chamber. Except for the RX-8, (and even 'it' has problems,) Mazda's line is now entirely piston driven. Mazda also has a Toyota/Honda/Subaru level reputation for quality.

Answer: The Mercedes SLK

The Crossfire, introduced in 2004 by DaimlerChrysler, is basically the cute and cuddly Mercedes-Benz 230 SLK underneath its preppy, fixed roof body. What's scary about this little beast is that it's priced about the same as the 'present' SLK, the 430, but doesn't have the retractable hardtop.

This may explain why you don't see many of them on the street. There is a four-cylinder version of the model that is somewhat sluggish for it's class offered as a base model, and the six-cylinder SRT version, which is noticeably faster. Neither, if you ask me, is worth the money they're asking!

Answer: Trabant

The VEB Sachsenring Automobilwerke produced this truly bargain-basement excuse for an automobile between 1957 and 1991 in two versions, the 500 or P50 and the later P601L. It had a monocoque body/frame design and "Duroplast" body panels to cut down on weight. It was rumored that the body was made out of cardboard. They trudged to 60mph in 21 seconds.

Aren't you glad you're a capitalist?

Answer: It was canted at a 30 degree angle off vertical.

Famous as the "Slant Six Engine", this powerplant saw duty in compact, intermediate and truck models at Chrysler for 27 years. It was praised by just about every automotive journalist, was considered reliable, and the only reason it was retired was probably due to the influx of SOHC and DOHC small blocks on the domestic scene. Exhaust emissions technology and Chrysler's move to FWD also helped contribute to its demise.

Answer: Daewoo

Daewoo started exporting cars to the UK in 1995. Within three years, it was almost insolvent due to the financial mismanagement of both the company itself and the South Korean government. It was bankrupt by 1999 and was sold to GM. Daewoo did have a dealership network, but, unlike other manufacturers, owned the network itself, another burden it couldn't shoulder when the Asian financial crisis reared its ugly head.

This continent-wide crisis also led to the union of Hyundai and Kia Motors in SK as well.

Answer: The Reatta

The Reatta was produced at about the same time, between 1988-91, as the Cadillac Allanté and Pontiac Fiero, GM being eager to make stablemates for their lonely Corvette two seater. However, from the very start, the Reatta was a poor seller, unlike the Fiero, which did quite well before engine fires killed that model.

It had less-than-impressive horsepower, but decent torque and had an electronically limited top speed of 125 mph.

Answer: South Bend, Indiana

Studebaker, a car company developed from a base of covered wagon production, produced cars outside of Detroit for 69 years, surviving World Wars I and II, Korea and the Eisenhower and Kennedy years. Fierce competition made things hard for the company in the 50s, forcing it to be acquired by Packard, which was also still around.

The combined company survived until 1963 in the United States, producing landmark automobiles like the various iterations of the Hawk, the Lark, their biggest seller (1959 first year sales were a very healthy 150,000!) and the innovative Avanti, which bore no resemblance to anything on the American highway at the time, with 4 wheel disc brakes, twin turbochargers and an airliner-type instrument console mounted in the interior's roof.

The company moved up to Ontario, Canada in 1963 for another three years of production until ceasing automobile production completely. The Avanti II, STP products and an investment group are all that remain of the brand today.

Answer: The 914

This great little 2+2, which actually started out conceptual life as a Volkswagen sportster, replaced the 914 and also finally put the last nail in the coffin of the 912, essentially a 911 with a four cylinder engine. This was the first Porsche to have a front engine/water-cooled configuration and led the way for the introduction of the 928, which was actually designed first. The car eventually developed into the 944, introduced in 1982, which also meant a quantum leap in price. The original price of the 924 was a paltry $9000. As the 944, it eventually cost nearly $50,000!

It was stupidly discontinued in 1988, but as the 944 lasted until 1991, when it was replaced by the 968, essentially the same car with major performance upgrades and a convertible option. The gorgeous 928, the gold standard for handling and acceleration industry-wide for more than a decade, was stupidly discontinued in 1995, after a too-short run of 17 years.

Answer: The Mitsubishi Precis

After being introduced by Hyundai in 1985, the Excel was also marketed, from 1987 to 1994 (the same year Hyundai's iteration died) as the Mitsubishi Precis, with not a whit of the body or mechanicals changed. I guess Mitsubishi, which was a feed company for Hyundai as far as parts and models were concerned, saw Hyundai as a bit of a threat and wanted to stem the tide a bit.

Answer: The Lev-A-Car

The Lev-A-Car was a one man vehicle, introduced as a concept, in 1959, floating over surfaces by way of magnets. Nothing much ever came of this concept, but at least it showed Ford was thinking 'somewhat' creatively!

The body styling looked like something right out of "The Jetsons".

Answer: The Dodge Stealth

The 3000 GT/Dodge Stealth, though razzed by some automotive magazines as "an aging design", was one of the best automotive performance and feature bargains on the road, starting out with a fabulous-looking body that put one in mind of a Maserati Merak from the 70s.

The car(s) featured, as options or as standard equipment: all wheel drive, all wheel steering, twin turbochargers, a six speed tranny, a retractable hardtop, adjustable aerodynamics and a CD-changer audio unit. All this for under $45,000! Unfortunately, the Stealth only ran for five years, running from 1991 to '96.

The entire line, minus the Stealth iteration, ran for 11 years, from 1990 to 2001. I, for one, lament its passing. It was a heck of a buy! (A base model could be had for less than $30,000!)

Answer: True

At Ford, the 1978-1983 Ford Fairmont, 1978-1983 Mercury Zephyr, 1978-1993 Ford Mustang and Mercury Capri, 1980-1981 Ford Thunderbird, 1977-79 Mercury Cougar, 1981-1982 Ford Granada, 1982-1987 Lincoln Continental, 1983-1986 Ford Futura, and the 1984-1992 Lincoln Mark VII were all basically the Ford "Fox" (Fairmont) platform underneath. It had to be the most widely used platform, company-wide in Detroit, along with the K-Car variants at Chrysler.

The Torino platform, the other "smaller than full size" platform, was turned into the "LTD II" and Mercury Marquis, no "Grand", as Ford bid goodbye to the Torino itself and the first Montego in 1977.

Answer: The Volvo P1800

The good-looking P1800, a car that was actually more looks than performance, was the pet ride of the Ken Olin character on the popular TV show about Philadelphia yuppies. The P1800 was produced between 1961 and 1973 and had a difficult gestation, being bandied between Frua, Karmann and Ghia before ending up supposedly being partially manufactured by Jensen Motors of the UK.

This model was eventually accompanied by a station-wagon version in 1972.

Answer: True

The first Olds Toronado was the handsome, extremely long personal luxury car introduced by General Motors in 1965 as a '66 model. However, from about '68 on, the model went through a fairly quick decline from handsome to hideous to bland and invisible, until it was finally canceled in 1992 as a dowdy version of the Cadillac Eldorado.