Milestones, History & Records

45 questions · Answers revealed below each question · Print this set

1.Which automotive milestone cut Model T assembly time from hours to minutes?
- A. interchangeable parts
- B. Panhard et Levassor
- C. disc brakes
- D. moving assembly line
Show answer
moving assembly line
Did you know? Ford's line opened in 1913 at Highland Park.
2.After whom was the first Mercedes named?
- A. Bertha Benz
- B. the founder's mother
- C. Mercédès Jellinek
- D. a Spanish princess
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Mercédès Jellinek
Did you know? Emil Jellinek named the 1901 car after his daughter.
3.Which rally driver holds the record of nine World Rally Championship titles?
- A. Tommi Mäkinen
- B. Colin McRae
- C. Sébastien Loeb
- D. Sébastien Ogier
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Sébastien Loeb
Did you know? Loeb won nine straight titles from 2004 to 2012.
4.Which automotive milestone brought longer life and better grip?
- A. 1906 French Grand Prix
- B. crash test dummy
- C. radial tire
- D. Ransom Olds
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radial tire
Did you know? Radial cords cross the tire at 90 degrees.
5.Which Italian town is home to Ferrari's factory?
- A. Turin
- B. Maranello
- C. Monza
- D. Modena
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Maranello
Did you know? Ferrari moved to Maranello in 1943.
6.Which Volvo model is famous for a single owner passing three million miles?
- A. the Volvo Amazon
- B. the Volvo P1800
- C. the Volvo 240
- D. the Volvo 850
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the Volvo P1800
Did you know? Irv Gordon's P1800 passed three million miles by 2013.
7.Which automotive milestone removes the clutch pedal for drivers?
- A. Henry Ford
- B. car radio
- C. laminated safety glass
- D. automatic transmission
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automatic transmission
Did you know? Early automatics like Hydra-Matic arrived in the 1940s.
8.What was the Model T's famous nickname?
- A. the Old Betsy
- B. the Tin Lizzie
- C. the Black Maria
- D. the Iron Horse
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the Tin Lizzie
Did you know? Tin Lizzie became a household name across America.
9.Which racing team holds the most Formula 1 constructors' titles?
- A. Williams
- B. Scuderia Ferrari
- C. Mercedes AMG
- D. McLaren
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Scuderia Ferrari
Did you know? Ferrari has taken 16 constructors' crowns.
10.Which automotive milestone ended the era of hand-cranking when Cadillac adopted it in 1912?
- A. Tatra 77
- B. disc brakes
- C. power steering
- D. electric starter
Show answer
electric starter
Did you know? Charles Kettering developed the electric starter.
11.Which automotive milestone replaced drums on performance cars from the 1950s?
- A. Henry Ford
- B. unibody construction
- C. disc brakes
- D. electric starter
Show answer
disc brakes
Did you know? Disc brakes cool better under hard use.
12.Which automotive milestone was popularized by the 1959 Mini and took over the market?
- A. transverse front-wheel drive
- B. Oldsmobile Curved Dash
- C. car air conditioning
- D. Bertha Benz
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transverse front-wheel drive
Did you know? Transverse engines free up cabin space.
13.Which automotive milestone multiplies the driver's steering effort?
- A. power steering
- B. car radio
- C. Duryea Motor Wagon
- D. interchangeable parts
Show answer
power steering
Did you know? Power steering became standard in big American cars.
14.Which automotive milestone merged the frame and body into one shell?
- A. unibody construction
- B. electric starter
- C. car air conditioning
- D. Mercedes-Benz 260 D
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unibody construction
Did you know? Unibody cars are lighter and stiffer.
15.Which automotive milestone made the first long-distance car journey in 1888?
- A. Oldsmobile Curved Dash
- B. Bertha Benz
- C. Benz Patent-Motorwagen
- D. crash test dummy
Show answer
Bertha Benz
Did you know? Bertha drove about 100 km without telling Karl.
