Go on, they’re only small…
The season of enforced merriment is once again upon us and DTW offers an opportunity to test your knowledge of all things automotive. There’s something for everyone – if all else fails, try lateral thinking…
[1] Who or what connects the 1963 Jeep Wagoneer, the 1972 Volkswagen 412 and the 1980 Briggs & Stratton Hybrid Concept?
[2] Which is the longest surviving UK motor manufacturer still in business, now 120 years old?
[3] Which of these is the odd car out?
[4] BMW is said to have considered giving the original E12 generation 5 Series a name as a suffix to its model number designation but dropped the idea. What was the name and why was it dropped?
[5] Why did the Russian state limousine manufacturer change its name from ZIS to ZIL in 1956?
[6] When BMC appeared uncommitted to continuing production of the Vanden Plas Princess 4 Litre R, Rolls-Royce offered its FB60 engine to which other British car manufacturer?
[7] General Motors established a joint-venture company with Toyota in 1984, initially to build the Corolla for the North American market. Under what marque and model name was GM’s version sold?
[8] What were the nationalities of the Archbishop and the Cardinal, and from which different country of birth did the Cardinal emigrate?
[9] Which feature of the Rover P6 2000 was included “just to write its name in the specification of the car, even though it cost an extra £35”, according to Peter Wilks?
[10] Which car was advertised on TV as having “Vroom enough for Five!”
[11] Which car had, most unusually, a glazing arrangement comprising thirteen separate pieces of glass?
[12] Why was the frontal appearance of the Wartburg 353 changed from the prototype design below at a late stage of the car’s development?
[13] What caused GM’s first electric car, the EV1, to become a public relations disaster for the company?
[14] Which major car manufacturer commissioned Twin Peaks director David Lynch to produce a bizarre TV advertisement featuring a disembodied pair of blue lips? Which model did it advertise?
[15] What distinction is shared by these two marvels of badge-engineering, the Wolseley 1500 and the Daimler 2.5 V8 / V8 250?
Driven To Write 
Good morning Robertas;
Thanks for some more quizzy conundrums to fill the idle hours during the festive season.
I believe I have the answer to some of them:
1) Brooks Stevens (a feature on the man and a selection of his works is in the making).
5) ZIS was changed to ZIL as the new leader Nikita Chrustchev wanted to tone down the Stalin cult (the S in ZIS was Stalin).
7) The Chevrolet Prizm or the GEO Prizm.
8) As for the Cardinal: this originated in Germany and when the US Ford arm decided not to take it it became the Taunus 12M.
10) The Austin Allegro.
11) The Citroën XM (twelve outside panes and in the high end versions an extra one inside to keep drafts out when the hatch was opened.
14) The Nissan Micra K12; something with “Do you speak Micra?” I remember vaguely- it was a TV spot with a weird vibe….
7) One generation before the Prizm, there was a Corolla-based Chevrolet Nova available in the same two bodystyles as the MK1 Prizm: six-light saloon (similar to the JDM Sprinter rather than the American/European Corolla) and liftback (similar to the European model)
Taking a guess at #3:
The odd one out is the first generation Volkswagen Polo. The Audi C1 was introduced in 1968 and was joined by a coupé two years into its life, as were the Fiat 850 and Daihatsu Charade. A coupé variant of the Polo didn’t arrive until its 2nd generation, in 1983.
Is the 850 being the only rear-engined one too simple an answer?
I think #9 might have been the de Dion back axle…
I agree. Unfortunately its the only one I can answer.
I’ll not say too much just yet.
Brrrruno’s answer to no.3 is clever, but it’s not the one I’m looking for.
No.8 The Archbishop was British, the Cardinal an adopted German, but born in the USA.
Oh, and the Archbishop had an Italian name,
beginning with C.
