Car Flake V Trivia Quiz

Answer: NSU

NSU Motorenwerke AG, which was absorbed by Audi in 1969, produced the first Wankel-powered automobile, and to this day, is one of only three companies to have used the engine, when they plunked a 498cc single rotor into their NSU Spider. Other famous models they produced were the Ro80 and the woebegone Prinz, which looked like a poker dealer's cap with wheels. The Ro80 wasn't half bad looking and the first ones resembled the first generation of the Ford Taurus, only shorter.

The company started as a sewing machine and bicycle manufacturer in 1892.

Answer: The Greenbrier

In another case of Detroit co-inky-dink...with the exception of Chrysler, which was late coming to the "family van" market, Chevrolet and Ford introduced panel and windowed-van models in the early 60s at exactly the same time. Chevrolet's version was the Greenbrier. This venerable van was based on the Corvair chassis and was rear-engined. Both the Chevy and the Ford models were roughly the same size as the present mini-vans produced by every domestic manufacturer. General Motors, alas, has had a lot of problems with this segment since introducing the Chevy Van in the early seventies. Its mini-van models have been criticized time and again for their chintzy construction and mediocre engineering.

During the 50s, both GM and Ford had decent quality control, at least superficially. GM has gotten so big, it had a rather extended period of total mediocrity, starting somewhere in the late 70s, after a similar patch in the late 60s and very early 70s. By all reports, things are supposedly looking up these days.

Answer: Le Baron was a coachbuilder that Chrysler started using the name of around 1957.

Le Baron Carossier was once an independent coachbuilder prominent in the 20s and 30s that did work for Duesenberg, Hispano-Suiza, Roll-Royce and others. Chrysler was also fond of using them for their Imperial line, which was a little more elegant than it was in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and 80s.

Le Baron also produced a retractable hardtop in 1941 called the Chrysler Thunderbolt, which even predates the Playboy model of the mid-40s, (the one not made by Jordan,) and Ford's Skyliner of the late 50s.

Answer: The Czech Republic/Czechoslovakia

Tatra, maker of the T603, its most famous model, was founded in 1850 by Ignac Sustala. It started producing motor vehicles in 1897, and is, in fact, the third oldest producer of automobiles in the world, beside Peugeot and Mercedes Benz.

Tatra engineer Hans Ledwinka discussed some of his ideas with Ferdinand Porsche, who used some of those same ideas on the eventual VW Beetle.

The Tatra T603, as I said, its most famous model, looks like a cross between a shortened 1949 Hudson and the Tucker Torpedo, with large side vents and three headlights. It was produced between 1955 and 1975 and was powered by a rear-mounted V-8 engine.

Answer: The TR-8

The TR-8 was the V8 version of the popular TR-7, that was manufactured by what had become Jaguar-Rover-Triumph between 1978-81. Just about all the production of this model was sent to the United States, which welcomed its lightweight, V8 performance. However, not many were sold of this particular model, and production and importation of the entire Triumph line stopped in 1981.

Answer: Ceramics, Platinum and Palladium

Since the 70s, domestic cars have been using either platinum coated pellets or honeycombs, with the alternative coating of palladium, in catalytic converters to help reduce emissions.

The device's main pollution-fighters bond with the nitrogen and carbon in the noxious oxides produced by engine exhaust and release free oxygen into the air. Here's hoping that's the absolute truth!

Answer: The 1955 model year

The Ford Crown Victoria, a car Ford has always used minimal engineering imagination to design, got its start as a well-constructed, nicely finished two-door hardtop in 1955. Its styling was characterized by a large, chrome band separating the front and rear portions of the roof. This topped a relatively compact body that had characteristic Ford styling, with a small, triangular reflector arrangement topping its taillights. With the exclusion of 1960, variations of this styling cue, with and without the tiny Ford tailfin, were Ford trademarks until 1965, when the LTD was introduced, aping the Pontiac line of 1963-64. The model was produced from '55-'56.

The model name was revived in 1979 and after the "LTD" designation was dropped in 1992, has been in continuous use to designate the full-size Ford range ever since.

Answer: Humber, Sunbeam, Talbot, Hillman, Commer and Singer

The troubled Rootes Group was founded in 1919 by William Rootes as a company involved in automotive retail. However, it eventually acquired automotive manufacturing companies and marketed the above marques in Britain and other markets for more than 60 years. Hillman was famous for the Minx subcompact sedan, Commer for its trucks, Singer for its slightly upmarket versions of Hillman models, Sunbeam for its two small sports cars: the Alpine and the V8-powered Tiger and Humber, for its "luxury" models, notably the comically named "Super Snipe" saloon. Talbot was a French brand that Rootes acquired in 1935 and discontinued in 1955. "Talbot-Lago" was once a name synonymous with rather elegant looking automobiles of the Delahaye or Voisin type.

