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The 50 Best Pieces Of Automotive Trivia
Automotive forums have long been the go-to for gearheads seeking a resolution to whatever mechanical conundrum is currently afflicting their daily driver. These sites tend to cultivate a built-in community of like-minded people, all sharing different experiences with a particular make and model of machine.
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It also ends up being a great place for a bit of good-natured trash talking, but that is a subject for another day. Hater.
All of this hyper-specific knowledge tends to produce another side effect: trivia - and lots of it. Wander onto just about any forum and a person is likely to find enthusiasts packing the type of mental minutiae once strictly reserved for old timers who have been wrenching on a particular brand ever since Adam was an oakum picker. The democratization of technology, especially the ability to create what’s essentially a hive mind of information, allows a person to learn the type of details once reserved for the classified halls in a corporate Detroit (or Munich, or Tokyo) headquarters.
Posing this question to a raft of automotive forums predictably provided an utter raft of responses - some coherent, others garbled, but all interesting. Just about all of them are verifiable, but a few live in the nebulous region of fact and urban legend. We’ve plucked our 50 favorite pieces of trivia and assembled them below, starting with the tidbit which was ultimately deemed the most interesting. The user who proffered it wins a free one-year subscription to the Hagerty Driver’s Club, including the magazine subscription, roadside assistance and access to their valuation tools.
Lagonda's Impressive Technology
The 1937 Lagonda LG6 convertible had a central jacking system on the transmission tunnel, where one could select the appropriate corner and jack it up without even getting out of the car. Also a central greasing system, operated via the clutch pedal. Submitted by Hobbit - Piloteers.org
Air-Powered Wipers
Early VW Beetles used the air pressure from the Spare Tire to operate the windshield washer fluid. Submitted by BRealistic - VWVortex
Photo by Sue Thatcher/Shutterstock.com
McLaren's VW Parts Bin
Yes, the McLaren F1 uses side mirrors sourced from the Volkswagen Corrado. Submitted by 94 SLC Storm - VWVortex
Aluminum Block Pioneer
The first all aluminum block engine was NOT in an automobile....it was in the Wright Flyer. Submitted by Jlh3rd - SwedeSpeed
Photo by Everett Collection/Shutterstock.com
Numerical Origin of a Name
The Ford GT 350 got its number because it was 347 steps from Shelby's office to the production floor (or at least two significant points in the Shelby world). Submitted by Jlh3rd - SwedeSpeed
Photo by JoshBryan/Shutterstock.com
The Tequila Turbine
Chrysler’s 1963/64 Turbine Car would run on almost anything combustible; diesel, kerosene… even tequila and perfume, as demonstrated for Mexico’s president. Submitted by AJF - SwedeSpeed
The Missing Model Year
There was no 1996 model Wrangler for North America production. Submitted by Luckymac - WranglerForum
Flexible Washer Fluid Reservoir
Mid-1960s Fords had a black flexible bag to hold the windshield washer fluid. Submitted by ItsHabanero - VWVortex
Photo by Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com
Decades of Shared Brake Pads
The front disc brake pads from 1968 RWD Cadillacs are the SAME pads all the way up through the 1993-1996 Fleetwoods. Submitted by Cadillacmike68 - CadillacForums
Photo by Dominick Corrado/Shutterstock.com
Anti-Theft Design
If you recall how thieves used to use a wire to snag and lift the push-down locks on car doors, you may not be aware that one of Hudson's many safety features was a reverse design for this feature. If the door lock tab is pulled up, it LOCKS rather than unlocks. Submitted by PSW - CadillacForums
The Spirit is Art
Did you know that the iconic "hood ornament" on Rolls-Royce cars, known as the Spirit of Ecstasy, is a registered piece of artwork and a part of the car's intellectual property? Submitted by Maxum96 – Vintage-MustangForum
DAF's Reverse Gear
The Dutch car DAF was the first with a CVT and could go as fast in reverse as it did forward. Submitted by Tb65m66 – Vintage-MustangForum
