knowledge about cars

Do you think you know a lot about cars and driving? We’ve put together this list of ten automobile related trivia questions to challenge you. No, you will not likely find these questions on any drivers’ exam, but they are interesting and can serve as a conversation starter. The answers will follow.

  1. Who invented the first automobile?
  2. What is the best- selling car model ever made?
  3. What was the first Japanese car made in America?
  4. What year were the first Corvettes were produced?
  5. From where did the name “Cadillac” originate?
  6. What state was the first to issue license plates?
  7. To the nearest thousand, how many miles of interstate highway are there is the United States?
  8. What is the highest legal speed you can now drive in the U.S.?
  9. What is the most popular color of car sold today?
  10. In what city is the steepest road in the United States located?

Ready to see how you did? Here are the answers:

  1. If you think it was Henry Ford you are not alone. You are also not correct. The first automobile patent was granted to Karl Benz in 1886, a full 22 years before the first Model T was produced by Henry Ford. That first car, The Benz Patent-Motorwagen, had three wheels. Henry Ford actually produced a way to make cars affordable via the assembly line. Ford is also credited with creating the modern franchise system.
  2. The Toyota Corolla tops the list, followed by the Volkswagen Beetle and the Model T.
  3. The Honda Accord was the first Japanese model built in America. It came off of the assembly line in Marysville, Ohio back in 1982.
  4. In was 1953. That year, Chevrolet built the Corvette by hand, and only produced 300 of the vehicles, making them extremely rare.
  5. It was named in honor of Antoine Laumet de La Mothe, sieur de Cadillac, who had founded Detroit. The Cadillac insignia, still used today, was taken from the coat of arms for his family.
  6. It was the State of New York in 1901. Never miss a trick those New Yorkers.
  7. There are 47,000 miles of interstate highways in the U.S.  Considering the distance around the entire earth at the equator is about 25,000 miles, that’s pretty impressive. By the way, odd number interstates run north/south, while even numbered ones run east/west.
  8. In 2012, a 41 mile stretch of State Highway 130 opened up southeast of Austin, Texas. This toll road allows for speeds up to 85 mph.
  9. For 2013, the most popular color of car sold is white. In fact, one in of every four cars sold today is white. Silver and black are tied in second at 18%, and grey is next.
  10. The steepest road in the U.S. is said to be Canton Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has a grade of 37%.