RGV OldCars.com Trivia Challenge

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Question:

Which manufacturer was the first to build their vehicles with air and oil filters;

AND in what year was this first offered by that manufacturer?

Correct Answer:

After a full year of waiting for someone to come up with the correct answer,

we are giving up and presenting the correct answer for you....

The first vehicle manufacturer to apply air and oil filters

to their vehicles was MACK, on their trucks built in 1918.

November , December , January's Trivia Challenge winner:

Sergio Acosta - San Juan, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the vehicle pictured below.

Correct Answer:

The vehicle pictured above is a 1947 Kurtis-Omohundro Comet. It is

considered to be the first post World War II American sports car. It was

a coach built aluminum body that runs on a 1940 Ford frame, with 1946 Ford

chassis components, including a Ford flathead V8 engine with some of the

earliest ever produced aluminum Edelbrock heads.

December , January , February , March , April , May ,

June , July , August , September , October's Trivia Challenge winners:

Guy Tremblay - Quebec City, Canada

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

What was the first production vehicle to offer

an automatically folding hardtop convertible and in what year was it?

Correct Answer:

The first documented production vehicle to offer an automatically folding

hardtop was a Hotchkiss in 1933. Georges Paulin designed the top for coach

builder, Pourtout. Pourtout put the top on the 1933 Hotchkiss pictured above.

Later, in 1934, Pourtout would go on to build several other vehicles with the

same designed top for makes such as Lancia and Peugeot.

February , March , April , May , June , July , August ,

September , October , November's Trivia Challenge winner:

Erik Andersson - Uppsala , Sweden

Question:

Correctly identify the MAKE of the vehicle pictured below.

What years did they manufacture these style of vehicles?

( photo & trivia question provided by David Redding - thanks David! )

Correct Answer:

The vehicle pictured above is a Powell Sports Wagon pick up truck.

Powell produced these style vehicles from 1954 to 1957. Powell also produced

a similar version of the Sports Wagon as a station wagon.

September , October , November , December , January's Trivia Challenge winner:

Rose Sterling - Palmhurst, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the MAKE of automobile that this badge is from.

What years did they manufacture automobiles?

Correct Answer:

The badge is from an Apperson Jackrabbit which was manufactured by the

Apperson Brothers Automobile Company. The company was located in

Kokomo, Indiana and produced cars from 1902 until 1926. The company was

founded by two brothers, Elmer Apperson and Edgar Apperson. The two brothers

had previously worked with Elwood Haynes and helped in the building of one

of America's first ever automobiles which had been designed by Haynes.

June , July , August's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

Correctly identify the auto manufacturer of the car pictured below,

as well as what country it was from,

and from what year to what year the manufacturer produced automobiles.

ok, here's a big hint.....

Correct Answer:

The car pictured above is a 1917 Velie touring car. Velie automobiles were

manufactured by the Velie Motor Vehicle Company in the good ol'

United States of America from 1908 to 1928 in Moline, Illinois. Willard Velie

founded the Velie Carriage Company in 1902, and after it's success of building

horse drawn carriages, he decided to try his hand in the automobile business and

so started the Velie Motor Vehicle Company in 1908. Willard Velie was a grandson

of John Deere of the Deere & Company, famous for the John Deere tractor.

*** BONUS ROUND ***

Who can name the movie that the screen grab with the above car pictured is from?

It is the 1955 film, East of Eden.

January , February , March , April , May's Trivia Challenge winner:

Jim Hoffman - where you from Jim?

Question:

What was the first auto manufacturer to transport a United States president?

Correct Answer:

The first auto manufacturer to transport a US president was Studebaker.

The president was Abraham Lincoln and he had a specially made Studebaker that

he rode in. The Studebaker that Lincoln rode is was not an automobile,

but rather a specially designed carriage. The Studebaker company made high-end

horse drawn carriages prior to building automobiles. In fact, the evening that

Lincoln was assassinated, he rode to the theatre in a custom built Studebaker carriage.

December's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the vehicles pictured below.

Correct Answer:

The vehicles pictured are 1954 Hudson Italias.

