About This Quiz
There's nothing like a classic car to help us appreciate the combination of art and science. Sleek angles and soft lines can make a car look beautiful, but they can also make a car faster, lighter, safer and more efficient. In the earliest days of car manufacturing, experimentation was a top priority. Auto pioneers like Karl Benz, Henry Royce and Ettore Bugatti all built cars to improve on existing cars, and because mass production wasn't the goal, these guys created some of the rarest cars on the planet.
In attempting to make engines quieter, bodies lighter, speeds faster and outputs more efficient, the earliest car designers created one-of-a-kind designs and styles. Today's popular cars are popular because they are best suited for assembly production. Yesterday's most popular cars were popular because they were cutting edge. They were unique. They were experimental. And they became the cars that defined the automotive industry.ÂÂ
How well do you know classic cars? Some of them were produced in mass. Some of them were never officially produced. Some of them are electric. Some of them guzzle more gas than a modern SUV. All of them are classics, and many of them are worth a fortune. Take this quiz and see if you can name more than 11 of these classic cars.
The DeLorean is an iconic car known for being featured in the "Back to the Future" trilogy, but in real life, production of the car ceased before the movie came out. The car looked cool, but it was too expensive and far too slow for a sports car, barely able to break 100 mph. Today, it's a classic.
The Datsun 240Z features a beautiful design and unparalleled performance for a sports car of its price. Its elongated hood is similar in style to the Jaguar E-Type, but it cost a fraction of the price. Today, Nissan is on its sixth generation of models from its Z-line.
The VW Beetle is commonly known as a bug or buggy and is one of the best-selling cars in the world. It was designed specifically for mass, mass, mass production and can be found all over the world. It wasn't designed for A1 performance or comfort but is a beloved car nonetheless.
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The second generation of Corvette (aka C2) was a game-changer for Chevy. It debuted in 1963 and featured the iconic flip-up Corvette headlights, as well as a split rear window and improved performance specifications.
The Ford Thunderbird is the quintessential classic car. It debuted in 1955, and production ran for more than two decades. It was revived in the 21st century, but production ceased after just a few years.
Alfa Romeo's Spider was first built in the mid-'60s and was manufactured for close to 30 years. More than 100,000 of the cars were produced over the decades, and it was a huge hit in the U.K., rivaling Jaguar's E-Type.
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Mercedes gets credit as being the world's first car, and the 300 SL is one of the finest supercars of the century. More than 3,000 of these were produced between 1954 and 1963, and they are highly sought-after collectibles today. You'd be lucky to find one for less than $1 million.
The Ford F-Series is one of the best-selling lines of vehicles in the world. It's been the best selling pickup truck in America for more than four decades, and the first generations of these trucks hit the streets in the late 1940s.
The Ferrari Dino was only produced for a handful of years, but it was the first time Ferrari manufactured a car in really high numbers. The Dino's soft lines and stylish curves set it apart from the harsh angles and sharp lines seen on most Ferraris.
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The Ford Model T wasn't the first car in the world or even the first gas automobile in America, but it was the first to become widely successful across the country. Millions of Ford Model Ts hit the road within the first decade of the 20th century.
James Bond first drove the Aston Martin DB5 in the 1964 film "Goldfinger." He has gone on to drive dozens of luxury cars, but this is the one most associated with him. The car from the movie sold for close to $5 million in 2010.
From 1961 to 1975, Jaguar manufactured this car model that has regularly been recognized as one of the most beautiful cars ever made. It features an elegant and elongated hood and is capable of hitting 150 mph.
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The Ford Mustang is an iconic car, and the Shelby Mustang from 1965 to 1970 is the model that started it all. Carroll Shelby helped spruce up the original Mustang to create the GT350 and 500 models.
The Ferrari 250 GTO is the stuff dreams are made of. Only a few dozen of these beasts were ever produced, and if you were lucky enough to have got one back in the '60s, it would've cost you about $200,000 in 2019 dollars, but today they regularly sell for $50 million. One sold in 2018 for $70 million.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most prestigious and demanding tests in endurance racing, and the Ford GT40 won the event four times in a row at the end of the '60s. Ford revamped the brand in the early 2000s when it unveiled the Ford GT.
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British automaker Triumph enlisted the Italian designer who designed Ferraris and Maseratis to concept this iconic sports car. The Spitfire's stylish design and responsive performance made it a popular car for almost two decades.
Automotive designer Carroll Shelby had a dream of putting a powerful V8 engine into a speedy British sports car, and in the 1960s he did just that. The creation was the legendary AC Shelby Cobra that went on to change the automotive world.
The Pontiac Firebird debuted in 1967 to compete with other American muscle of the time. In 1969, it was upgraded to create the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am, which went on to gain pop-culture fame in "Smokey and the Bandit," TV's "Knight Rider" and more.