No. 8: The Archbishop was the British-designed Consul Cortina
Can’t join today as I am otherwise engaged. Hope you all have fun 🙂
No. 12: Because they thought it looked too Volga….? (sorry, been reading too many Christmas cracker jokes)
No.13: I seem to recall that the EV1 was only available on lease; you couldn’t actually buy one (presumably GM wanted to keep control over what was a very long way ahead of their comfort zone and be able to address unforeseen issues very quickly. But the EV1 was costing GM vast amounts and they pulled the plug on the whole enterprise, took back every car and destroyed them (bar one escapee in a museum somewhere?). Not a good way to win friends and influence people…..
Is number 2 a trick question? Part of the Wolseley company spun off into plumbing, and remains a major player to this day while the motor side declined and died under BMC/British Leyland.
13. 13. GM recalled every leased EV1, despite “owners” wanted to keep them. Later, the cars were destroyed, and some pictures leaked.
And Q15- the 1500 and the 250 were the best-selling ever Wolseley and Daimler respectively
Number 3 has been driving me to distraction, in a good way. I’ve come up with a variety of possible answers but is the odd one out the Daihatsu? The other three all have a connection to NSU.
The 850 was badged as one in some markets, the Polo design was instigated by NSU and the 100 had originated from the design offices of NSU.
Number 11: I’m sure our lovely Citroen DS5 from a while ago had 13 separate panes of glass; front, back, four on each side and three separate ones above the head.
Justin – another clever answer on the Odd Car Out – but the answer has no Neckarsulm / Heilbronn / Ingolstadt angle, nor anything to do with odd numbers of cylinders.
William – well done on Q15. Although the Wolseley (along with its Riley counterpart and the Australian Morris Major and Austin Lancer) started off as a notional Morris Minor replacement, it was the best selling car ever to carry a Wolseley badge. Likewise the Daimler, a succesful hybrid of the Jaguar Mk.2 body and running gear and the smaller sized Daimler V8.
NB: Justin didn’t mention odd numbers of cylinders, but if anyone’s thinking down these lines, that isn’t the answer.
Still working on number 3 Robertas but I’ll offer AC as the answer to number 2 in the meantime.
An attempt at an answer to No.3:
The Polo, all the others had engines that powered commercial vehicles
Audi 100 – VW LT
Charade – Mitsubishi Jetstar
Fiat 850 – Fiat 850T
An inspired try, but not the answer.
And what about all of these EA111 powered Terras, Caddies, Incas and Felicias?
I love these quizzes – I’m going to have a go at no.4 (BMW 5 Series suffix). At a guess, did they consider ‘Olympia’ to chime in with the 1972 Munich olympics, but couldn’t get permission from Opel to use it?
Answers to Part 1 will be posted at 7:00AM on Thursday 30th.
Only one clue – there are no Pope-related questions this year.
Some more attempts from me:
2) Vauxhall – the company goes back to the 1850s, but only stated producing cars in 1903.
6) FB60 engine – Austin Healey 4000? It suited the car well, apparently. That only works if one counts Healey as a car company.
12) The Wartburg grille – I should know the answer to that, as I believe that someone on here referred to it, in the past. Did it corrode too easily?
Just a guess: Probably the front of the Wartburg looked a bit too much capitalist-archenemy-like for the ZK, hahaha….
#3. The Polo. It was a badge-engineered Audi 50. The other three cars were originals to their maker names.
#7. Chevrolet Nova.
#9. Of course I looked for an Icelert…
I doubt it was the DeDion axle because the average buyer would have no idea what it was. However, rear disc brakes are still a selling point (£35 in 1963 is equivalent to £624 today).
And speaking of inboard disc brakes, that certainly can’t be -the- answer to #3 (Audi 100), and likewise neither would having the battery located under the rear seat (also Audi 100), and it’s certainly not the real wood on the dashboard (Audi 100 again).
Also the Audi has something for the man who wants everything, which the other three clearly lack.
6. Other versions of the Rolls-Royce B series were used in military vehicles, so I’m suggesting they offered the FB60 to Alvis for use in what would be their last passenger cars.
William – a good guess – there was also the Park Ward connection. But not the answer.
There’s still time…