About This Quiz
No doubt about it, both the British and Germans have made many fine cars over the decades; of that, there is no doubt.
Although it was Karl Benz, a German, who invited the modern car, the British soon were in on the act. And what was their immediate contribution? Luxury. Yes, the British couldn't help themselves. Their cars had to be as luxurious as possible. Early Jaguar, Rolls Royce and MG models were a cut above anything else produced around the world in terms of luxury.
And America. Well, American engineers threw themselves into developing cars even before the start of the 20th century. Charles and Frank Duryea setup the Duryea Motor Wagon Company in 1893, Henry Ford built the Ford Quadricycle in 1896 and Ransom E. Olds formed Olds Motor Vehicle Company (later Oldsmobile) in 1897. It was the Olds Motor Vehicle Company that dominated the early car scene in America with their model the Curved Dash. In fact, by 1901, the company was already making use of production lines when making their cars.Â
Today, both Britain and America continue to give us motor vehicles that not only perform well but are beautiful to look at. Sometimes that's the most important thing!
Now, would you be able to tell whether a vehicle is American or British by just looking at it? This is certainly a test with a difference. How do you think you will do?
Produced between 1973 and 1975, the Apollo from Buick was available as a two-door coupe, hatchback and 4-door sedan. The most powerful engine option available for the Apollo was a 350 cubic inch 5.7-liter V8.
Available in a two-door as a coupe or convertible and as a four-door sedan, the Cosmopolitan was produced by Lincoln between 1949 and 1954. Power came from a 337 cubic inch 5.5-liter V8 coupled to either a 3-speed manual or 4-speed automatic gearbox.
The MG M-Type Midget was produced by MG from 1929 to 1932. It was available as both a roadster and coupe.
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Perhaps one of the most famous cars ever produced, the Mini first appeared in England 1959 with the Mark 1. This small car was produced with into the late 1990s with various upgrades and changes over the years. In 2000, BMW bought the brand and introduced the Mini ONE. Although the shape paid homage to the original, these were much larger cars. In the past 5 years, over 270,000 Mini models were sold in the United States.
Produced from 1962 to 1970, the Buick Wildcat changed in looks pretty much every year. One thing that remained constant was the V8 engines found under the hood. The final model, produced in 1970, included a new 455 cubic inch V8 that produced 370 brake horsepower.
From 1987 until 1992, the Brougham saw sales of over 220,000 units. This popular Cadillac was a full-size luxury 4-door sedan with three powerplant options, all above 5.0 liters and all V8s.
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Built between 1959 and 1967, the Austin-Healey 3000 was powered by a 2.9-liter straight-6 engine. This two-door vehicle was available as a roadster or convertible, and many made their way to North America. In fact, in 1963, over 90% of the 3000s produced actually ended up in the United States.
A luxury coupe, the Cordoba was marketed by Chrysler between 1975 and 1983 and over two generations. The Cordoba also featured in Nascar in for two seasons. The largest engine to power a Cordoba was a 5.2-liter V8.
With its large interior, smooth ride and above-average off-roading abilities, the Range Rover is the perfect off-roader when partaking in the sport in a group. The stock Range Rover comes with a supercharged V6, but for a few dollars more, consider one of the two supercharged V8 options.
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J.K. Starley, founder of Rover, designed an early electric car in 1888 that never went into production. The Rover 8, the first car produced by the company, saw the light of day in 1904. Over the years, Rover has produced a range of different cars. Their P6, produced in the ‘60s and ‘70s, was the very first car to win the European Car of the Year award in 1964.
The Baja Bronco was based on the race-winning Fords of off-roader Bill Stroppe. No more than 650 were produced, each custom fitted by Stroppe himself. Changes included bigger wheel arches and tires, roll cages, different lights and much more.
The Jeep Commander CRD Limited has a 3.0-liter turbodiesel engine that produces 214 brake horsepower. Performance is not as impressive as the V8 model, but you will save money at the gas station, as the CRD Limited is not as thirsty as the V8. Essentially, this is a very decent seven-seater off-roader.
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In 2012, a Bentley 4½ Litre Le Mans Sports "Bobtail" sold for $6.449 million at an auction in California. These cars set a number of records in the early 1930s, which just add to their attraction ... and price!
The Grand Prix was built by Pontiac between as a coupe between 1962 and 2002 and a sedan between 1988 and 2008. It underwent a number of cosmetic changes during its seven generations but always had a number of V8 engine options to give it that muscle car appeal.
Take a 4.3-liter turbocharged V6 as well as the transmission of a Corvette, couple that with an all-wheel-drive truck, and what do you have? A Typhoon, that's what. The GMC Typhoon was faster than many sports cars of the time and easily raced to 60 mph from a standing start in under 5 seconds.
