What Classic Car Are You?

By: Zoe Samuel
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
What Classic Car Are You?
Image: Grafissimo / E+ / Getty Images

About This Quiz

Cars are a unique cultural feature, one that changed society in dramatic ways. First of all, they are more than transportation, they are an investment. Some cars retain their value very well, while others hemorrhage money the moment they are driven off the lot. The existence of cars dominates the landscape, with all roads built for them, and all traffic laws designed around them. Cars are beloved for their personalities the way pets are, but no one ever prized a 50year-old "classic horse".  Perhaps most strikingly, some cars' industrial design reaches the level of art, with looks that endure for decades, inspiring imitation and admiration alike.

Yet classic cars can be polarizing. Classics from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s are regarded with affection, if not envy, by most collectors. Yet some collectors deride cars from eras like the 1980s or 1990s, or specific types of cars, like the exuberantly designed drop tops from the 1950s. Classic cars don't need to appeal to everyone, but they need to be understood as deserving respect by someone. Many of these cars are so iconic that owners forget that cars from certain eras, classics or not, retain common flaws that make driving a chore.

"Which classic car am I?" you may ask. Are you a 1970s muscle car or a 1930s racer? Are you a 1990s supercar or a 2000s hypercar? Are you a flashy icon of the 1980s, or an early example from the 1900s? Take this quiz, and find out.

Time for a throwback. What is the most defining trait of "old school"?
Breakthrough engineering
Specialization
Form meets function
Unforgettable styling

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What classic pickup would pick up your mood?
Chevrolet C/10 Cheyenne
Toyota FJ40
Dodge Li’l Red Express
Dodge Power Wagon

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Why should someone buy a classic car?
As an investment
As a style statement
As a fun daily driver
As an art object

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Let's start an international incident. Which nation made the most classic cars?
France
America
Japan
Italy

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Which of these cars is so terrible, it qualifies as a weird category of classic?
Ford Aspire
Cadillac Cimarron
Horsey Horseless
Geo Metro

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Which quality do you prize the most, with regard to classic cars?
Price
Power
Cool factor
Uniqueness

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How do you feel about modern-build "classics" like the new Jaguar Lightweight E-Type?
It's criminal forgery.
It's a cool idea.
It's a waste of engineering talent.
It's like forming yet another Led Zeppelin cover band.

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What are resto-mod cars, where a classic is tuned up and modified to behave more like a modern car?
Vandalism
A relief
A brilliant idea
Unnecessary

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What's that smell? Is that ... How should collectors treat patina on classic cars?
Polish it out! Spit spot!
Replace any mechanical bits with period parts, but leave the trim as it is
Replace it with new parts that will not get worn down
Leave everything as is

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Wotcha, guv! Which of these classic British sports cars was the best?
Lotus 7
Aston Martin DB5
Jaguar E-Type
TVR Griffith 200

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Which of these brands, in your opinion, made the fewest true classics?
Jeep
BMW
Nissan
Lancia

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Which of these modern American cars do you think is most likely to become a future classic?
Tesla Model X
Fisker E-Motion
Chevy SS
Hennessy The Exorcist

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Looking to Italy, which Ferrari was the best one?
Dino
La Ferrari
308 GTB
348

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Which of these American "classics" deserves to become a resto-mod?
B-Body Dodge Demon
Ford Cortina
Oldsmobile Starfire
Chrysler Conquest

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Let's get serious. Once in a collection, how should classic cars be treated?
Like delicate art
Like a beloved, aged dog
Like a favorite pair of boots
Like one's life savings, if it was all stuffed in a mattress

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Which of these everyday classics would you consider for your own collection, given a limitless budget?
1966 Dodge Coronet
1969 Ford Thunderbird Convertable
1976 BMW E21 3 Series
1994 Nissan 240SX R33 GTS Skyline

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If your daily driver turned out to be a classic, how would you feel about the abuse it has suffered at your hands?
I'd be horrified.
I'd be proud.
I'd be regretful.
I'd be shocked.

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Dae-what? Which of these obscure economy cars do you feel will be considered a classic one day?
Lancia Dedra
Ford Ka
Mitsubishi Mirage
Daewoo Matiz

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Which of these SUVs do you think is most likely to become a classic, once gasoline is as common among motorists' garages as bales of hay?
Chevy Suburban
Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk
Land Rover Range Rover Sport
Lamborghini Urus

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Zap! Which electric car do you think may already be a classic?
Faraday Future FF 91
Tesla Roadster II
Chevy Bolt
Reva G-Wiz

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Dude! Radical! Which 1980s masterpiece is the classic you'd want from the era?
DeLorean DMC-12
Buick Grand National
Audi Quattro
Lancia Delta Integrale

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What abuse would you levy upon a Ford Model T, if you were cruel enough to do it?
Ground effects
Gold trim and tinted windows
Color shift paint job
Spinners

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Let's go off road. Which rally car is the greatest masterpiece?
Audi Quattro
Subaru Impreza WRX
Lancia Stratos
Mitsubish Lancer Evolution X

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If you had to go to college all over again, which hot hatch would keep you warm at night?
VW GTI
Ford Focus ST
Seat Leon
Mazda3speed

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Which classic car enunciates "mid-life crisis" most clearly?
Ford Mustang
Dodge Challenger
Chevrolet Corvette
Aston Martin anything

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Which of these highly strung classics would you be willing to daily drive, despite the fact that driving them is both difficult and stressful?
Jaguar XJ-S
Lancia Statos
Lamborghini Miura
1st Generation Ford Mustang

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How much time would you be willing to put into maintaining a classic car?
I'll pay someone to do it full time.
I'll spend every weekend doing it, holidays and social life be damned.
I'll take care of it like any car.
I'll spend an hour every day if I have to.

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Which of these sound investments would you pass up to own a classic car?
Managed fund
T bills
ETF
Gold

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Some people fill their garage with old cars. How many cars is too many?
There is no such thing.
4
2
12

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You're clearly an enthusiast. What is it about classic cars you love so much?
Their constantly rising value
Their dynamic abilities
Their history
Their looks

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You Got: