Is Christmas TV is causing your brain to atrophy?
Then why not see if you can identify the fifty cars below from close-up images of their tail lights? They are a mixed bag, some easy, some more difficult. The first reader to supply all fifty correct answers will receive a DTW monogrammed anorak in a fetching shade of beige.
The answers will be published in a few days.
Driven To Write 
Great Quiz! Let me try to get the anorak:
1) MK1 Audi Q5 (facelift)
2) MK1 Ford Cortina
3) MK3 Lexus GS
4) Daewoo Espero
5) Peugeot RCZ
6) MK1 Porsche Panamera facelift
7) Tesla Model S
8) MK3 Toyota Celica Liftback (or is it a Celica Supra?)
9) I should skip this one for the time being…
10) Current Volvo S90
11) BMW E12 5-Series (facelift?)
12) MK2 Mazda 323F
13) Merc A-Class saloon
14) Looks very Triumph-like but I’m not sure…
15) Mid-70s Corolla?
16) Astra H GTC
17) Alfa 33 (pre-facelift but not very early?)
18) Current BMW 3-Series saloon
20) Subaru XT
21) MK1 Ford Capri?
22) Something from BMC, but let’s skip it…
23) Current Suzuki Swift
24) FB Vauxhall Victor (VX 4/90?)
25) MK5 Toyota Celica
26) Renault Caravelle?
27) Ford Consul Classic
28) Peugeot 404 Coupé/Cabriolet
29) Peugeot 403?
30) Early Nissan Fairlady roadster
31) MK2 Aston Martin Vanquish
32) MK2 VW New Beetle
33) MK2 Opel Senatot taillights on a Bristol Blenheim
34) Very familiar but I have to skip this for the time being… Hino Contessa MK2 perhaps?
35) Ssangyong Kyron
36) Maserati Levante
37) This brings to my mind a Peugeot 306 shooting brake prototype but this must not be it, is it a Peugeot prototype anyway?
38) Last-facelift Fiat 131
39) Great taillight but this isn’t familiar, it makes me think of a ’60s shooting brake prototype but I can’t remember what it was…
40) MK1 Seat Toledo facelift
41) Nissan 370Z
42) Ford Sierra saloon
43) Saab 9000 CS
44) Perhaps a Japanese small saloon? I can’t remember more
45) Late-model Peugeot 304 saloon
46) Rolls-Royce Camargue
47) Volvo 480
48) Something from Soviet/Asian markets, an Anadol?
49) Early MK2 Volkswagen Passat
50) Early Citroen C4 Cactus
19) I think it’s a pre-facelift E12?
19) Not the E12, but the breadth of your knowledge is impressive.
19) Mercedes 114/115 pre facelift
48) Trabant
14) Jensen-Healey
The funny thing is that I saw both a Trabant and a gorgeous black W114 the other day (and even a patinated orange Jensen-Healey a few months ago!) – to my defense, at least the Trabant certainly didn’t have these taillamps…
I’ve found out what I was thinking of for no.39 – the Ferrari 330 GT Vignale, which used to be green and does have multiple horizontal chrome strips on the taillights but of course it’s not the answer. The MK4 Zephyr/Zodiac is very probably my least favorite car design ever (especially the Zephyr with the front end that looks like it’s rear-engined) but these taillights and also the Zodiac’s grille/headlamp combo are rather nice.
2. TVR Grantura/Griffith 400
33. Bristol Blenheim
Good morning Daniel, a great quiz, thank you.
Megasigma, very impressive, you deserve the anorak!
No idea about No.9, but it does look vaguely familiar.
My thoughts…
14 Jensen Healey
29 Rover P4
34 Triumph Toledo
39 Ford Zodiac Mk4
48 Trabant 601
Number 9 is an Opel Rekord D (1972-77) I think.
Good morning all. Great answers, but not a full house yet. Just to clarify, all are from production models. There are no concepts or prototypes featured.
Number 15 is from the 1971-1973 Datsun Sunny.
22. BMC Riley Elf/Wolseley Hornet
28 Spridget (Austin Healey Sprite/MG Midget)
30 SAAB 95
Good morning Daniel. Very well done with the competition but beyond my knowledge level, apart from the Cortina Mk 1 🥴
Happy New Year
Good morning Mike. Sorry to break it to you, but No.2 is NOT a Cortina Mk1!
These lights are so distinctive that it’s easy to get carried away and not look at the bodywork around them (well it has been easy for me:))!
….and number 44 is the Renault R8
No. 2, TVR?
Whoops, someone’s already got the TVR. No. 39 absolutely definitely Zodiac Mark IV with the reflective red strip going all the way across the back of the car. Agree that No. 24 is a Vauxhall VX4/90. The hot versions of the early 60s Vauxhalls usually had an extra bit of lighting at the back.
There is a name for a reflective strip that connects separate tail lights, do you know it?
Heckblende?
Heck yes.
Hello again all. You’re getting closer, but no cigar yet!
I should also have said that every vehicle was sold in Europe at some time
1. Audi Q5
2. 60’s TVR (Griffith 400?)