The Hudson Motor Car Company began manufacturing automobiles in Detroit, in 1909. They merged with Nash in 1954 to form American Motors. Prior to the merger,

Hudson, like most other car companies, wanted to bring attention to their

brand and to bring customers to the show room. They attempted to do this

by the introduction of the Hudson Jet. Hudson's chief styling designer, Frank Spring,

had created the original "sports car" design for the Jet but the company

president, A.E. Barit, and Murray Body Works drastically changed the

design and created a rather boxy and awkward designed car that would

become the Jet. Spring was so upset, that he almost left Hudson over

what had become of his design, but instead the top officials in the company

gave him an opportunity to design a sports car type car as he saw fit.

Spring wanted to build a European-inspired sports car that would rival the

Chevrolet Corvette and the soon to be released Ford Thunderbird.

This time, Spring worked with Touring Body Works / Superleggera Carrozzeria

of Milan, Italy to bring his new design to life. The car would be known as the Italia.

It had a hand formed aluminum body and initial response to the design by

customers was positive, but by the time the first 10 cars were built, Hudson

was in such financial trouble that a merger with Nash soon followed. The new

leaders of the newly formed American Motors did not want to fund more of

the cars to be built, so it was decided that for any more of them to be made,

the customer would have to pay for the car up front before they were to

be built. The cars were very pricey for the day, about the price of a Cadillac,

however the Italia was still based on a Hudson Jet chassis and so were

sluggish and did not handle well. Only 26 Italias were ever produced, all

were painted Italian cream in color with red and cream interior and equipped

with Borrani wheels. Interestingly enough, though only 26 of these cars

were ever made, at least 21 of them still exist in functioning form today.

August , September , October , November's Trivia Challenge winner:

Richard Staadt - Ft. Wayne, IN

Question:

What is the make and model of the car pictured below?

Correct Answer:

The car pictured is a 1950 Austin A90 Atlantic .

January , February , March , April , May , June , July's Trivia Challenge winner:

Tom Collins - Ft. Worth, TX

Question:

On what day and year is it reported that the world's first automobile accident occurred?

Correct Answer:

There has been a bit of discrepancy on the correct answer for this one,

and since we can not find anyone who was alive at this time nor was actually

there when these events took place, we are having to go to respected

historical reference sources and trust what they tell us.

Here is the info that we have:

The very first known automobile accident in the world occurred in France in 1771,

when Nicolas-Joseph Cugnot lost control of his steam powered vehicle and ran

into a wall at a speed of 2 miles per hour.

The first known automobile accident fatality occurred in 1869 in the countryside

near a small town in County Offaly, Ireland. Mary Ward was thrown from her

vehicle while driving over rough terrain and was killed.

The first known automobile accident in the world involving a gasoline powered

combustion engine vehicle occurred in Ohio City, Ohio in 1891, when

James Lambert and James Swoveland lost control of the vehicle they

were driving/riding and hit a tree root causing the vehicle to careen into

a hitching post. The two sustained only minor injuries from the accident.

The first officially reported auto accident in the world occurred on May 30, 1896

in New York City, New York. The accident occurred when Henry Wells of

Springfield, Massachusetts collided into a bicyclist, Evylyn Thomas.

The bicyclist sustained minor injuries.

( This was the accident and answer that we were looking for,

as it was the first officially reported and recorded automobile accident,

however we agree that previously known accidents did occur.

The interesting thing is that a good number of folks responded to this

challenge with the answer of the accident that occurred in 1891 or the one

in 1896 but NO ONE responded with the accident of 1771. )

August , September , October , November , December's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

Correctly identify the vehicle name and manufacturer of the vehicle

that this grille shell badge is from.

( Please note the names have been blurred out in the picture. )

Correct Answer:

It is a grille shell badge from a Texan built by the Texas Motor Car Association.

The Texas Motor Car Association was a automobile manufacturer from

Ft. Worth, TX that built vehicles from 1918 to 1922. Only about 2,000

Texan cars and about 1,000 Texan trucks were ever built.

May , June , July's Trivia Challenge winner:

Jeremy Johnson - San Marcos, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the vehicle manufacturer that this part is from.

Correct Answer:

It is a hubcap from a Jewett. Jewett was built by the Paige-Detroit

Motor Car Company in Detroit, Michigan from 1922 to 1926.

Paige-Detroit also produced the Paige automobile.