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This classic British car flooded the roads in the 1960s and even went on to race tracks around the world. Despite its laid-back look, it's a rather successful racecar and is still raced today. The model went through a few iterations but eventually stopped production in 1967.
The Stanley Motor Carriage Company was one of the most successful manufacturers of steam-powered vehicles in the early 1900s. The automobiles the company manufactured were commonly known as Stanley Steamers.
Despite its name, this car was manufactured for a few years in the 1960s. Only a few hundred of them were manufactured, and it was Japan's entry into the European-dominated market of sleek and powerful sports cars.
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The official limo of the president has been made by several car manufacturers, and for most of the '60s and '70s, it was made by Lincoln. The 1961 Lincoln Continental that carried JFK and his wife the day he was assassinated was named SS-100-X.
The Tucker '48 gets its nickname from its missile shape, and it's a highly sought-after collector's classic. The early 1900s was dominated by the big auto brands, so only about 50 of these were ever produced.
The Bugatti Royale is officially known as the Bugatti Type 41, and it was produced from 1927 to 1933. Only seven of them were ever built, and the model known as the Bugatti Royale Coupe Napoleon was Ettore Bugatti's personal car.
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The Mercedes-Benz 540K was the company's upgrade to the 500K. Only about 400 of them were ever produced, and just a fraction of those were imported to the U.S., where they sold for close to $220,000 in 2019 dollars.
The De Tomaso Pantera has all the flair and style of luxury Italian automobiles and all the durability of a Ford V8 engine. These cars hit the U.S. streets in the early '70s, but relationships with Ford eventually ended, and production of the car ended too.
With smooth lines, elegant curves and eyelash headlights, the Miura might be Lamborghini's sexiest model. Sadly, production ended in the early '70s, and it was succeeded by the Countach, which features the blocky and sharp angles most associated with Lamborghini.
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Although electric cars seem to be a 21st-century invention, the first ones began hitting American roads in the 19th century. The Pope-Waverly was one of the most popular models and cost about $1,000 at the time. That price didn't include the 30-50 batteries needed to power the car.
The SS Jaguar 100 debuted in the 1930s and was considered one of the most stylish sports cars of the times. Only a few hundred were ever produced, and the car hit a top speed of 101 mph in 1937. An authentic SS100 can fetch north of a million dollars today.
This dream car was a concept from Oldsmobile from the 1950s that was supposed to be destroyed. It 's believed as many as three of them were manufactured, but it's believed only one of them still exists.
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Cord and Duesenberg automobiles were some of the nicest cars of the early 20th century, and the Auburn Boattail Speedster utilized designers and engineers from both brands. If that wasn't enough, the Speedster sold for the equivalent of $40,000 in 2019 dollars. Cord and Duesenberg cars could reach a quarter of a million dollars, so this Speedster was the steal of a lifetime.
The first Simplex car was built in 1904, but it wasn't until a few years later that Crane-Simplex cars hit the streets. Only about 120 were ever built, and they were some of the most expensive cars of the time, reserved only the wealthiest Americans.
The Duesenberg Model J debuted in 1928 and was designed for the wealthiest Americans. Less than 500 of these were created in the 1930s. At $15,000 in 1930, one of these would cost the equivalent of more than $200,000 in 2019. It was built with top-of-the-line everything.
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This car started it all. Henry Royce wanted to improve on other cars of the day and came up with the Rolls-Royce 10. One main feature of the car was that it was a lot quieter than others. The silent power of Rolls-Royce continues to define the brand today.
Cadillac is known for its classic cars, and it's difficult to pick just one to highlight. One of the brand's rarest models is the V-16 (aka Cadillac Sixteen), which is one of just a few cars to be built with a V16 engine.
Porsche has made a lot of exceptional cars over the years, and its most iconic model might be the 911. The Porsche 356 was introduced in 1948, and it's the car that inspired the 911. Although Porsche was founded 17 years earlier, the 356 was the first Porsche sold to the public.
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The Talbot Lago debuted in the 1930s, and its futuristic design still drops jaws today. In addition to its stylish design, it's a rather fast car and was known for its exceptional performance abilities.
The Morgan Motor Company began designing automobiles in Britain in the early 1900s. The Morgan Plus 4 is an upscale version of the Morgan 4/4, and it was designed for upper-class Americans. It evolved into the Morgan Plus 8 and was revived in 2005.
The Studebaker brothers are well-known American automobile pioneers that manufactured everything from bicycles and wagons to buses and limousines. By the mid-1920s, the entry-level Studebaker Dictator hit the streets. The Dictator name was dropped in 1937.
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The Cord L-29 is one of America's most luxurious luxury car, but the car's success was hindered due to the fact it was introduced in 1929 when the stock market crashed. The Indiana-based manufacturer fully ceased operations by 1937.