Trivial Details: Can You Guess These 12 Cars?

11 December 2023

“Bro, I told you it was Celine Dion who sang the theme from Titanic,” you groan to your teammate Brett, who erroneously thought Mariah Carey sang “My Heart Will Go On.”

Maybe night bar trivia has become somewhat of a ritual for you and your friends, but your team always comes up a few points short of first place. Tonight looks like it will be no different, because, with one round to go, you are 11 points behind your smug-faced rivals. Then again, the trivia host is unpredictable when it comes to the final topic; it could be anyone’s game.

“Allllllright teams!” the host barks into the mic. “Our final round is a picture round. The rules are simple: I will show you 12 close up shots of classic American cars and you will have to give me the year, make, and model of each mystery machine! The picture captions will be your only clues, so read closely. Teams will get one point for each secret part answered correctly. If we catch you using your phones, you will be disqualified.”

The team looks at you expectantly. You, the only car nerd at the sticky, chipped table. And didn’t you just recently visit Chicago for the Muscle Car and Corvette Nationals? The other dorks on “The Quizzard of Oz” team don’t know a spark plug from a transmission spline. It’s up to you.

The round timer is ticking. In the comments, can you identify these cars by year, make, and model, thus propelling your team to victory (and a $50 dollar bar tab)?

Correct answers will be posted at the bottom of this story a week after publication. Be a good sport and don’t cheat!

1. Eye-drop Steve

2. Rebel with a Cause

3. Strobe Warning

4. Elemental New Jersey

5. Salt Flats

6. Ol’ William Randolph

7. Four thousand four hundred and six

8. Portal-to-portal

9. Coast of Azure

10. The Red (Taillights)

11. More than a Solar System

12. Track Seven on Zep II

ANSWERS BELOW!

1. 1986 Ford Mustang Saleen
2. 1968 Chevrolet Corvette L88 “Rebel” LeMans racer
3. 1970 Plymouth AAR Cuda
4. 1956 Mercury Montclair
5. 1960 Pontiac Bonneville
6. 1973 Oldsmobile Cutlass Hurst/Olds
7. 1971 Plymouth Road Runner
8. 1977 Dodge B100
9. 1965 Buick Riviera
10. 1973 Chevrolet Chevelle SS
11. 1964 Ford Galaxie
12. 1969 AMC SC/Rambler

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Comments

Too easy! OK Boomer. Hey that’s me…between me and my brother we had four of those cars in their affordable maximum iron oxide generation days. The most expensive was $400.

1. Chevy Monza. 2. Isetta 3. Challenger/Barracuda 4. Ford Thunderbird 5. Chevy Impala 6. Olds Cutlass 7. Dodge Charger 8. Chevy Van. 9. Buick Electra 10. Chevy Malibu 11. Ford Galazie 12. AMC AMX

You are way off on too many of them…

Millennials using google image….
No match for experience….

bad guesses on many

No that’s amc rebel.
Your google images are inaccurate

No. That’s an SC/Hurst Rambler.

The titles for each photo were a big hint. I got many of them based on the titles alone since I am post-Boomer. 🙂

yep a SCrambler Rambler. I got a friend who is an original owner of one and it is still has original paint and is mint. 390 4 speed split bench seat.

The Mercury is a Montclair, a town in New Jersey.

My Dad bought a few month old Mercury Monterey Phaeton in 1956 from a Port Credit Ontario Canada dealership named Port Credit Motors. No one seems t have any information on this model. It was an all black 4 door hardtop with about a 10 inch wide chrome stripe with individual chrome stripes raised above alternate white stripes across the entire roof And it was labelled with a chrome name, Phaeton, on each side. The interior was all white with very thin silver stripes in the material . My Dad immediately covered all the seats with perfectly fitting clear plastic, and it remained perfectly preserved for the 8 years of ownership. Apparently the owner of the dealership ordered the car personally for himself, but as he was a very large man, he had a problem sitting behind the wheel, even with power seats, and quickly sold it. It may have been made by the Ford Motor Company in Oakville, and perhaps the dealer was able to have extras added to the car to create this “Phaeton” model. I have seen several models since, usually in a white and greenish-blue combination, but nothing with this “Phaeton” name. It was the first car I drove when I turned 16 years old, but as my Dad also let me learn to drive towing our boat, he had me renew several 60 day licences before I could get my full licence. Anyone ever see a “Phaeton” model?

Your dealership was east of Hwy 10 on the north side of Lakeshore Rd. in Port Credit?? Opposite St. Lawrence Starch Company.

