37 Car Trivia Questions and Answers
Car trivia from the first Benz to the first car through the sound barrier: makers and their badges, famous models, motor racing, and the cars of film and television. The questions are about motoring history, so they suit an enthusiast of any age. Answers are printed under each question.
There are 37 questions on this page. They are free to use for quiz nights, classrooms and pub quizzes, and each one links to its own page.
Related lists: 50s trivia questions, 60s trivia questions, 80s trivia questions, Space trivia questions, Easy trivia questions.
1.By what nickname was the Ford Model T popularly known?
Answer: Tin Lizzie
Open this question2.Who in 1888 became the first person to drive an automobile over a long distance?
Answer: Bertha Benz
Open this question3.Which engineer designed the original Volkswagen Beetle in the 1930s?
Answer: Ferdinand Porsche
Open this question4.The T in the name of the Italian car maker FIAT, founded in 1899, stands for which city?
Answer: Turin (Torino)
Open this question5.In which Italian town is Ferrari based?
Answer: Maranello
Open this question6.Which animal appears on the Ferrari badge?
Answer: A (prancing) horse
Open this question7.What kind of machines did Ferruccio Lamborghini manufacture before he began building sports cars?
Answer: Tractors
Open this question8.What is the name of the figure of a woman on the hood of a Rolls-Royce?
Answer: The Spirit of Ecstasy
Open this question9.In English, what do the letters BMW stand for?
Answer: Bavarian Motor Works
Open this question10.Which Japanese company makes the Corolla?
Answer: Toyota
Open this question11.What make of car is the time machine in the "Back to the Future" films?
Answer: DeLorean
Open this question12.Which make and model of car does James Bond drive in the 1964 film "Goldfinger"?
Answer: Aston Martin DB5
Open this question13.In the Disney film "The Love Bug", what model of car is Herbie?
Answer: Volkswagen Beetle
Open this question14.In which year was the first Indianapolis 500 run?
Answer: 1911
Open this question15.Who won the first Indianapolis 500?
Answer: Ray Harroun
Open this question16.The 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race is held in which country?
Answer: France
Open this question17.Who founded General Motors in 1908?
Answer: William C. Durant
Open this question18.In which year did Ford introduce the Mustang?
Answer: 1964
Open this question19.Which Ford model of the late 1950s, named after Henry Ford's son, became a byword for commercial failure?
Answer: Edsel
Open this question20.In which year did Chevrolet introduce the Corvette?
Answer: 1953
Open this question21.Ralph Nader's 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed" is best known for criticizing which Chevrolet model?
Answer: Corvair
Open this question22.Which Volvo engineer developed the modern three-point seat belt, introduced in 1959?
Answer: Nils Bohlin
Open this question23.Which German company makes the 911 sports car?
Answer: Porsche
Open this question24.Who designed the original Mini for the British Motor Corporation (BMC)?
Answer: Sir Alec Issigonis
Open this question25.Which French company made the 2CV?
Answer: Citroën
Open this question26.The Mercedes brand was named after the daughter of which businessman?
Answer: Emil Jellinek
Open this question27.What name is given to the German motorway system, parts of which have no general speed limit?
Answer: The Autobahn
Open this question28.Which American engineer invented the electric self-starter first fitted to the 1912 Cadillac?
Answer: Charles F. Kettering
Open this question29.Which Japanese car maker set itself apart from its rivals from the 1960s by developing the Wankel rotary engine?
Answer: Mazda
Open this question30.How many examples of the 1948 Tucker sedan were built before the company closed?
Answer: 51
Open this question31.Which US city is nicknamed "Motor City"?
Answer: Detroit
Open this question32.Which light military vehicle of World War II, built by Willys and Ford, was commonly known by a four-letter name?
Answer: The Jeep
Open this question33.What is the name of the tire-man mascot of the French company Michelin?
Answer: Bibendum (the Michelin Man)
Open this question34.Which author wrote the children's story "Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang: The Magical Car"?
Answer: Ian Fleming
Open this question35.In the television series "Knight Rider", KITT is a modified version of which car?
Answer: Pontiac Firebird Trans Am
Open this question36.Which Scottish engineer introduced the term "horsepower"?
Answer: James Watt
Open this question37.What is the name of the car, driven by Andy Green, that in 1997 became the first land vehicle to officially break the sound barrier?
Answer: ThrustSSC
Open this question