Chrysler, then Peugeot took ownership of the Rootes name, and through mismanagement and lack of corporate support, the brand pretty much died out in 1981, after Peugeot acquired what was renamed "Chrysler Europe", a combination of Rootes and French automaker Simca, in 1978. Chrysler's tenure lasted eleven years.

Answer: The Elan S2

The Elan S2 or "+2" was the fixed-roof version of the very-fast-for-its-day-and-stats Lotus Elan. The S2, however, due to the added weight of the hard roof, steel bolstering of the chassis and other factors, was significantly slower than the rather swift Elan roadster, which, back in 1965, did 0-60 in about 7.0 seconds, pretty fast for a four-cylinder engine back then.

The name was revived in the late 80s for a model called the M100, which wasn't imported to the U.S. The 60s Elan was powered by a modified English Ford Cortina engine.

The M100 was ill-advisedly front wheel drive.

Answer: Abarth

Abarth tuned many a FIAT, specifically the 850, so that they were actually pretty swift little vehicles, ripping the pavement at somewhere in the neighborhood of 8.0 seconds 0-60 for the tiny little four cylinder machine back in the 60s.

The company specialized in making race cars along with the exhaust systems it was most famous for. Abarth mufflers and exhaust lines were made for just about every car that had a possibility of being remotely high performance.

Answer: Panhard

In 1895, French company Panhard-Levassor produced a car with a clutch and the familiar set of gears. Panhard, using their "Systeme Panhard", set the modern paradigm for automobile configuration.

Answer: Nicholas Joseph Cugenot

In 1769, Cugenot, a military engineer born in Lorraine, France, invented and produced a steam powered wagon that ran without the aid of a horse, oxen or any other aid outside of its own self contained propulsion system. Though hardly ever credited, this, technically, was the first automobile, or "self-mover", known to history. Cugenot called this vehicle his "chariot â vapeur", or steam wagon.

The device could haul a substantial payload and, unfortunately, was involved in what had to be the first auto accident as well, when it crashed into a wall in 1771. Auspicious start, huh?

Answer: The Dodge Coronet

Yes, and what an unhappy styling combination it was. Someone had the idea, after seeing "Goldifnger", perhaps, of marrying a long fastback roof to the normally angular '65 Coronet body, concealing the headlights and giving it a fender-to-fender taillight treatment. The result was almost comical, since it was way too long to even suggest an Aston Martin in appearance, and American aesthetics were way too tacky in those days to pull it off to begin with! There was a definite "California Customizer" quality to the Charger, which fit the aggressively chintzy era perfectly.

Unfortunately, it also started a rash of 'other' larger than usual models sporting fastbacks, such as the Ford Torino, Comet Cyclone, (which wasn't actually half bad looking if done a certain way,) and the entire GM large car line from 65-68, 'plus' the '68 Ford XL! Except for the Chevy Impala and 'maybe' the Olds 88, the GM models looked awful, as did the Ford XL.

You really have to wonder what was motivating car companies, both stylists and CEOs, between 1957 and 1968 sometimes. Think of all that wasted metal and glass. And ergonomic interior design was 'still' years away. Car lengths and widths were at 1959 levels!

Answer: Willys-Overland

The good old Jeep, former maker of American military vehicles, which is now a model line owned by DaimlerChrysler, (a German company!) was originated by Willys-Overland in the deep, dark days of World War II. Ford also made a military vehicle that was almost identical. Jeep is now famous mostly for making SUVs and other types of off-road vehicles, with only two reminiscent of the original beast, the Bantam BRC.

Jeep has been owned by Willys-Overland, Kaiser, American Motors, Chrysler alone and DaimlerChrysler. American Motors(AMC), believe it or not, started a joint venture with China to produce a Jeep clone in that country through the "Beijing Jeep Corporation". Will somebody 'please' tell me what's happening?

Answer: Cosworth

The "Cosworth Vega" was the rare-as-aquamarine-snow model that Chevy marketed to people fond of American cars but who harbored a secret desire to drive something exotic. It featured: a DOHC four cylinder engine made by Chevy after the Cosworth design, a black finish with gold, gee-whiz pinstriping with the blurb "Cosworth Vega" worked out in pinstripe at the rear of the front fender.

This model was a 'wee' bit better made than the usual Vega, which was plagued by reliability problems from the start. Supposedly, these problems were minimized by 1976, one year before the entire model line ceased production. Will America ever make a really well-made car? Stay tuned!