The First Talking Car
The first production car sold that "talked" was the 1982 Datsun 810 Maxima. It used a small vibration resistant plastic record to play the few phrases it spoke. Submitted by BRealistic - VWVortex
First Car to Achieve 1 HP per Cubic Inch
The first production car to achieve 1hp per cubic inch was the 1956 Chrysler 300B when equipped with the optional 10:1 compression engine and 3-inch exhaust. 354 cc, 355hp. Submitted by Rhythim – Vintage-MustangForum
Nose-Down Transport
I always thought it was interesting that Chevy Vegas were shipped standing on their nose. Submitted by Mike the Old Grump – Vintage-MustangForum
DMC-12: The Target Price
It's pretty well known that when the DeLorean Motor Company was developing the DeLorean sports car it was referred to internally as the DMC-12. The 12 referred to the targeted MSRP of $12,000. Submitted by ///Mark_D - E46 Fanatics
Photo by Kevin M McCarthy/Shutterstock.com
The Secret Stamp
But the piece of trivia that most people don't know is that there is a single place on the car where the original preproduction DMC-12 designation can be found. It is stamped into the muffler. Submitted by
Photo by JoshBryan/Shutterstock.com
The Asymmetric Pacer
The passenger door on the AMC Pacer was longer then [sic] the drivers side. Submitted by DavidE - SubaruForester.org
Photo by Sandra Burm/Shutterstock.com
The Rebadged Subaru
The Subaru Forester was once sold in India as the Chevrolet Forester. Submitted by NS_Nick - SubaruForester.org
Photo by Valdis Skudre/Shutterstock.com
Subaru's Wide-Open Hood
Just about every Subaru with a hood prop rod has a hole on the strut tower so you can move the bottom of the rod to open the hood a lot wider. Sometimes the hole is covered with a little plug or there is a loop for it on the tower like the 2001 Forester. Submitted by Peaty - SubaruForester.org
Photo by Benedek Alpa/Shutterstock.com
Thunderbird's Nest
The 1957 Thunderbird had a dealer-added option for a rumble seat called the Birds Nest. Submitted by Sumfuncomet - Yellowbullet
Rambler's Dual Bumper
The 1967 Rambler American used the same bumper on the front and rear - just different lights and mounting brackets! Submitted by BeenThere - Yellowbullet
Photo by SariMe/Shutterstock.com
Crosley's Aircraft Brakes
The 1939 Crosley used a cable operated Hawley "aircraft style" brake system that had a free floating, 350-degree brake shoe lining ring that expanded between an inner and outer drum for stopping. Submitted by 25 sunrise orange - ColoradoFans
Challenger Grill Battle
The designers of the production Challenger, Jeff Gale and Brian Nielander, fought with the corporate execs to remove the concept's Dodge trademark cross-hair grill for the 2008 model. Submitted by Cuda340 - ChallengerTalk
Photo by Sue Thatcher/Shutterstock.com
The Silver Mist-ake
Rolls-Royce changed the name of one of its car from Silver Mist to Silver Shadow because the German word for mist means manure. Submitted by A Guy - ChallengerTalk
Photo by acceptphoto/Shuterstock.com
V8 Vantage Torque Flex
The 90's V8 Vantage had so much torque that the front end of the driveshaft turned [some] degrees before the rear end starts to move. They never had one fail, but because of this they had it surrounded with a steel cage just in case. Submitted by Bazza - AlfaOwner.com
Lexus: Luxury Export to US
The name Lexus is speculated by some to be not a creative name just randomly come up with, but rather [the company] thinking about their Luxury (Luxury) entry and realizing that it is going to be Exported to the US. Submitted by 82Kid - DriveAccord.net
'67 Camaro's Options List
The ‘67 Camaro had a staggering variety of 81 factory options plus 41 dealer-installed accessories. Submitted by RalleGreen - Camaros.net
Photo by Gestalt Imagery/Shutterstock.com
Firebird's 'Cocktail Shakers'
The new 1967 Pontiac Firebird, the convertible model, two corners in the trunk came with strange heavy steel weights suspended in oil in 6" diameter cylinders to dampen body vibration [ed note: Pontiac nerds call them ‘cocktail shakers’]. Submitted by Pschoon - MDXers.org
Photo by Dominick Corrado/Shutterstock.com
'70 'Cuda's Bench Seat
You could get a bench seat in the 70 cuda. Submitted by Voiceofstl - Allpar.com
Photo by JoshBryan/Shutterstock.com
BMW Logo's True Origin
