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What's My Ride? Trivia Quiz

Many mystery authors have a lot to tell us about their detectives' vehicles. See if you can match the P.I. to the car.

A multiple-choice quiz by agony. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
agony

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
318,822

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
7 / 10

Plays
1320

Awards
Top 20% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 148 (6/10), Guest 69 (6/10), Guest 198 (6/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. This P.I., based in the fictional California town of Santa Teresa, drove a VW bug for much of the series. Hint

V I Warshawski

Joe Leaphorn

Sam Spade

Kinsey Millhone

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Sherlock Homes and Dr Watson came to us before the age of the automobile. However, what form of transportation do we most often see them using? Hint

Hansom cab

Horseback

Coach and four

Pony cart

3. John D MacDonald's Travis McGee is a boat bum, and sometimes uses his houseboat, the Busted Flush, for transportation. However, he does own an automobile which he drives when it is not necessary to be inconspicuous. What is it? Hint

A 1966 Mustang

One of a series of green Oldsmobiles

A late 60s Chevette

An electric blue pickup, home-converted from a Rolls Royce

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. Stephanie Plum, the bounty hunter, has used many different cars over the course of the series. They mostly have one thing in common. What is it? Hint

They are all blue

They are all Fords

They get destroyed

They are mostly rentals

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Question 5 of 10

5. Which fictional detective of the 1920s and '30s often drives a 12-cylinder 1927 Daimler four-seater, called Mrs Merdle? Hint

Hercule Poirot

Jim Rockford

Inspector Morse

Lord Peter Wimsey

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Question 6 of 10

6. This detective rarely leaves the house, but solves his mysteries from behind the big desk in his office when he's not busy upstairs in the orchid rooms. If he does leave home, he is shown riding in (usually) a Heron driven by his wisecracking assistant. Who is he? Hint

Mr Campion

The Saint

Nero Wolfe

Inspector Maigret

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. John Sandford's Lucas Davenport, of the "Prey" series, is another speed demon. What does he race around The Twin Cities and rural Minnesota in? Hint

Porsche

Vintage Mustang

Lamborghini

Corvair

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. How does the detective in Ellis Peters' long-running series get around, mostly? Hint

On foot

By bicycle

By hot air balloon

In a late-model Chevy

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. This Chief Inspector in the fictional town of Kingsmarkham, Sussex usually gets around by car, but rarely drives himself. He tends to have a younger police officer drive him. Hint

Inspector Clouseau

Inspector Japp

Inspector Wexford

Inspector Lestrade

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Elvis Cole, a smart aleck PI with a taste for Pinocchio figurines and Hawaiian shirts, drives a yellow 1966 Corvette Stingray. His partner, Joe Pike, drives an immaculately kept Jeep Cherokee. Who created them? Hint

Robert B Parker

Robert Crais

Lawrence Block

Donald E Westlake

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Most Recent Scores

Nov 07 2024 : Guest 148: 6/10
Sep 27 2024 : Guest 69: 6/10
Sep 25 2024 : Guest 198: 6/10

Score Distribution

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This P.I., based in the fictional California town of Santa Teresa, drove a VW bug for much of the series.

Answer: Kinsey Millhone

Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone (of the "alphabet" series - "A is for Alibi", "B is for Burglar", etc) is not what anyone could call flashy. She cuts her own hair with a nail scissors, lives in a converted garage, and owns one "all-purpose" dress. Her little Volks beater fit the image precisely.

2. Sherlock Homes and Dr Watson came to us before the age of the automobile. However, what form of transportation do we most often see them using?

Answer: Hansom cab

Although Conan Doyle occasionally had his detectives using a pony cart or riding, when their adventures took them into the countryside, the vehicle most associated with them has to be the London cab.

The Hansom cab was patented in 1834 by Joseph Hansom. It was a light, stable, carriage, and these qualities made it the perfect "for hire" vehicle in the crowded streets of Victorian London.

Answer: An electric blue pickup, home-converted from a Rolls Royce

"Miss Agnes", as she is affectionately known, makes many appearances throughout the series. However, McGee ends up renting cars fairly frequently, as a 1936 bright blue Rolls pickup isn't always the most effective vehicle for detective work.

4. Stephanie Plum, the bounty hunter, has used many different cars over the course of the series. They mostly have one thing in common. What is it?

Answer: They get destroyed

"Car death" is a recurring feature in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum books. The only vehicle that seems able to survive its mishaps is "Big Blue", a 1953 Buick Roadmaster.

5. Which fictional detective of the 1920s and '30s often drives a 12-cylinder 1927 Daimler four-seater, called Mrs Merdle?

Answer: Lord Peter Wimsey

Lord Peter fits the fictional detective stereotype; he is an excellent driver, and addicted to speed. He's depicted as driving several vehicles over the course of his series, but Mrs Merdle is referred to more than once.

Hercule Poirot was also a detective of the 20s and 30s, but so far as I've been able to find, is never shown as driving anything.

Answer: Nero Wolfe

Rex Stout usually depicted his fat detective sitting bolt upright in the exact middle of the back seat, hanging onto a safety strap, while Archie Goodwin drove. There never actually was a car called a Heron - there is some speculation among Wolfeans that Stout came up with the name from the hood ornament on the 1930s Cadillac.

7. John Sandford's Lucas Davenport, of the "Prey" series, is another speed demon. What does he race around The Twin Cities and rural Minnesota in?

Answer: Porsche

Nearly every book in the series has at least one reference to Lucas joyfully breaking speed limits in his Porsche. He can afford such a car because he doesn't live on a cop's salary - he's also an inventor of roleplaying games.

8. How does the detective in Ellis Peters' long-running series get around, mostly?

Answer: On foot

Brother Cadfael, a 12th Century Benedictine monk, is the detective in the series by Ellis Peters (Edith Pargeter). He's a fairly progressive fellow, but even he can't get hold of a Chev in Shrewsbury Abbey in the 1100s.

9. This Chief Inspector in the fictional town of Kingsmarkham, Sussex usually gets around by car, but rarely drives himself. He tends to have a younger police officer drive him.

Answer: Inspector Wexford

Ruth Rendell first gave us Reg Wexford and Mike Burden in "From Doon With Death" in 1964 and followed up with more than twenty other novels, and a few short stories. Wexford tends to use his time in the car to think about his cases.

Answer: Robert Crais

This is a great series, for those of you who aren't familiar with it. The earlier novels, especially, have the same feel as early Spenser - funny, compassionate, with a focus on troubled children. There's a strong flavour of the pulp fiction of the 30s and 40s - Crais has read his share of old "Black Mask" magazines.

The 'vette and the Cherokee feature often in the novels - these two Angelenos spend a lot of time in their cars.

Source: Author agony

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