The Paige-Detroit company was sold to Graham Brothers in 1927

and the Jewett was badged as a Paige for 1927, then in 1928

the car was rebadged again as a Graham-Paige.

March , April's Trivia Challenge winner:

James Vazquez - La Feria, TX

Question:

What was the first American automobile manufacturer to mass produce a

V8 engine and offer it in its vehicles for sale and what year was it in?

Correct Answer:

Despite popular notions that Ford was the first American company to

introduce the V8 as they did in 1932, Ford was actually not the first

American company to do so. In fact several companies built and sold

V8 powered automobiles long before Ford did in 1932. The first

manufacturer to mass produce a V8 engine and offer it for sale in its

vehicles was Cadillac. Cadillac introduced its Type 51 engine in 1914 and

it was the standard engine available in all its cars for the model year 1915.

January , February's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

What was the first American production car made and in what year was it produced?

Correct Answer:

The first American production car was a gasoline-powered car made by the

Duryea brothers, Charles and Frank Duryea, known as the Duryea Motor Wagon

in 1893. The Duryea brothers were successful bicycle builders who became

interested gasoline-powered engines and the idea of a self-propelled automobile.

The brothers went on to sell 13 cars by 1896 at which time they created the

Duryea Motor Company which went on to build and sell cars well into the 1920's.

October , November , December's Trivia Challenge winner:

Jeremy Johnson - San Marcos, TX

Question:

What American car company was the first to offer a

vehicle with a multi-barreled carburetor and what year was it for?

Correct Answer:

It was a 1921 Lincoln.

September's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

Correctly identify the year and make of this smashed car?

Correct Answer:

It is a 1946 Playboy.

June , July , August's Trivia Challenge winner:

James DeBoard - St. Louis, MO

Question:

What American car manufacturer first introduced an automatic transmission

on a production vehicle, and in what year did they do this?

Correct Answer:

Automatic transmissions we first thought of and developed by inventors

in Germany back in the early 1800's, and not until the early 1900's did some

German manufacturers begin building and marketing automatic transmissions.

The first applications for the automatic transmissions was for various marine

engine applications. General Motors picked up on the idea and began

developing the idea of the automatic transmission for automobile applications.

They developed their first test cars with the automatic transmissions in 1938

and introduced the cars to the public for sale in 1940 in a line of Oldsmobiles.

The firstl Oldsmobile automatic transmission was called a "Hydra-Matic drive."

April , May's Trivia Challenge winner:

Christopher Becker - Wentzville, MO

Question:

The CRAGAR company is a well known aftermarket manufacturer

of wheels and rims for various cars and applications.

Let's test some history of the CRAGAR company:

How did the CRAGAR company get its name?

What year did it start up as a business?

What was the company's first product produced with the CRAGAR name on it?

What application (vehicle) was this product for?

Correct Answer:

The Cragar company came about when Crane Gartz, an heir to the

Crane Publishing family joined up with car racing star Harlan Fengler.

In 1930 they officially formed the Cragar Corporation, Ltd.,

which of course got its name from the first three letters of the name Crane Gartz. Long before the company produced their world famous wheels, they were

involved in a number of other racing and speed parts. The first

product they produced with he Cragar name on it was actually an over-head-valve designed engine head for Ford Model A 4 cylinder engines.

The original Cragar heads were not of their own design but rather were

Miller-Goossen head designs that Cragar had purchased the rights to

along with the tooling, machinery and patterns for. The company would

go on to produce a large number of speed parts for various cars and applications.

Under different ownership it would go on to produce and refine safety

equipment for racing applications such as the well known Bell helmets.

It was not until 1964 under another owner that the company would begin

producing wheels when it first produced its now infamous Cragar S/S wheel.

January , February , March's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

The challenge is to identify this grille shell.

In the photo, it is not mounted on the car it was originally made for,

but we want to know what car it was originally made for.

Can you identify the correct year, make, model of vehicle that this grille shell came off of?

Correct Answer:

This grille shell is from a 1926 Hupmobile and was used on a variety of models.

October , November , December's Trivia Challenge winner:

Mike Garrison - Clarendon, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car pictured below.

Correct Answer:

The vehicle is a 1963 ASA 1000 Grand Turismo Coupe Bertone.