The BMW logo is not a spinning airplane propeller as many believe...it's the blue and white from the Bavarian flag. The airplane myth spun off from an older BMW ad campaign. Submitted by Mike Roadway - GR86.org
Parts Bin Sharing
The Noble [M]400 has taillights from a Hyundai Sonata. Submitted by Zoodragon - FocusST.org
Toyota's Fuel-Saving Tape
Toyota has a patent for aluminum foil tape that's purpose is to increase fuel mileage. Submitted by Tony826MV - FocusST.org
Photo by Pixparts/Shutterstock.com
Concept vs. Production Stripe
The 2006 Challenger concept's stripes are clear-coated carbon fiber- not vinyl tape like the production models. Submitted by Cuda340 - ChallengerTalk
Volvo's Safety Belt Gift
Volvo had the patent for safety belts in the late 50s and released it to public domain so other car manufacturers could add them to their cars. Submitted by Coolpool - FocusST.org
Esprit's Morris Marina Handles
The door handles used on the Lotus Esprit were sourced and used on the Morris Marina. Submitted by RimmerJag - JaguarForum
Last Car with Standard Cassette Player
The Lexus SC430 was the last car sold in the US with a factory standard cassette player. Submitted by 996mk2 - 718Forum
C6 Corvette's Missing Hue
The sixth generation Corvette (C6) is the only generation that the colour green was not offered as a factory option. Submitted by TallyHo - Hellcat.org
Photo by Operations/Shutterstock.com
Lego's Dominance in Rubber
Lego produces more tires then anyone else. Submitted by Moorefamily2000 - Hellcat.org
Photo by StepanPopov/Shuterstock.com
Audi Quattro's Passat Light
The Audi Sport quattro uses the same headlight as a B2 Passat. Submitted by Harold - VWVortex
Mitsubishi's Radio Receiver Design
Early 1980s Mitsubishi Galant Lambda / Dodge Challenger / Plymouth Sapporo used the trunklid as the radio antenna. The trunk hinges were mounted on plastic bushings to isolate it from the car's body, and it had a wire connecting it to the radio. Submitted by VWestlife - VWVortex
Aston Martin's Scirocco Lights
The early to mid 1990s Aston Martin Virage used Scirocco 2 rear taillights. Photo by 53PL-50AAA-VW611BAN - VWVortex
Camaro's Steering Stabilizer
Some third gen Camaros had a part called a "Wonder Bar" to tighten up the steering. Submitted by GGALLIN1776 - ToyotaNation
Photo by Nikonysta/Shutterstock.com
Volvo's Emission Milestone
The 240 introduced Volvo’s Lambda-Sond (’76/’77), the first production engine management using an O2 sensor with a three-way catalytic converter which is what made modern cats actually work. Submitted by AJF - SwedeSpeed
Photo by Trygve Finkelsen/Shutterstock.com
Ford's Final Hand Crank
1949 was the first model year Ford that didn't come with [have provisions for] a hand crank. Submitted by Dick Ellingson - SubaruOutback.org
Photo by overcrew/Shutterstock.com
Sunbeam Alpine's Dual Tanks
My 1967 Sunbeam Alpine had two 5 gallon gas tanks, one in each rear fender, connected by a line. Submitted by Curly Stooge - WranglerForum
Photo by Richard P Long/Shutterstock.com
The World's Most Common Thread
For a longtime the tire valve stem thread and the valve stem cap thread was the most common and most used thread pitch in the world (and on just about every vehicle in the world). Submitted by MR300KTM - BenzWorld
Photo by Piotr Wytrazek/Shutterstock.com
Brake Light Dependence
On both of my W126 Mercedes ('87 560SEL, '87 560SEC), the cruise control is grounded through the brake lights. If you put something other than Phillips brake light bulbs in there, the CC might not work. If you put LED brake light bulbs in there the CC will NOT work. Submitted by Mramay - BenzWorld
Photo by luizsantanna/Shutterstock.com
Dodge's Early Ford Role
The Dodge brothers [allegedly] made engines, transmissions and axles for the earliest Ford autos. Submitted by Vpzyck - ChallengerTalk
Photo by DIDIER FOTO/Shutterstock.com
The 'Cuda's Joke Stripe
The billboard stripe on the 1971 'Cuda was intended as a joke. The designers became frustrated at Plymouth executives because every side stripe was deemed too conservative. In spite, the designers submitted an outlandish design that covered almost half of the car's side. To their amazement, the executives loved it and it became an iconic feature on the 'Cuda. Submitted by Cuda340 - ChallengerTalk
Photo by tetiana_u/Shutterstock.com
