Axon's Automotive Anorak: Spring Bank Holiday Quiz – The Answers

Q1: Which one of the following manufacturers has NOT had a connection with Mitsubishi in the past?

Plymouth, Volvo, Infiniti, Jeep, Peugeot, Smart

A1: Peugeot was the odd one out, as each of the other car brands had direct connections with Mitsubishi.  Plymouth sold Mitsubishi-built models in North America throughout the 1970s and 80s, such as the Champ (Mitsubishi Colt/Mirage) and Arrow (Celeste).  The Volvo S40 and V40 series shared their platforms with the Mitsubishi Charisma, and were built in the same ex-DAF factory in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.  In Japan the current range-topping Mitsubishi Proudia is a re-badged Infiniti Q45 (Nissan Cima in Japan).  Mitsubishi built the original Jeep CJ4 under licence in Japan between 1953 and 1998.  The original Smart ForFour shared its base with the 2002-2012 Mitsubishi Colt, manufactured in the same NedCar plant in Holland.

Q2: Which of the following cars was NOT designed by Marcello Gandini?

Fiat 132, Maserati Khamsin, BMW 520i (E??), ISO Lele, Citroen LNA

A2: The Citroen LNA was not designed by Gandini, unlike each of the other cars.  The only Gandini-designed Citroen was the popular 1980s BX range.

Q3: Which one of the following marques offered a Sax-O-Matic transmission option?

Citroen, Humber, Oldsmobile, DKW, Saab

A3: Sax-O-Matic was the name used by DKW for its optional automatic transmission, as found on the 1000 series models.

Q4: Which one of these is the odd one out (photo quiz)?

(photos of the Ford Edge Vignale, Standard Vignale, 1966 Jensen Interceptor S1, Vignale 850 Spider)

A4: The early Jensen Interceptor is the odd one out here, as unlike the other cars pictured, it was built by Vignale, but was not branded as Vignale, unlike the Vignale Fiat 850 Spider, the Standard Vanguard Vignale and the new Ford Edge Vignale.

Q5: Which car was the SEAT 1200 Sport originally designed to replace?

SEAT 850, NSU Prinz, Fiat 127, Audi 50

A5: The pretty SEAT 1200 Sport was developed by Inducar in Italy to originally replace the rear-engined NSU Prinz range, as a rear-wheel-drive, rear engined car.  When the Audi division of Volkswagen took over NSU in 1969, the Inducar project was dropped as VW thought this new model would directly compete with the new Audi 50/VW Polo range, which was also under development at the same time.  SEAT took the over, basing the small coupe on the front-drive Fiat/SEAT 127.

Q6: For how many years has Morgan used its 4/4 name plate?

10, 25, 50, 75, 80, 100

The Morgan 4/4 is Britain’s oldest model name plate in constant production (excluding the WWII period), with a special 4/4 80^th Anniversary edition recently announced by Morgan to mark the model’s original launch in 1936.