August , September's Trivia Challenge winner:

David Redding - Penrose, CO

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car pictured below.

Correct Answer:

The vehicle is a 1936 Stout Scarab.

June , July's Trivia Challenge winner:

Trevor Wray - San Benito, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car pictured below,

and what great significance it has in automotive history.

Correct Answer:

The vehicle is a 1966 Jensen FF.

The 1966 model Jensen FF was the first vehicle to be built with anti-lock brakes.

The car was equipped with a Dunlop Maxaret electro-mechanical anti-lock

braking system which was originally developed for use on aircraft.

The 1966 Jensen FF was also the first production sports car

to be outfitted with a traction control system and 4 wheel drive.

March , April , May's Trivia Challenge winner:

Jeff Stork - Santa Monica, CA

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car pictured below.

Correct Answer:

The vehicle is a 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt.

Yes, Chrysler used the Thunderbolt name long before the 1960's when Ford

produced their 427 powered performance car under the same name.

November , December , January , February's Trivia Challenge winner:

Enrique Nieto - Reynosa, Tamps.; Mexico

Question:

What 1978 model year US made production vehicle had the fastest 0-100mph time?

Correct Answer:

In 1972, the EPA placed into effect new regulations on auto manufacturers on exhaust emissions and forced such things as catalytic converters and gas mileage constraints thus forcing an end to the muscle car era that had been growing with leaps and bounds from the late 60's. By 1975 the car sales on American made vehicles was dropping so badly due to the loss of horsepower and performance and little to no gas mileage benefit, that Dodge marketing division realized that the sales of trucks had not dropped and was actually growing as the younger generation found that light trucks would out perform most other cars and they found that there was a loophole in the federal regulations that they could produce trucks with high performance equipment still and not be bothered by the emissions regulations. In 1976 they released their first truck in a series they named the Adult Toy Series. The first vehicle introduced was a custom Dodge van known as the Street Van True Spirit. They also produced a pickup named the Warlock that year and was met with such enthusiasm that they continued work on a newer version for 1978 named the Lil' Red Express. The truck was given the title "The Last Real American Hot Rod" by most of the press and media and is still considered by many to be the hottest muscle truck to ever come out of Detroit. The production vehicle in the United States for the 1978 model year was the Dodge Lil' Red Express pick up truck. The truck was powered by a 850cfm four barrel carbureted 360 ci V8 engine with a special 727 automatic transmission. The motor netted 225 horsepower. The truck was available in only one color, Medium Canyon Red and was equipped with mag wheels, the trademark Lil' Red Express logos on the doors, real wood panels on the bed of the truck, and the twin chrome vertical exhaust stacks just to the rear of the cab. Due to a loophole in the emissions regulations that year, the trucks were able to be produced without a catalytic converter, thus being able to just outperform the Chevrolet Corvette in 0-100mph time. After Car and Driver Magazine released their statistics on the performance of the truck, sales jumped to 2,188 for the 1978 model year. The truck was produced in 1978 and again in 1979, however the 1979 models were forced to have a catalytic converter on their exhaust system, which robbed a good amount of horsepower. Dodge produced 5,118 trucks for the 1979 model year but with the drop of horsepower, so did the sales for this year drop. Dealers had a difficult time selling them so much so versus the 1978 model year that Dodge decided to cut their loses and not produce it anymore.

September , October's Trivia Challenge winner:

Gabe Rios Jr. - Edinburg, TX

Question:

What year did the recognized Chevrolet bowtie emblem first appear on a car?

Correct Answer:

William Durant was one of America's leading pioneers and founders of

the automobile industry. He was the founder of General Motors who from

early on acquired stock control of Oldsmobile, Pontiac, and Cadillac. He would

later go into a partnership with Louis Chevrolet to start the Chevrolet Motor

Company in 1911. After a falling out between the two partners, Durant bought

out Chevrolet's portion of the company and took over full operation and ownership.

