Secret Mission: Can you ID these 15 cars?
Dear Gumshoe,
We need your help. Top brass in Detroit wants answers. Deep-cover agents captured a number of unidentified detail images from the The Amelia car show last weekend. They just barely escaped—though some were, regrettably, sunburned.
In an effort to determine the identities of the vehicles below, we’ve enlisted your expertise. Your bravery, knowledge, and diligence will ensure the continued enthusiasm of the car hobby. As far as rolled eyes and confused looks from friends, spouses, and other civilians in their milquetoast CR-Vs and Escapes, we have our best people working on it. Don’t let it distract you from the task at hand.
Here’s how it’ll work. Below we’ve posted a list of 15 images. Your job is to cite the make and model, in the comments, that matches the corresponding entry and number. Could you Google search to check your work? Sure, but that wouldn’t be very much fun, so try to instead use the gooey, wrinkled thing between your ears instead of the rectangle thing in your pocket. Early next week, we’ll reveal the answers in a comment at the bottom of this article.
Good luck, Gumshoe. Absolutely nothing is riding on this. Just bragging rights. How many can you correctly identify?
-Operative Weiner, O.A.T. (Office of Automotive Trivia)
P.S. – Don’t get too fixated on the pithy nicknames. They’re mostly red herrings. (Mostly.)
1. Canio’s Quads
2. Arch Enemy
3. Night Vision
4. Seeing Double
5. Hip to be Square
6. True Stripes
7. Cool It
8. Heavy Breathing
9. Notre Dame de Intercooler
10. Spot Check
11. Catnip
12. Marchal Marchal Marchal
13. Crank It
14. Machine Learning
15. Old Bean
ANSWERS BELOW!
- BMW Z3M Coupe
- Morgan AeroMax (boattail version of Aero 8, which is an acceptable answer here)
- Jaguar Mk. II
- Alfa Romeo Spyder
- Mercedes-Benz E500
- Plymouth Duster
- Porsche 959
- Lamborghini Miura
- Ford GT
- Bugatti EB110
- Puma GT
- Alpine A110
- Cord 812
- Auto Union 1000 SP
- McLaren F1
Slightly cheating since I was at the Amelia, but here goes:
1. BMW Z3
2. Morgan Plus Six
3. Volkswagen Beetle
4. Alfa Romeo Spider
5. Mercedes-Benz W140
6. Plymouth Duster
7. Porsche 959
8. Lamborghini Miura
9. Pininfarina Battista
10. Bugatti EB110
11. ?
12. Porsche 550
13. ?
14. Auto Union 1000 SP
15. McLaren F1
I got about 3 and a half of these so not one to criticize – but I’m having trouble buying 3 as a VW beetle… has more of an old Jag look to it to me
I think 3 is a jag. It is not a VW.
2 I think is a Morgan Aero
9 Ford GT Turbo
13 is a Cord
Definitely. Same picture was used in a recent article in this publication
Jaguar Mark II perhaps
Bruce is correct. Number 13 is Cord; 810, most likely. Probably 1937
I believe that you are right. About a 37 cord.
13 could be a Tucker or Cord
yup
I thought so as well. MK3
Rover Maybe
14 AKA DKW?
I think the Auto Union 1000 was just a later DKW set-up with an Auto Union badge — after the 1958 take-over by Daimler-Benz led to the revival of the Auto Union name for vehicles. Looks like they just reached into the DKW range for an end-of-the-line 2-stroke model that they could rebadge and roll out quickly.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auto_Union_1000
1959-1968 Jaguar Mark 2
I am thinking it is a older jaguar.
I agree with most of that except 9 is definitely a Ford GT.
You beat me to it. Those are too distinctly the GT to be anything else. In fact, Doug Demuro just went over those on a video last week.
Photo #1 is not a Z3! It’s M Roadster/M Coupe! Quad exhaust only came on the M models.
I know because I own one! :o)
Spoken like an M owner…. Just sayn. The general population don’t understand the difference. Just Z3 worked for me.
# 3 says it’s a beetle, come on!
Its gotta be a Jag!!
Definitely a Jag
1. BMW M3
2. Morgan Aero Plus 8
3. Jaguar Mk 2
4. Alfa Romeo spider
5. Mercedes Benz
6. Plymouth Duster or Dodge Demon Dart
7. Porsche 959
8. Lamborghini Muira
9. Ford GT
10. Bugatti EB110
11.?