3. Lexus GS
4. Daewoo Espero
5. Perugeot 308 RCZ
6. Porsche Panamera Mk1.5
7. Tesla Model S
8. Toyota Celica
9.
10. Volvo S90
11. BMW 5-series
12. Mazda 323
13 Mercedes-Benz A Class sedan
14.
15.
16. Opel/Vauxhall Astra hatch
17.
18. BMW 3-series
19.
20. Subaru XT
21. Ford Capri
22.
23. Suzuki Swift
24.
25. Toyota Celica
26. Renault (Alpine?)
27.
28. MG GT
29.
30.
31. Aston Martin One-77
32. Vw Beetle
33. Bristol (which?)
34.
35. Ssangyong (which?)
36. Maserati Levante
37.
38.
39. Ford Zodiac
40. Seat Toledo
41. Nissan 370Z
42. Ford Sierra (thought it was a VW Apollo at first)
43. Saab 9-5
44.
45.
46.
47. Volvo 480
48. Trabant
49. Vw Passat Hatch Mk2
50. Citroën C4 Cactus
2. TVR Vixen
28. Early 1960s Innocenti C or Nissan Fairlady
34. Triumph 1300
48. Trabant 1.1 the face-lift version with the licence built vw drive train
That was incredibly sneaky, using a photo of a Cortina tail light on a TVR !
We weren’t going to make it that easy for you, Mervyn. It was a trap!
Still waiting for suggestions for No. 37…
37. Borgward BX7
It is too.
Frankfurt IAA 2015 show car:
Wow, look how narrow the transparent area of the rear window glass is. The rear three-quarter blindspots must be enormous. Presumably, it has a reversing camera, hence using unnecessary technology to overcome a failure in design.
(Not that I’m confirming that the tail light above is the BX7, of course!)
Nos 35, 36 & 37 have completely stumped me (although I know I’ve seen no. 35), so no anorak for me. But here are my best guesses for the others.
1. Audi Q5 (2008–12)
2. TVR Grantura (1965–7) or TVR Griffith (1964–7) or TVR Tuscan (1967–8) or TVR Vixen (1967–8)
3. Lexus GS (2005–11)
4. Daewoo Espero
5. Peugeot RCZ
6. Porsche Panamera (2013–16)
7. Tesla Model S
8. Toyota Celica Supra (c. 1985)
9. Opel Rekord saloon (1972–7)
10. Volvo S90 (2016–20)
11. BMW 5-series (1976–81)
12. Mazda 323F (1993–7)
13. Mercedes-Benz A saloon (since 2018)
14. Jensen-Healey
15. Datsun 1200 saloon
16. Opel Astra GTC (2004–9) or Vauxhall Astra Sport Hatch (2004–9)
17. Alfa Romeo Alfa 33 (1986–9)
18. BMW 3-series saloon (since 2018)
19. Mercedes-Benz 200/220/230/240/250/280 (1968–73)
20. Subaru XT
21. Ford Capri (1972–4)
22. Riley Elf or Wolseley Hornet
23. Suzuki Swift (2017–20)
24. Vauxhall VX 4/90 (1961–4)
25. Toyota Celica (1989–91)
26. Renault Caravelle or Renault Floride
27. Ford Capri (1961–4) or Ford Classic
28. Peugeot 404 convertible or Peugeot 404 coupé
29. Rover 60/75/80/90/95/100/105/110 (1956–64)
30. Saab 95 (1965–9 or thereabouts)
31. Aston Martin Vanquish coupé (2012–18)
32. Volkswagen Beetle (2011–19)
33. Bristol Blenheim (2000–2011)
34. Triumph Toledo
38. Fiat 131 Mirafiori (1981–3)
39. Ford Zodiac (1966–72) or Ford Executive
40. Seat Toledo (1995–9)
41. Nissan 370Z coupé
42. Ford Sierra Sapphire (1990–93)
43. Saab 9000CS
44. Renault 8 or conceivably Dacia 1100
45. Peugeot 304 saloon (1972–9)
46. Rolls-Royce Camargue
47. Volvo 480
48. Trabant 1.1
49. Volkswagen Passat hatchback (1981–5)
50. Citroën C4 Cactus (2014–18)
Hello Daniel, very nice, lets try it. I will try not to look the other’s answers. Sorry I can not find all the answers.
1 Audi suv. 2 Ford. 3 Honda. 5 Mercedes SLK. 8 Toyota Celica 80s. 10 Volvo. 11 BMW serie 5. 12 Mazda. 13 Mercedes. 17 Alfa Romeo 33. 19 BMW serie 5. 23 Suzuki Swift. 25 Toyota Celica 90s.
32 VW Beetle. 40 Seat Toledo. 42 Ford Sierra. 43 Saab. 45 Peugeot. 47 Volvo. 49 VW Passat. 50 Citroen.
Good evening all. A hugely impressive effort from all today, so chapeau! I think that, between you, you’ve got them all, but the ‘official’ answers will be published on Sunday.