While on a travel around the world in 1908, he stayed in a hotel in Paris which

had a wallpaper that contained a pattern with a bowtie type pattern in it. As he

stared at the pattern in his room, he felt that the pattern would make a great

design for a vehicle badge. He tore a piece of the wallpaper off and took it with

him as a reference. Years later he presented the pattern to friends who didn't

show the excitement and enthusiasm in the idea as he was. He still felt it would

be a good emblem for a car name badge and in 1913 he incorporated the bowtie

pattern into the Chevrolet name as the ID badge on the vehicles. This emblem

has remained a major part of the Chevrolet vehicle company and is easily

recognizable as representative of the Chevrolet company and one of the most

successful automotive companies in this country and the world over.

July / August's Trivia Challenge winner: Petr Lastovicka - Pecky, Czech Republic

Question:

One vehicle model sold more than 1 million units in North America

for a single year model. This sales record still stands today

for a single model sales count.

What was the year, make, and model of this car?

Correct Answer:

In 1965, Chevrolet set an all time sales record by selling more than one million

Impalas in North America. The Impala was originally introduced in 1958

and quickly became the best selling automobile in the United States

throughout the 1960's. The Impala stood apart from other models in early

years due to subtle but distinct styling differences including its

trademarked six taillights across the rear.

April / May / June's Trivia Challenge winner: Ron Gissiner - Seminole, FL

Question:

The picture below is of a very significant "first" in automobile history.

What is the significant "first" that it depicts;

what month, day, and year was this "first";

what city was this in;

AND what are the cross streets shown in this picture?

Correct Answer:

In Cleveland, Ohio on August 5, 1914 at the intersection pictured above,

of 105th Street and Euclid Ave, the first traffic signal using electric lights

was put into operation. The system was built by the American Traffic Signal Co.

and was the first of what would become a normal and very well accepted part

of the motoring way of life. You will notice a small booth building on the sidewalk

on the left of the photo. This was the control center in which a traffic control

officer would sit and manually switch the lights from red for STOP to green for

PROCEED as traffic flow needed. There was no yellow warning light as

there are in today's automated traffic signal systems.

March's Trivia Challenge winner: Jeremy Johnson - Buda, TX

Question:

In 1919, which automobile manufacturer included a camera

and a compass as part of its list of standard equipment

and for what vehicle model was this offered?

Correct Answer:

In 1919, the Templar Touring Roadster offered a camera by Kodak

and a compass as part of its standard equipment sold with the car.

July / August / September / October / November /

December / January / February's Trivia Challenge winner:

Barbara Ann Mills - Las Vegas, NV

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car pictured below.

Correct Answer:

The car pictured is a 1958 Tatra model 603 4 door sedan made in Czechoslovakia.

This has been our longest Trivia Challenge to date. It took a few months

for us to receive a correct answer on this one. We received several guesses

that were very close, in fact had a few that had the vehicle correct but

were slightly off on the year or the model and so on.

May / June's Trivia Challenge winner:

Gabe Rios Jr. - Edinburg, TX

Question:

The 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air has long been considered the classic American car,

how many various color combinations were there for the exterior paint

from the factory for the 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air and what were they?

Correct Answer:

The lacquer paint came in seventeen colors, sixteen solid choices

and fifteen two-tone combinations for a total of 31 variations.

There was a staggering 466 model / color varieties. The convertible

was available only in a solid color, but one of five colors could

be selected for the top. This represented the greatest color / model

combinations ever offered by Chevrolet up to this point.

October / November / December / January / February /

March / April's Trivia Challenge winner:

Lance Roth - Redondo Beach, CA

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, model

of the vehicle that is pictured below.

Correct Answer:

It is a 1939 Rolls-Royce Phantom III Labourdette Drophead. The car was

originally purchased by Louie Ritter of New York, who was a successful

furrier to the rich and famous. He had the car sent overseas to France

and contracted Labourdette to rework the body of the car and restylize it

to be a unique one of a kind piece. During the war, the car was still not

completed, so it was hidden away to help keep anything from happening

to it. It was brought back out to work on in 1945 and was not completed

until 1946. Louie Ritter did not take possession of the car until 1947.

The car was listed for sale in 2005 for the sum of $1.5 million.

July / August / September's Trivia Challenge winner:

George Winget - La Feria, TX

Question:

Correctly answer the following question AND give the reason WHY

On the surface of the moon, which weighs more;

four 1917 Rolliens cabriolets or

eleven 1957 BMW Isetta 2 door coupes?

