This year is a bumper one for British cars. Motors that are well known to this day, such as the Range Rover, Morgan Plus 4 and Jaguar E-Type celebrate significant birthdays in 2020. And several other models that car fans hold dear to their hearts have anniversaries too. Find out how well you know your British cars by taking our cunning quiz.
Results
Bad luck! Your British car knowledge is as unreliable as a Triumph Stag. We hope you’ve learnt a bit from our quiz.
#1. The Jaguar E-Type was revealed as a racing car in 1960. When did the E-Type first go on sale to the public?
The E-Type was raced in 1960 to test it out but it didn’t go on sale until March 1961. Incidentally, E2A the original test car, was sold at auction in 2008 for US$ 4,957,000 (£4 million).
#2. The original Range Rover was launched in 1970. Including the first, how many versions of the Range Rover have there been?
The current fourth generation model was launched in 2012. The first Range Rover was built for an astonishing 25 years.
#3. The Bond Bug is 50 this year. Which famous 1970s sci fi movie did it appear in?
Luke Skywalker’s Landspeeder in Star Wars was based on a Bond Bug. The Landspeeder was also designed by Tom Karens who penned the Bug.
#4. The Morgan Plus 4 looks like it’s been in production forever. Which significant birthday does it celebrate in 2020?
The Plus 4 was first built in 1950 as a larger version of the company’s 4/4 model. Production has stopped twice but it has been revived both times and the car is still on sale.
#5. The 50-year old Triumph Stag was famous for its hopelessly unreliable engine. How big was that motor?
The Stag was so fragile it was named one of the 50 worst cars ever made by Time magazine. It used a 3.0-litre engine built by Triumph. It was originally designed around a Triumph 2.5-litre engine but some within owner British Leyland wanted it to use the same 3.5-litre as Rover.
#6. The Aston Martin DB2 is 70 this year. It was the first Aston to use the DB name for its models.
DB stands for David Brown, an English industrialist who bought Aston in 1947. The Aston Martin 2-litre Sports was the first car built by Aston under Brown and is now sometimes called the DB1. But the DB2 was the first car to be launched using the DB model name.
#7. The Austin Mini Metro went on sale 40 years ago. What was it called when production stopped in 1998?
When it was finally killed off it was called the Rover 100. But during its life it had also been named the MG Metro and Rover Metro.
#8. The Ford Escort’s third generation was launched 40 years ago. The Escort was eventually replaced by which model?
The Escort went on to have five generations before the Focus succeeded it in 1998. The series 3 model, launched in 1980, was significant because it was the first Escort to have front-wheel drive.
#9. The Hillman Avenger celebrates its 50th this year. During its life it sold in the UK under several other car brand names. Which of these badges didn’t it wear?
Although Hillman was taken over by PSA Peugeot-Citroen in 1978, the French company rebranded the Avenger as a Talbot rather than using the Peugeot name.
#10. The Morris Ital was unveiled as successor to which car in 1980?
The Ital replaced the Marina. Originally it was going to be called the Marina Ital after Italian company Ital Design helped re-engineer the Marina. But to make it sound more exotic, the Marina part was dropped.
Some amazing cars in that list, takes me back to my childhood!
I did own 2 of these vehicles, sadly not the E-Type, Morgan, Stag or DB2, rather the Metro and Escort! 🙂
6/10, not bad for a foreigner…
Keep doing so.keeps my car memories up to par.
I am good with Vauxhalls since my family had a few.
Good quiz,actually made you think!