A few more things to chew on, and they’re low on calories.
Before DTW service returns to normal, one final festive brain teaser. Step away from those biscuits…
[1] What car model name started life as the name of a four door version of an existing coupé (which frankly did not resemble said coupé much at all) before it became a model name in itself three years later?
Overindulged much? Time for some more questions.
Test your knowledge of all things automotive. Again, there’s something for everyone – if all else fails, try lateral thinking…
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…
Continue reading “Festive Frolics (1) Sprouts With Everything”
Some brain teasers to keep you occupied during the idle hours, or in between meal courses…
Season’s Greetings everyone. Continue reading “Festive Cracker”
One final festive quiz to round out 2020.
Question 1:
Who are we looking for, and what happened to him in France in 1968? Continue reading “New Year Teaser”
DTW wishes you all a very Happy New Year and offers you another opportunity to test out your knowledge of all things automotive. Good luck and no Googling!
The answers will be published in a day or two. Continue reading “The DTW Bumper Holiday Quiz (Part Two)”
Four giants of the automotive industry – which is the odd one out, and why?
David Bache (1925-1994) – Styling chief at The Rover Company and BL Cars Continue reading “Festive Teasers 2020 – Odd Man Out”
These 1986-1989 drawings were unrealised proposals for the replacement of a multi-million selling small car.
From which manufacturer? Continue reading “Festive Teaser 2 – Mystery Concept”
Our Leinster correspondent has been out and about and has seen this car (or part of it). It’s todays’ Mystery Car.
Since the DTW readership has shown staggering aptitude at identifying cars I think the difficulty level of this ought to be within the range of your collective abilities. While I am here I might take this opportunity to encourage our Leinster correspondent to post another 500 words, if possible.
A longer item will be along later on today.
Sunday mornings often kick off with a headache.
Here’s a minor one. What is this vehicle? Either everyone will recognise it or no-one will. I certainly wouldn’t.
If you want another clue you must Continue reading “Mystery Vehicle (solved)”
The last “mystery” car proved entirely unmysterious, partly because DTW’s readership includes ex-owners and people with uncanny memories and powers of observation.
It’s time to take the oven gloves off. All I can say is that it’s rear-drive. I’ll get back when I feel you’ve twisted long enough in the wind.
This car took the prize for being the most interesting vehicle I saw on a day trip to Mulhouse.
I expect the ink won’t be dry before someone can identify it. Still… what is it? I don’t mean the red car.
As I trawled through my vast database of photos I found this image.
Can any of our readers say which car it came from? Continue reading “Friday Challenge”
What is it with DTW’s obscure headlines?
This vehicle stood in a line of oddish cars in a dealership near Wasserburg. The trim didn’t meet my expectations of the make of car it adorned. Does anyone care to hazard a guess as to its identity?
Our correspondent in Dublin, Mick, has kindly sent us a blurry close-up which might be a candidate for a mystery car competition.
What is remarkable is that among our readers are people with the skill to recognise what this car is without having seen one in the metal for what could be years. This says something about how much visual consistency is applied at all scales of a car compared to a building, for example.
I would guess that if you pick 1% of the surface of a car and 1% of the surface of a building then the cars would be easier to identify. Another interesting point is whether a car from today is more or less easily identified from a 1% sample compared to one from, say, 1960. That’s a researchable question!
Our correspondent in Sweden, NMJ, has had the good fortune to see one of these. What is it?
This kind of thing is what you can see if you keep your eyes peeled when roaming around Sweden. It was behind glass, hence the reflections that are apparent in the image. There was an old-favourite of DTW parked nearby which I will show a little later on in the week.
The readers spotted quickly what our Big Ask involved and other mystery cars remained mysteries only for a short time.
How about this one?
Tomorrow, Driven to Write is pushing aside all other issues to deal with a single car. It’s the Big Ask:
Our writing team will offer their deep wisdom and cogent analysis of the times and fate of one of Europe’s most discussed saloons from the recent past. Above is a small indication of what will be presented in the course of this unique day. As a sample, the car had a 1.9 litre common rail diesel engine among those offered during its nine-year run. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow to find out just how the Big Ask was answered…
On October 27th, Driven to Write’s team will be focusing its intelligence with laser intensity on a single car, four articles in all, a festival of focus.
Here is a small taste of what is in store. It stretched 4451 mm from nose to tail and had a five-speed, manual transmission.
Simon Kearne, the editor, has asked his team to apply their minds to a single car worthy of this combined firepower.
To that end we will be clearing the decks of all other subjects on one special day: October 27th, 2016. The car in question had, among its range, a 1.3 litre four cylinder petrol unit with 16 valves.
Our Leinster correspondent has spotted a mystery car on his travels around Ireland’s capital.
There are no prizes for identifying it but we do welcome some interesting insights. I suspect the paint colour is enough to trigger recollections. That paint colours are so undistinguished now means such gut-responses will be harder to make when we see the mystery cars of 2016 in 2030. Hmmm; metallic grey. It must be a VW, or Audi or Ford or Renault or Opel or Kia or maybe a Benz… they did that colour in the period 1995 onward? By the way the mystery car is the one in the centre of the photo and not the Laguna parked to the left of it. Those paved front yards are dismal.
This one baffles me. It has a Ferrari badge on the tail and steering wheel. Is it?
The engine sits in the rear. Inside is a tatty but complete set of interior parts. Fibre-glass was used for the body. It has a flush under-body and Triplex branded windows.
Driven To Write 