Correct Answer:

Neither, neither one exists, they are not real vehicles.

May / June's Trivia Challenge winner: John Mallinak - Carl Junction, MO

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, model

of the car that is pictured below.

Correct Answer:

It is a 1919 Brewster Town Car.

( Made in the USA )

March / April's Trivia Challenge winner: Jeremy Johnson - Corpus Christi, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, model ,and NICKNAME

of the car that is pictured below.

Correct Answer:

It is a 1939 Chevrolet Coupe Utility, nicknamed the "Ute",

body was created and made by Holden.

Holden is today a part of the Chevrolet family located in Australia.

January / February's Trivia Challenge winner: George Winget - La Feria, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car

that is pictured below.

Correct Answer:

It is a 1956 P. Valle Chantecler
( Made in France )

September / October / November / December's Trivia Challenge winner:

Gary Petersen - Cresent City, CA

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car

that the taillight in this picture belongs to.

We still do not yet have a winner, so we have

added a picture of the front headlight now.

Anyone know the car?

Still need more of a hint? Here is a shot of the back end of the car.

Still can't get it? Here is a shot of the front side of the car.

Correct Answer:

It is a 1955 Lincoln Boano Indy Coupe

August's Trivia Challenge winner: Amber Rios - Edinburg, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, and model of the car in this picture.

Correct Answer:

It is a 1956 Facel Vega FV-2 cabriolet

June & July's Trivia Challenge winner: George Winget - La Feria, TX

Question:

Which American automotive company found its first home in a three-story,

block-long, manufacturing plant building which had previously been the

home of the Corcoran Lamp Co. ?

Hint: The plant was located at 1145 West Grand Blvd. in Detroit, Michigan

Correct Answer:

Chevrolet

May's Trivia Challenge winner: Ron Harris - Weslaco, TX

Question:

How many Lincoln Zephyr Town Sedans were ever produced?

Correct Answer:

In 1936, Lincoln Motors released a fancy, luxury model to its Zephyr line up.

It was called the Town Sedan. Only 47 Town Sedans were ever

produced. 1936 would be the only year that the Lincoln Zephyr Town Sedan

would be made. The following year Lincoln produced a very similar

luxury model Zephyr, however they renamed it the Town Limousine.

April's Trivia Challenge winner: Gabe Rios - Edinburg, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year and make of this wrecked car?

Correct Answer:

This is a 1948 Nash Series "600".

The story behind this photo is that the Nash is in this condition

because it was struck and sandwiched between two

streetcars on a road in Winnipeg Canada.

This is what it should have looked like before the accident.

March's Trivia Challenge winner: Joe Dale - McAllen, TX

Question:

Correctly identify the year, make, model of the car pictured below.

Correct Answer:

This is a 1950 Muntz Jet convertible

February's Trivia Challenge winner: George Winget - La Feria, TX

Question:

In the year 1948, which American automobile manufacturing company

produced more station wagons than any other manufacturer that year?

Correct Answer:

Crosley Motors Incorporated

Crosley Motors Incorporated had its main office and engineering facility in Cincinnati, Ohio and its assembly plants in Richmond, Indiana (1939-1942) and Marion, Indiana (1946-1952). The Crosley automobile was the brain child of Powel Crosley Jr., who had made his fortune as a radio and appliance manufacturer, owner of the radio station WLW "The Nation's Station" and the Cincinnati Reds baseball team. The Crosley auto was built ahead of its time. It was a small, fuel efficient, less expensive car that was made during a time of big cars and luxury. Most people didn't think about economy or saving fuel as this was years before the big fuel crunch of the 1970's hit. Crosley was the first to implement many ideas on cars, many of which are still in use today. Crosley was the first to produce an American car with disc brakes, and all four wheels were stopped by disc brakes. Crosley was the first to introduce slab side styling on cars, a styling method that is still used on most every car produced still today. Crosley was the first to build a post-WWII sports car. Crosley was the first to build a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), which is one of the most popular body styles sold today. Crosley was the first to build an all steel station wagon based on a car chassis, previous station wagon bodies were fashioned out of wood. Though Crosley for the most part built low production numbers of his vehicles each year, in 1948 the Crosley company built and sold more station wagons than any other manufacturer. A total of 23,489 Crosley station wagons were built that year. Crosley was the first to build a full-bed or fleet side pick-up truck, previous pick-ups used a step-side styled bed. Crosley saw the step-side style as having wasted space that could be used inside the bed area. Crosley was the first to build an engine that utilized an overhead cam. Crosley was first to build an engine block out of stacked layers of tin that were COpper BRAzed together. The engine was known as the COBRA. (Crosley was also first car company to use the name Cobra as well as Super Sport) The engine was built this was to cut down on weight and manufacturing cost. While the engine was incredibly successful, it did prove to have a major fault when water would get between the layers of tin and warp the block and the motor would be shot. Later in the 1970's General Motors even tried to revive this idea of a tin engine, but eventually dropped the idea. Crosley was the first for many other ideas and inventions as well, many of which were not car related such as first to place shelves on the doors of refrigerators. Despite the high production numbers of the 1948 Crosley station wagon, today it is one of the more uncommonly known vehicles and one of the most difficult cars to find. They have certainly become rarer and more scarce.

