Automotive Trivia info for fun......

[BobT-47P15]

Here's a copy of an e-mail I received listing several items of automotive trivia.  Some of  you

may have already seen it........just posting here for fun and (presumably correct) information.

 

The Ultimate Car Trivia Test!            

Q: What was the first official White House car?

A: A 1909 White Steamer, ordered by President Taft.
 

Q: Who opened the first drive-in gas station?

A: Gulf opened up the first station in Pittsburgh in 1913.
 

Q: What city was the first to use parking meters?

A: Oklahoma City , on July 16, 1935.
 

Q: Where was the first drive-in restaurant?

A: Royce Hailey's Pig Stand opened in Dallas in 1921.
 

Q: True or False?  The 1953 Corvette came in white, red and black.

A: False.  The 1953 'Vett's were available in one color, Polo White.
 

Q: What was Ford's answer to the Chevy Corvette,
and other legal street racers of the 1960's?

A: Carroll Shelby's Mustang GT350.
 

Q: What was the first car fitted with an alternator,
rather than a direct current dynamo?

A: The 1960 Plymouth Valiant
 

Q: What was the first car fitted with a replaceable cartridge oil filter?

A: The 1924 Chrysler.
 

Q: What was the first car to be offered with a "perpetual guarantee"?

A: The 1904 Acme, from Reading , PA. Perpetuity
was disturbing in this case, as Acme closed down in 1911.
 

Q: What American luxury automaker began
by making cages for birds and squirrels?

A: The George N. Pierce Co. of Buffalo , who made
the Pierce Arrow, also made iceboxes.
 

Q: What car first referred to itself as a convertible?

A: The 1904 Thomas Flyer, which had a removable hard top.
 

Q: What car was the first to have it's radio
antenna embedded in the windshield?

A: The 1969 Pontiac Grand Prix.
 

Q: What car used the first successful
series-production hydraulic valve lifters?

A: The 1930 Cadillac 452, the first production V16
 

Q: Where was the World's first three-color traffic lights installed?

A: Detroit , Michigan in 1919. Two years later they experimented with synchronized lights.
 

Q: What type of car had the distinction of being
GM's 100 millionth car built in the U.S. ?

A: March 16, 1966 saw an Olds Tornado roll
out of Lansing , Michigan with that honor.
 

Q: Where was the first drive-in movie theater opened, and when?

A: Camden , NJ in 1933
 

Q: What autos were the first to use a
standardized production key-start system?

A: The 1949 Chryslers
 

Q: What did the Olds designation 4-4-2 stand for?

A: 4 barrel carburetor, 4 speed transmission, and dual exhaust.
 

Q: What car was the first to place the
horn button in the center of the steering wheel?

A: The 1915 Scripps-Booth Model C. The car also
was the first with electric door latches.
 

Q: What U.S. production car has the quickest 0-60 mph time?

A: The 1962 Chevrolet Impala SS 409. Did it in 4.0 seconds.
 

Q: What's the only car to appear simultaneously
on the covers of Time and Newsweek?

A: The Mustang
 

Q: What was the lowest priced mass produced American car?

A: The 1925 Ford Model T Runabout. Cost $260, $5 less than 1924.
 

Q: What is the fastest internal-combustion American production car?

A: The 1998 Dodge Viper GETS-R, tested by
Motor Trend magazine at 192.6 mph.
 

Q: What automaker's first logo incorporated the Star of David?

A: The Dodge Brothers.
 

Q: Who wrote to Henry Ford, "I have drove fords exclusively when I could get away with one It has got every other car skinned, and even if my business hasn't been strictly legal it don't  hurt anything to tell you what a fine car you got in the V-8"?

A: Clyde Barrow (of Bonnie and Clyde ) in 1934.
 
Q: What car was the first production V12, as well
as the first production car with aluminum pistons?

A: The 1915 Packard Twin-Six. Used during WWI in Italy ,
these motors inspired Enzi Ferrari to
adopt the V12 himself in 1948.
 

Q: What was the first car to use power operated seats?

A: They were first used on the 1947 Packard line.
 

Q: Which of the Chrysler "letter cars" sold the fewest amount?

A: Only 400, 1963, 300J's were sold
(they skipped" "I" because it looked like a number 1)
 

Q: What car company was originally
known as Swallow Sidecars (aka SS)?

A: Jaguar, which was an SS model first in 1935,
and ultimately the whole company by 1945.
 

Q: What car delivered the first production V12 engine?

A: The cylinder wars were kicked off in 1915 after
Packard's chief engineer, Col. Jesse Vincent,
introduced its Twin-Six.
 

Q: When were seat belts first fitted to a motor vehicle?

A: In 1902, in a Baker Electric streamliner racer which
crashed at 100 mph. on Staten Island !
 

Q: In January 1930, Cadillac debuted it's V16 in a car named
for a theatrical version of a 1920's film seen by Harley Earl
while designing the body, What's that name?

A: The "Madam X", a custom coach designed by Earl
and built by Fleetwood. The sedan featured a
retractable landau top above the rear seat.
 

Q: Which car company started out German,
yet became French after WWI?

A: Bugati, founded in Molsheim in 1909, became
French when Alsace returned to French rule.
 
