Old Car Trivia..Wanna Play?

135

Comments

  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    didn't know that one.....

    okay, a 'druid' is a derogatory term levelled by a disgruntled racer at any type of track official.
  • guitarzanguitarzan Member Posts: 873
    You guys were talking about V-4's, I think Saab was mentioned. These are before my time. Did these things run rough or what? What angle were they at? Two pistons on a side would fire at the same time, right? Is this a two cycle engine? (I don't believe that last one, it just "sounds" right.)
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Hi GZ,

    No, these were German Ford (Taunus) engines, 4-strokers, but I don't know the crank configuration. I'd tend to think they'd have more inherent balance than an inline 4 (many of which now use balance shafts), but I'm just guessing.
    The Saab V-4 engine was a temporary expediency to keep the Model 96 alive in the US, since the two-stroke wouldn't pass emissions and Saab was working on a new model, the dreaded and hateful Model 99 with Triumph designed engine.

    The V-4 Model 96 was one little tough [non-permissible content removed], its Achilles heel being the transmission--I actually witnessed one rolling over on a mountain road near Boulder, Colorado. We uprighted it, dragged it up the hill back to the road, put a few quarts of oil in it, and it drove away with no broken windows and no appreciable damage.

    As I recall, the engine wasn't particulary rough, no, but it was noisy, torque steer was diabolic, and the four-speed column shifter was clunky at best.

    You can still buy 'em cheap if you're interested.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Okay, here's one for the guys in the balcony (you know who you are).

    In what car did Mercedes put THEIR slant-six engine?

    Can you give the year and model of a rear-engine Mercedes?
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Looking down from the balcony...hmmm...

    Really? A Mercedes with a slant six?

    Man, I don't have a clue!

    Badgerpaul?
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    I'm stumped. Was it in the early 70's?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    It was the 300 SL Gullwing and Roaster...the engine is slightly tilted to get under that low hood profile.
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    You know, that was my first thought-the 1955 Gullwings. I knew they had to be slanted to accomodate that intake system, like the old Mopars. But I thought you had something else up your sleeve, like some other tough ones you've thrown us. OK. Carry on.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    No, I try not to make the questions so impossible that no one could guess them...that wouldn't be very much fun for anyone. Actually, the tiliting of the engine goes back to the 300SL racecars, and while the production cars are considerablly different, the basic principles were carried over.
    Quite a slant six, though, for 1955...direct port injection, 240 HP and, depending on gearing, speeds up to 165 mph.
  • guitarzanguitarzan Member Posts: 873
    Would you mind telling an ignoramus what the "slant-6" refers to? I previously thought the block was made to reflect the slant, but from this conversation I'm wondering if it is the same engine used in other cars, just tilted. Help!:)
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    It's the same engine used in other cars, except in the case of the little Mopars, they were ALL slanted, with valve covers and oilpans formed to match the angle of the engine. The main reason for slanting this one was to accomodate the intake manifold and lower the height to fit under hoods. Toyota uses a slanted engine in their Previa vans, and it's the same engine used in other models NOT slanted, I believe. I know there are many other slanted engines out there. What are they, shiftright? I just remembered the '61 Pontiac Tempest, which had the slant four, actually half of the Pontiac V8. In retrospect, that was a weird one, what with that flexible driveshaft and rearmounted transmission. As I remember, they were troublesome...
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Yes, "slant-six" is a generic term only...the Mercedes six and the Dodge six have very little in common, I assure you, except maybe 6 holes with 6 pistons running up and down them.

    Yes, the Tempest had a system called "rope-drive" which ran a cable the full length of the floorpan from the clutch assembly back to the tranmission in the rear of the car. You can just tell, can't you, how well THAT worked! And you're right, it was a big V-8 cut in half, and it had some torque for 4 cylinders and vibrated to prove it. Gutsy little thing, though.

    Can't think of any other slants, right off hand, but if I do I'll post them. I'm sure some older race cars did this.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Yep, those driveshafts made the BEST prybars if you could find a used one.

    Pontiac even made a few Tempests with the 326 V-8 that they mated to this same wierd rear transmission set up in 1963.

    They made up for this, though the following year when the mighty GTO hit the streets.

    This was the beginning of a short but wonderful time...
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    Sure was! I remember when those 326 Tempests came out. I was 16, and had talked my Dad the previous summer in to a brand new 62 Impala SS with the 327 and 3-speed stick[good GAS MILEAGE I assured him-which was true-as long as I kept my foot out of it.] Anyway, a a friend had his Mom,s new Tempest 326 one day and wanted to race me in my Dad,s Chev. Jeez that Chevy could burn rubber, and had no trouble with the Tempest, either. Off topic here, maybe-still fun.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Yep,

    In 1968, I paid 700.00 for a 1962 Impala SS. It had the 300 HP 327 with "Slip and Slide Powerglide" It also had power windows and factory air cond. Pretty rare at that time.

    White with aqua interior. Have a photo of my date and I going to her prom. I still have her but the Chevy is just a memory!

    Sorry, Mr. S, but Carnut brought back a happy memory! :)

    Happy 4th, everyone!
  • sbarersbarer Member Posts: 35
    Was at the Pacific Northwest Historic Races at Seattle International Raceway this weekend...One race featured four 300SL Gullwings and one 300SL Roadster. At one point, two Gullwings and the roadster were door-to-door entering the straight.