January's Trivia Challenge winner: Mark Weber - Beeville, TX

Question:

The Checker Motors Corporation, known best for its production of the

Checker taxicabs was established in Kalamazoo, Michigan by a

Russian immigrant named Morris Markin.

What year was the Checker Motors Corporation founded?

Correct Answer:

1922

The Checker Motors Corporation, known best for its production of the Checker taxicabs was founded in 1922 by a Russian immigrant named Morris Markin. Checker Motors Corp finds its home in Kalamazoo, Michigan. After coming to the United States, Markin purchased the Hadley-Knight chassis manufacturing plant and the Dort body plant which were converted to build the Checker cars. The first Checker taxicab rolled off the assembly line in June of 1923. Through the years, Checker produced several other models other than taxicabs including limousines, station wagons, the Landau, and ambulances. During World War II, Checker made products for other companies in their plants, including trailers for Sears Roebuck, truck cabs for Ford Motor Co. and several jeep vehicles for the Army. In 1962, Checker produced what became their most popular model and most recognizable Checker, the A-12 Marathon. It was available in a sedan, deluxe sedan, and a wagon version. The Marathon proved to be a rugged and very popular automobile that featured extra wide doors and lots of interior room and became the standard for taxicabs all over the US. Several large cities in the US had exclusive contracts with Checker to use these cars as their municipal taxi service vehicles. The Marathon remained about the same through the years with very few changes to the original design or idea. It was built strong and durable and was powered by a larger engine that would allow it to move in and out of traffic with ease and with regular maintenance proved to be a dependable car. In the 1970's as oil prices began to rise, people began buying smaller more fuel efficient vehicles. The Checker cab only averaged about 10 miles to the gallon and that just wasn't going to cut it for many cab companies. Despite their pleading with Checker to build the cars lighter or with a smaller engine, Checker refused to change and lower their quality standards and their sales continued to drop off. Checker produced its last cab on July 12, 1982, however the Checker company is still going strong even to this day. While you may have not have been aware, you probably have seen Checker products in front of you on a daily basis and didn't know that Checker had anything to do with it. Today, Checker manufactures many car bodies and body components for several of the larger auto manufactures, especially for many General Motors vehicles.

December's Trivia Challenge winner: Belinda Killinger - Mission, TX

Question:

What year did the state of Texas first implement the

requirement that all motor vehicles that operated on public

roads be registered with the counties?

Correct Answer: 1907

In 1907, Texas House Bill #93 required that all motor vehicles that were used on public roads had to be registered with their county clerk. The vehicle was issued a number in the order that it was registered in each county. The number was to be placed on the vehicle and be at least six inches in height and displayed "in a conspicuous place" on the vehicle. Neither the state nor the county issued actual license plates during the first years. Often, motorists either painted the numbers on the vehicle itself, or fashioned a number plate by attaching numbers to a piece of wood or leather and hanging that from their vehicle. Vehicle registration went into affect on August 10, 1907. The first Texas license number that was recorded for registry was issued to a bus that was owned by W.B. Chenoweth of Colorado City, TX.