12.?
13. Cord
14. Auto Union
15. Mclaren F1
4 is a Acura
Lah-Dee-dah
You’re right about the Ms
1. BMW Z3
2. Morgan Aero
3. Jaguar Mk2
4. Alfa Romeo GTV
5. Mercedes-Benz W124
6. Plymouth Duster
7. Porsche 959
8. Lamborghini Miura
9. Ford GT
10. Bugatti EB110
11. Alpine A110
12. Porsche 550
13. ?
14. Auto Union 3+6
15. McLaren F1
#12 A Porsche painted blue de France? Think its a Renault Alpine…
#13 is an 810/812 Cord–that’s one of the two cranks (one on each side of the dash) to expose the headlights. #14 I think is a “popcorn popper” SAAB…don’t think DKWs had plastic fans (but I may be wrong!)
Close! The Auto Union 1000 borrowed that set-up from DKW, just as Saab did. Two different types of badge engineering, one in-house and one via licensing and different coachwork.
#3… XK150
#3 – Yes deffo a XK150 but its the SE version as they only fitted spotlights to the SE version.
#3 – Ignore last comment, got it wrong – its a MK11.
XK150 has the headlight in the fender (wing)
12 looks like an Alpine A110.
Number 13 is a 1937 Cord.
13 Cord
Dang. I thought so, but doubted.
76 duster
3 is definatly a jag
I could be wrong but I think 4 is an early Acura
Agree!
yes, definitely, about a 95
I think you’re right
1. Bmw z3M
2. Morgan aero 8
3. 1960 Jag XK150
4. 1995 Alfa GTV
5. 1990 benz CE
6. 1971 dodge duster
7. 1986 Porsche 959
8. 1971 lamborghini miura
9. 2017 ford GT
10. 1990s bugatti eb110
15. 1990s mclaren f1
O.K., if I’m honest:
1) Didn’t know, something recent by that door in the bumper cover
2) Morgan Aero 8
3) Jag MkII
4) the FWD Alfa GTV/Spider from the ’90s that we didn’t get in the USA
5) W124 Mercedes coupe/sedan
6) Plymouth Duster
7) 959
8) Miura
9) Ford GT (the newest one)
10) Bugatti EB 110?
11) ?? Jaguar Growler’s psychotic cousin
12) Alpine A110
13) Cord
14) DKW
15) McLaren F1
This was a fun and challenging exercise. Here goes. 1) Chevy Corvette 2.) Morgan 3.) Jaguar Mk X, 4.) Alfa Romeo 5.) Mercedes 6.) Mercury Cougar 7.) Ferrari 8) Lambo Muira 9) Ferrari Dino 10) 11) 12.) Renault Alpine 13.) 14.) DKW 15.)
2) Morgan, 3) Jag, 4) Late 90’s Acura Integra, 5) Mercedes, 6) Plymouth Duster, 13) 1936-37 Cord Westchester.
The rest of them are above my pay grade!!
Great fun. I am a certified car nut, and I failed miserably. Only got 50%😞. I missed where the actual answers are???
Eric, I’m your huckleberry:
1. BMW E46 M3
2. Morgan Aero 8
3. Jaguar MkII
4. Alfa Romeo GTV
5. Mercedes 500E
6. Plymouth Duster
7. Porsche 959
8. Lambo Miura
9. Ford GT
10. Bugatti EB110
11. Puma GT
12. Alpine A110
13. Cord 810/812
14. Auto Union 1000 SP
15. McLaren F1
1. Isn’t a e46 m3. Filler panel between muffler tips is all wrong plus the exhaust is not an e46 m3, at least not factory.
my additions / corrections
2 Morgan Aero 8
3 Jaguar MK2
5 Mercedes w124 (E-klasse)
9 Ford GT
12 Alpine A110
13 Cord
#13 – Cord 810/812
1
2
3 Jaguar sedan Mk2
4 Acura Integra
5 Mercedes e series
6 Ford Torino
7 Porsche 944
8 Alpha Montreal
9 Ford GT
10
11
12
13
14
15
all the guesses I can come up with
Was wondering if #2 is a Wiesmann Roadster…
14 AKA DKW?
I thought 8 looked like a Montreal too