16.Which automotive milestone is regarded as the first true automobile?
- A. Benz Patent-Motorwagen
- B. tubeless tire
- C. Duryea Motor Wagon
- D. unibody construction
Show answer
Benz Patent-Motorwagen
Did you know? Karl Benz patented the Motorwagen in 1886.
17.Which automotive milestone became a mainstream comfort feature after the 1950s?
- A. crash test dummy
- B. radial tire
- C. laminated safety glass
- D. car air conditioning
Show answer
car air conditioning
Did you know? Packard offered factory A/C back in 1939.
18.Which automotive milestone was the first diesel production car?
- A. Oldsmobile Curved Dash
- B. Mercedes-Benz 260 D
- C. Ransom Olds
- D. McPherson strut
Show answer
Mercedes-Benz 260 D
Did you know? The 260 D debuted in 1936.
19.Which automotive milestone brought music to the road from the 1930s?
- A. unleaded gasoline
- B. car radio
- C. Benz Patent-Motorwagen
- D. unibody construction
Show answer
car radio
Did you know? Early car radios were costly extras.
20.Which country was first to require car license plates?
- A. Britain
- B. Germany
- C. the United States
- D. France
Show answer
France
Did you know? France mandated plates back in 1893.
21.Which circuit is nicknamed the "Green Hell" by racing drivers?
- A. Le Mans
- B. Suzuka
- C. Monza
- D. the Nürburgring
Show answer
the Nürburgring
Did you know? Jackie Stewart gave the Nordschleife its famous nickname.
22.Which automotive milestone was America's first successful gasoline car?
- A. laminated safety glass
- B. Tatra 77
- C. power steering
- D. Duryea Motor Wagon
Show answer
Duryea Motor Wagon
Did you know? The Duryea brothers ran their car in 1893.
23.The letters "PS" on European engine badges stand for which unit?
- A. metric horsepower
- B. petrol system
- C. pounds per square inch
- D. parts per million
Show answer
metric horsepower
Did you know? PS comes from the German Pferdestärke, or horse strength.
24.Which team won the very first Formula 1 championship race in 1950?
- A. the Maserati 4CLT
- B. the Ferrari 375
- C. the Alfa Romeo 158
- D. the Talbot-Lago
Show answer
the Alfa Romeo 158
Did you know? Giuseppe Farina won at Silverstone in an Alfa 158.
25.Which automotive milestone holds together when broken?
- A. Tatra 77
- B. moving assembly line
- C. laminated safety glass
- D. electric starter
Show answer
laminated safety glass
Did you know? A plastic layer bonds the two glass sheets.
26.Which country opened the world's first motorway dedicated to motor traffic?
- A. the United States
- B. France
- C. Germany
- D. Italy
Show answer
Italy
Did you know? Italy's autostrada opened in 1924.
27.Which American series races stock-looking cars mainly on ovals?
- A. NASCAR
- B. World Rally Championship
- C. IndyCar
- D. Formula 1
Show answer
NASCAR
Did you know? NASCAR stands for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing.
28.Which automotive milestone combines spring, damper and pivot in one unit?
- A. car speedometer
- B. transverse front-wheel drive
- C. McPherson strut
- D. Duryea Motor Wagon
Show answer
McPherson strut
Did you know? Earle McPherson designed it in the 1940s.
29.Which automotive milestone stands in for humans in safety tests?
- A. radial tire
- B. unibody construction
- C. crash test dummy
- D. Bertha Benz
Show answer
crash test dummy
Did you know? Modern dummies record forces with sensors.
30.Which automotive milestone replaced mechanical linkages with fluid pressure?
- A. hydraulic brakes
- B. 1906 French Grand Prix
- C. moving assembly line
- D. Bertha Benz
Show answer
hydraulic brakes
Did you know? Hydraulic brakes spread through the 1920s.
31.Which automotive milestone was the first Grand Prix motor race?