November's Trivia Challenge winner: Pat Harris - Weslaco, TX

Question:

The Studebaker manufacturing company began as a blacksmith

shop which would later produce horse drawn wagons and

became the world's largest wagon manufacturer at its time.

When Studebaker first produced an automobile, it was an

electric car. Their gasoline powered automobile came a

couple years after their first production electric car.

From what year AND until what year did the Studebaker

company produce and sell gasoline powered automobiles?

Correct Answer:

1904 & 1966

The Studebaker Story

The H & C Studebaker blacksmith shop opened in 1852 at the corner of Michigan and Jefferson Streets in what is now the heart of downtown South Bend, Indiana. Henry and Clement Studebaker's blacksmith shop would turn into the Studebaker Manufacturing Company in 1868, and would eventually become the largest wagon manufacturer in the world. Studebaker would also be the only manufacturer to successfully switch from horse-drawn to gasoline powered vehicles. John Mohler Studebaker returned from California in 1858 where he made wheelbarrows for gold miners, and invested his earnings in the business. At this time, the brothers were filling wagon orders for the U.S. Army, and would continue to do so throughout the Civil War. By 1887, sales would eclipse two million dollars, and by 1885, production would top 75,000. Studebaker eased their way into the automobile market after the turn of the century, introducing an electric car in 1902. Gasoline-powered Studebakers came in 1904, produced by the Garford Company in Ohio, marketed under the name Studebaker-Garford. In 1911, Studebaker would join forces with Everitt-Metzker-Flanders Company of Detroit to form the Studebaker Corporation. Studebaker sold automobiles under the EMF and Flanders names until 1913; from thereafter, all new cars carried the Studebaker name. Studebaker was still producing wagons, and would do so until 1920, at which time automobile production was moved from Detroit to South Bend. During this time, Studebaker built automobiles in the medium-price-field. In 1927, Studebaker introduced the Erskine; a small car designed for the European market, and purchased luxury automaker Pierce-Arrow. The Great Depression, combined with questionable management decisions lead to Studebaker going into receivership in 1933. They would emerge from receivership under Studebaker Vice-Presidents Paul Hoffman and Harold Vance. Raymond Loewy's relationship with Studebaker began in 1936. Raymond Loewy Associates held the Studebaker account from 1936-1955, with the first RLA designs being the 1938 models. RLA would also style the successful 1939 Champion, which marked Studebaker's first successful foray into the low-priced field. Defense contracts during World War II had Studebaker building B-17 Flying Fortress engines, US6 6x6 military trucks, and the M29 and M29C "Weasel". Having produced military trucks during WWII, Studebaker was able to resume civilian truck production quickly. M-Series trucks, introduced for 1941, would continue through 1948. The 2R series debuted for 1949 and was an immediate hit. The Transtar appeared for 1956, and the Lark-based Champ came in 1960. New styling marked Studebaker's return to automobile production after WWII. While all prewar manufacturers resumed production with warmed-over prewar models, Studebaker introduced new styling for the 1947 model year, highlighted by the wraparound rear-windowed Starlight Coupe. The 1950 models introduced the famous "bullet nose" styling, while 1951 marked the introduction of the Studebaker V8. The "Loewy Coupes" came in 1953. Styled by RLA Design Chief Bob Bourke, these automobiles would evolve into the 1955 Speedster and finally into the 1956-1964 Hawk line. Due to a number of factors, Studebaker's finances were poor by 1954, leading to a merger with Packard. Studebaker-Packard would fare no better, as Studebaker would lose 43 million dollars in 1956, and Packard disappeared altogether after 1958. Studebaker would rebound in 1959, introducing the compact Lark. Much like the Champion of 20 years earlier, the Lark was a success, pushing Studebaker back into the black. By 1961, however, Studebaker would be back in the loss column. They countered with the new Gran Turismo Hawk for the 1962 model year, styled by Brooks Stevens. The Studebaker Avanti debuted as a 1963 model. Styled under Raymond Loewy, the Avanti featured disc brakes, optional supercharged engines, and a fiberglass body. Studebaker's financial problems continued, however. In December 1963, Studebaker closed its South Bend plant. Production continued through March 1966 at the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada plant, where a blue and white 1966 Cruiser marked the end of 114 years of Studebaker vehicle production.

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