Q: In what model year did Cadillac
introduce the first electric sunroof?

A: 1969
 

Q: What U.S. production car had the largest 4 cylinder engine?

A: The 1907 Thomas sported a 571 cu. in. (9.2liter) engine.
 

Q: What car was reportedly designed on the back of a Northwest Airlines airsickness bag and released on April Fool's Day, 1970?

A: 1970 Gremlin, (AMC)
 

Q: What is the Spirit of Ecstasy?

A: The official name of the mascot of Rolls Royce,
she is the lady on top of their radiators.
 

Q: What was the inspiration for MG's famed octagon-shaped badge?

A: The shape of founder Cecil Kimber's dining table.
MG stands for Morris Garages.
 

Q: In what year did the "double-R" Rolls
Royce badge change from red to black?

A: 1933

 

Trivia...Ford, who made the first pick-up trucks, shipped them to dealers in crates that  the new owners had to assemble using the crates as the beds of the trucks.
The new owners had to go to the dealers to get them, thus they had to "pick-up" the trucks.

And now you know the "rest of the story".

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

--

(( * ! * ))
O   ~   O
georgene

 

 

 

[48Dodger]

Great stuff Bob! Learned, relearned, and enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Q: What is the fastest internal-combustion American production car?

A: The 1998 Dodge Viper GETS-R, tested by
Motor Trend magazine at 192.6 mph.

 

Should be 1998 DODGE VIPER GTS-R.......

 

48D

[ggdad1951]

Great stuff Bob! Learned, relearned, and enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Q: What is the fastest internal-combustion American production car?

A: The 1998 Dodge Viper GETS-R, tested by

Motor Trend magazine at 192.6 mph.

 

Should be 1998 DODGE VIPER GTS-R.......

 

48D

what about the Hellcats?  I've read over 200 mph.

[48Dodger]

2014 Hennessey Venom GT current fastest production car at a top speed 270.49 mph / price 1,000,000.00  / Unofficial record holder / did not meet all criteria: 1 pass, 29 vehicles 

2014 Bugatti Veyron                                       top speed 268.00 mph / price 2,420,000.00 / Offical record holder / met all criteria for the record: 2 passes averaged, 30 vehicles

2014 Hellcat                                                    top speed 199 mph  / 60,000           

 

48D

Edited April 1, 2015 by 48dodger

[Don Coatney]

Name this car and why it has historical prominence?

 

[Young Ed]

Name this car and why it has historical prominence?

 

old car.jpg

I forget the name but isn't the oldest running auto?

[Don Coatney]

I forget the name but isn't the oldest running auto?

It is the oldest running auto.

[Ulu]

I thought the oldest running auto was named Mercedes.

[TodFitch]

I thought the oldest running auto was named Mercedes.

I believe that Mercedes was the daughter of the the sales rep for Daimler prior to their merger with Benz. So the Daimler cars were called Mercedes while the Benz cars were just Benz. After the merger it became Mercedes-Benz for the cars manufactured by the Daimler-Benz company.

 

The car in Don's photo looks like a Benz built before the merger.

[ggdad1951]

"La Marquis" or something like that

[Ulu]

 

Maybe some controversy on which is oldest?

[Don Coatney]

The one you posted is 2 years newer than the one I posted.

[Ulu]

Oh, OK thanks.

 

On Youtube it's touted: "It's the first automobile ever"

[Ulu]

[Don Coatney]

[Ulu]

So, historically?

 

It was a steamer, but it wasn't the first one...

 

What's the skinny?

[Don Coatney]

Oldest car known to still be running and drivable.

[T120]

Steam - Nice to know the history and see it running in the YouTube video...I thought at first it may have been an early version of a vehicle using wood gas for fuel.

[Ulu]

I'd love to ride in a steam car. I've been on a couple small steam trains before, which was loads of fun.

[William Davey]

Is anybody else having a hard time believing that a 409 Chevy is the fastest 0-60 mph production car? In that same era there were Fuelly Corvettes, 413 Dodges, and a lot of other really fast cars. Since that time we now live in the age of 600 Horsepower Cadilacs for crying out loud.

[Plymouthy Adams]

I believe that 0-60 is in error..I think they were referring to the number of minutes from new to rod through the block..

[William Davey]

Tim, I once "raced" a new 58 Impala 348- 3 duces - 4 speed with my fathers 58 Plymouth (ex NY State police vehicle). The Plymouth had a bazillion hard miles on it, and my father had retarded the timing so it would run on regular gas. The 361/Torqueflite in the Plymouth absolutely smoked that Impala. I think the 409 had a reputation as a fairly good truck motor.

[Plymouthy Adams]

when I was coming up, they had a reputation for chunking rods out the block...the 58 Impala was a very heavy car and very refreshing design after the 57 ....I have no love for the style of the 57 or the 59/60...those cars never appealed to me but many people just fell in love with them...that is the beauty of the hobby...enough to go around for all to have fun..I like most all Mopars..do I want to own them all..nah...are some more favored over others..definitely....am I a chebbie basher...with highers honors....lol....devout member of the ABC

Edited April 6, 2015 by Plymouthy Adams