I lived in Mimico and we used to drive our sports cars past on the way to Lorne Park to Sports Car Unlimited and Laurention Motors.

Great area!

Small world. We lived on the east side of Hwy 10 just north of the tracks. I had a drive shaft hanger bearing pressed off in Port Credit Motors. The implanted 409 engine wisted the drive shaft spline and the bearing exploded. Mimico was a favourite strip with all of the traffic lights for night drag racing until we got caught. I can almost smell the St. Lawrence Corn Starch stench and as a kind I used to set pins in the bowling alley near the Vogue movie theatre.

I have seen Phaetons.

#1 Saleen
#2 The Heinz and Johnson Rebel Corvette C3 with Lemans open headlamps
#3 AAR Cuda All American Racers
#4 53 Mercury
#5 60 Bonneville Pontiac
#6 73 Hurst Olds Cutlass pace car
#7 71 Road Runner
#8 70’s Dodge Van
#9 65 Buick Riviera
#10 73 Chevelle SS
#11 64 Galaxie
#12 Hurst AMC 69 Hurst Rambler

That’s not a 53 Mercury, it’s a 55 or 56

Absolutely not a 53 but a 55 or 56 Mercury in #4. A fun quiz

Agreed, I’d say a 56 Mercury for #4.

Assuming 1 is a Fox Body, gor 2 wrong. No idea what 2 was, but I was assuming these were factory cars. Should have gotten AAR Cuda as I have 2 Challengers.

A ’56 I think by the teeth in the grille that are visible.

Hey smarty pants,
This is supposed to be a challenge, …
I’m glad I wrote down my answers before I got to the comments. Based on your expert analysis, I only missed three of them.

#4 56′ Mercury. Good list all the same.

I got # 4 correct as a 56. Which makes my total correct answers: 4 I was a car guy through all of the years shown. Should have done much better. Now I’m going to have another cup of coffee and try to remember my kids names.

Hey Bunka, are you from Down East Maine? If so we’re probably related. Good to have another car guy in the extended family!

GREAT Work ID’ing the L-88. Note to self READ THE CLUES.

#4 is a ’56 Mercury in Tropic Blue. (I have the ’55 version)… fun quiz ….thanks!

#4 is incorrect should be 1955 Merc.

Not a ’53 Merc – ’55 or ’56

I think I got 10 or so, perhaps 11. Most of these are from before my time. Only the top 1% of car spotters can tell the difference between the sheet metal of a Dodge van (vs Chevy of Ford) without seeing the tail lights.

That Saleen Panel gap is horrible.

The Merc and Road Runner are the only ones I am not sure the year.

The Merc is a ’55 or ’56; I think it’s a ’56.

Did they actually bend the corner of that mustang hood to meet the fender?
It wouldn’t take much. That does look like a “used car lot” piece.

71 is the only year with a 3 section side marker light.

The #29 Saleen is showing the scars of it’s road racing days

#4 is actually a 1955 Mercury, not 1953

I’m guessing 56…

Mostly all before my time besides #1 so we will see if my guesses match up.

#2 threw me; didn’t have a clue. And the van pic was just too generic for anyone that didn’t own one IMO (I guessed Chevy).

No, that was obviously a Dodge.

Right with you there. Those are the only two I missed.

24 out of 30 points !!!

I’m not old enough. 😆 I got some and was close on a couple more. Thought the Dodge van was Chevy. I knew it wasn’t Ford. I should have gotten the Riviera by the clue in the title.

Tim no worries and thanks for your honesty. Hey in 20 years when they run this contest again you could be 100%!

“Four thousand four hundred forty-six”

Uhhh… didn’t you mean Four thousand four hundred and six?

Good catch!

@Hyperv6
Nice job on #6. I had guessed Corvette, but not your level of accuracy.

#3 was ’70 only. Though many have put the strobe stripes on restomods and clones.
#7 is ’71 only. Side marker lights were changed across all models in ’72 to corporate-wide style rectangles to save money. Front fenders and rear quarters were unique between ’71 and ’72 Satellite/Road Runner due to side marker change. That one could be a either a Road Runner or a GTX, though I suspect GTX due to chin spoilers. And, Road Runner is always two words in Moparland.

Great shots of all of them regardless. Clearly, styling mattered before the ’80s.

Some of these old muscle car graphics are just so funny. How can’t you smile at the last one from AMC with an arrow showing where the hood scoop is and labels showing it’s for air. Supremely silly and fun.