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With sales of 2.8 million over a 12-year period, the Chevette served Chevrolet well in the subcompact class. In fact, in 1979 and 1980, it was the best-selling small car in the United States.
Maurice Wilks designed the first Land Rover in 1947. Over the years, the Land Rover has become a favorite of many, with the Defender being one of the company's most iconic models. The first Defender rolled off the production lines in 1983 and remained in production until 2016.
The Commander badge has been put on a number of Studebakers since the 1920s. The vehicles from the 1950s, however, are particularly in demand with restorers, especially the 1950 Studebaker Commander convertible. This is indeed a classic car.
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First marketed in 1982, over 120,000 MG Metros were built until 1990 when the model was discontinued. The Metro was powered 1.3-liter engine and was based on the Austin Metro.
The McLaren P1, a road car produced by Formula One racing team McLaren, was first manufactured in 2014. It is powered by a 3.8-liter twin-turbo V8 and produces 903 horsepower.
Available as a four-door convertible and sedan, a 7-year production run saw just over 2,900 models of the Rolls-Royce Twenty manufactured. It was powered by a 3.1-liter engine.
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In 2016, a buyer paid $21.8 million for a 1950s, Jaguar D-Type! Simply staggering numbers for an equally staggeringly beautiful car.
This two-door, rear-wheel-drive roadster first turned an engine over in anger in 1996. Still produced today, the Lotus Elise remains a fun, nimble car to drive with plenty of power under your foot.
Released in the 1930s, the Big Boy C28 was built by the Hudson Motor Company. It came with a 6-cylinder engine as well as a 3-speed manual transmission. This is a 1946 Hudson Big Boy.
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The American Motors Corporation produced the subcompact-class Gremlin between 1970 and 1978. A number of models were produced, but it was the Gremlin powered by either a 5.0-liter or 6.6-liter V8 that's considered to be a muscle car.
First introduced in 2009, the Ghost from Rolls Royce is a luxury four-door saloon. It takes its name from the first Rolls Royce ever produced and is currently in its second generation. Interestingly, the Ghost is powered by a BMW N74 6.6 L twin-turbo V12 that produces 563 brake horsepower.
The 2003 MG ZT is an executive vehicle available as a four-door sedan or five-door wagon. A V8 model was released in 2003, powered by a 4.6-liter Ford engine.
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Christie's sold one of only 182 Bentley Speed Six Tourers in 2004 for $5.1 million dollars. It's not difficult to see why, as this Bentley from the early 1930s is a beauty.
Until the Lotus 72C appeared in 1970, Formula 1 cars were fairly bulky. The 72C was far more aerodynamic thanks to its wedge shape. Jochen Rindt became the only driver to win the Formula 1 championship posthumously after he died in a race before the end of the season.
By the time 1996 rolled along, the Lotus Esprit had been in production for over 20 years. The V8, however, quickly became a firm favorite. It was powered by an aluminum V8 engine coupled to a 5- or 6-speed manual transmission. The V8 could reach a top speed of 175 mph and go from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.4 seconds.
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The McLaren MP4/4 is possibly the greatest Formula One car ever built. It won 15 out of 16 races in 1988, giving Ayrton Senna his first world title.
The Ford Model R was only produced for a brief period between 1906 and 1908. Essentially, it was the same as the Model N, but the body was a little bigger, with larger fenders and an oil lamp.
The Curved Dash Oldsmobile was released in 1901 and built to 1907. Before Ford first dreamt about his production line, Oldsmobile was living it when producing the Curved Dash. Although let’s be honest, it still looks like a horseless carriage. The Model T started to look more like a car. Over 19,000 of the Curved Dash Oldsmobiles were produced.
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A jet car ... yes, a jet car. Well, to be precise, a gas turbine. The Howmet TX was an experimental car powered by a gas turbine engine. It raced around the world, even at Le Mans in 1968, but it was plagued by reliability problems.
Many automobile enthusiasts believe the Stout Scarab to be the first ever minivan, although the designers and the general public might not have known it at the time. You can certainly see why they named it the Scarab, as it looks like an elongated beetle.
With a massive fan on the back and low side skirts, the Chaparral 2J sucked to the tarmac, giving the car incredible downforce and making it two seconds a lap faster than its competitors in the 1970 Can-Am series. It was soon banned.
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The Ford Granada was marketed as a mid-sized car in the United States between 1975 and 1982. It came in many guises, including a two- and four-door sedan, station wagon, and a two-door coupe. The Granada was also sold in Europe.