    If I'm not mistaken, the 300SL's were the first cars to use mechanical fuel injection?

    Amazing sight though...I highly recommend attending this event annually!
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Not the first cars, but I think the first true gasoline production cars to do so...mechanical fuel injection itself goes back to the turn of the century, surprisingly enough, and this basic mechanism was working in diesels by the late 1920s with Robert Bosch's experiments finally taking hold. The German ME-109 fighter was fuel injected and had, for a while, an advantage over the carburator-fed Spitfire in tight turns.

    Interesting side note...the 300SL used a timed injection (injection timed to valve opening), which they developed with great effort, only to find out that gasoline engines didn't care all that much when it got the gas injected, in relation to valve opening....so this is rarely done anymore, to the best of my knowledge.
  • zl1zl1 Member Posts: 16
    Here is an easy one.What does the word camaro mean?
  • goddesspeorthgoddesspeorth Member Posts: 3
    CAPTURE
  • goddesspeorthgoddesspeorth Member Posts: 3
    sike, i have no clue what it means... i was just.. inspired by a moment as something flew by

    capture sounds about right

    *throw me a frigging boooooone, is this a spanish word???*
  • zl1zl1 Member Posts: 16
    I believe it is french.Good try though.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Oh, very good! It's a french word alright, but it's OLD french, not modern, and is supposed to mean "companion" or buddy or some such. GM even produced a page from an ancient french dictionary to prove it. Nobody much cared what it meant, but they liked the sound of it.
  • sunlinersunliner Member Posts: 36
    Okay, here's one. What state was home to the Cord, Marmon, Auburn, Duesenberg and Studebaker, and currently produces the Hummer?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    He'll give you 500 minutes to answer...hint, hint...
  • sunlinersunliner Member Posts: 36
    DOH! No fair with the clues! ;)
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    This is a wild guess, would it be the Hoosier state?
  • sunlinersunliner Member Posts: 36
    Guessed it in one! Also the home of the Stutz motor company, way back when.

    We were at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum on Saturday, and saw all of these cars there. I looked at the classic examples of good engineering, especially the Duesenberg, and I looked around at the Hoosiers and the state around me, and I wondered, "What happened?"
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Bad geography for heavy industrialization, I think, and also the Great Depression.
  • sbarersbarer Member Posts: 35
    Which sports coupe featured 4wd and ABS in 1966?
  • jwolffjwolff Member Posts: 19
    How did Recaro seats get their name?
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Answer to 135: Jensen FF

    Answer to 136: from I Love Lucy, Ricky Recaro

    (Well, a .500 average is pretty darn good in baseball anyway....)
  • jwolffjwolff Member Posts: 19
    Reuter Carossarie (coach works) used to make 356 bodies for Porsche. They later sold the the automotive side of the house to Porsche. Reuter then concentrated on seats and combined REUTER with Carossarie and came up with RECARO.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Ohhhhh, that's interesting. Learn something new everyday.
  • moparmadmoparmad Member Posts: 197
    What was the first pony car?
    (hint)It isn't the Mustang
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You mean the first muscle car or the first car named after a horse?
  • moparmadmoparmad Member Posts: 197
    Contrary to popular belief the first pony car was not the Ford Mustang, but the Plymouth Barracuda,the Barracuda made it to sale just 13 days before the Mustang. Now if they could have sold just half as many.Ahhhh....Another question,What American car model sold the highest volume?
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    The big problem with the Barracuda was that from head on it looked like a Valiant and with that huge back glass, on a hot summer day, the back seat passengers baked like a Thanksgiving turkey.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    The first Barracudas WERE basically Valiants and little more! The Mustangs were little more than a Ford Falcon is dress up but at least Ford made them look totally different.
  • greencargreencar Member Posts: 11
    greetings-anyone have any good ideas where i can purchase new or used books on trivia car questions?? i like to use them on my auto students.
    thanks for listening
    greencar

    ACarson979@aol.com
  • greencargreencar Member Posts: 11
    WHO INVENTED THE TERM -- "AUTOMOBILE"

    GREENCAR
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Probably the French, they invented just about everything in the early days of the car.

    Greencar...try this URL

    www.bibliofind.com

    Host
  • wilcoxwilcox Member Posts: 582
    chevy?
  • fordy1fordy1 Member Posts: 30
    What was the first year model that FORD offered
    a three speed colum shift???
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    I'll say 1940. On the Deluxe models.
  • fordy1fordy1 Member Posts: 30
    You are right, 1940
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    What low-priced car offered independent front suspension for just one year, and what year was it? [easy one]
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    Chevrolet, with the Dubonnet system.
  • carnut4carnut4 Member Posts: 574
    but Plymouth [and Dodge] offered independent front suspension in 1934, and then went back to a straight front axle for the rest of the 30's.
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    Here's one for you...When did air bags first appear on cars?
  • badgerpaulbadgerpaul Member Posts: 219
    I remember seeing a 74 Oldsmobile with one. I think GM offered them on Buick, Olds and Cadillac in 74. That was the same year that the seatbelt starter interlock was introduced. My father bought the last 73 Cadillac the dealer had, so that he wouldn't have to put up with that stupid thing.
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