- A. car radio
- B. Mercedes-Benz 260 D
- C. 1906 French Grand Prix
- D. Bertha Benz
Show answer
1906 French Grand Prix
Did you know? The 1906 GP ran on public roads near Le Mans.
32.Which automotive milestone phased out lead additives to protect health?
- A. Ransom Olds
- B. disc brakes
- C. Panhard et Levassor
- D. unleaded gasoline
Show answer
unleaded gasoline
Did you know? Lead additives once boosted octane.
33.Which automotive milestone lets each wheel move separately?
- A. independent suspension
- B. interchangeable parts
- C. Duryea Motor Wagon
- D. hydraulic brakes
Show answer
independent suspension
Did you know? Independent suspension smooths rough roads.
34.Which automotive milestone was the first mass-produced American car?
- A. electric starter
- B. Tatra 77
- C. Oldsmobile Curved Dash
- D. unleaded gasoline
Show answer
Oldsmobile Curved Dash
Did you know? The Curved Dash sold over 400 copies by 1902.
35.Which automotive milestone paid workers enough to afford the cars they built?
- A. car speedometer
- B. 1906 French Grand Prix
- C. moving assembly line
- D. Henry Ford
Show answer
Henry Ford
Did you know? Ford's five-dollar day made headlines in 1914.
36.Which automotive milestone let any matching piece fit any car?
- A. interchangeable parts
- B. independent suspension
- C. laminated safety glass
- D. electric starter
Show answer
interchangeable parts
Did you know? Interchangeability made mass repair possible.
37.Which automotive milestone established the front-engine, rear-drive layout?
- A. Panhard et Levassor
- B. Duryea Motor Wagon
- C. Tatra 77
- D. hydraulic brakes
Show answer
Panhard et Levassor
Did you know? The "Système Panhard" shaped car design for decades.
38.Which car era is named for the brass radiators and lamps of early cars?
- A. the Streamline Age
- B. the Brass Era
- C. the Motor Age
- D. the Chrome Age
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the Brass Era
Did you know? The Brass Era ran from the 1890s to about 1915.
39.Which car part did drivers swing by hand before 1912 to start the engine?
- A. the axle
- B. the steering wheel
- C. the hand crank
- D. the fan belt
Show answer
the hand crank
Did you know? Hand cranks could snap back and injure careless drivers.
40.Which automotive milestone shows the driver the road speed?
- A. unleaded gasoline
- B. Tatra 77
- C. car speedometer
- D. Panhard et Levassor
Show answer
car speedometer
Did you know? Speedometers became mandatory as roads filled up.
41.Which electric taxi served New York streets back in 1897?
- A. the Curved Dash
- B. the Electrobat
- C. the Stanley Steamer
- D. the Motor Wagon
Show answer
the Electrobat
Did you know? The Electrobat cabs ran a fleet service in Philadelphia and New York.
42.Which driver won the Indianapolis 500 as a rookie in 2000 and later took Formula 1 race wins?
- A. Kimi Räikkönen
- B. Fernando Alonso
- C. Juan Pablo Montoya
- D. Dario Franchitti
Show answer
Juan Pablo Montoya
Did you know? Montoya won the Indy 500 three times in total.
43.Which automotive milestone pioneered early assembly-line car production?
- A. moving assembly line
- B. Oldsmobile Curved Dash
- C. unibody construction
- D. Ransom Olds
Show answer
Ransom Olds
Did you know? Olds' plant inspired later assembly methods.
44.Which automotive milestone eliminated the inner tube?
- A. laminated safety glass
- B. tubeless tire
- C. independent suspension
- D. crash test dummy
Show answer
tubeless tire
Did you know? Tubeless tires seal against the rim.
45.Which automotive milestone was among the first streamlined production cars?
- A. Panhard et Levassor
- B. radial tire
- C. Tatra 77
- D. 1906 French Grand Prix
Show answer
Tatra 77
Did you know? The Tatra 77 had a tail fin for stability.

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