Can You Identify All of These Pre-1950 Cars?

AUTO

17 PLAYS

By: Robin Tyler

7 Min Quiz

Image: GatewayClassicCars

About This Quiz

Although modern cars are faster, built with modern components and materials and have more gadgets and accessories, there is just something about cars built in the first 50 years of the 20th Century that just can never be beaten.

Sure, the really early cars were not much to look at, but even those 'horseless carriages' had a sense of style. By the time Henry Ford hit the motoring scene, cars began to resemble designs that we still see today. A closed body, engines in the front (for the most part), steering wheel instead of a tiller and two or four doors. 

Ford's creations became legends and even more followed like that plucky little bug, still loved around the world today and which was manufactured until 2003. 

Some of the most beautiful cars ever built, even by today's standards, were designed in the 1930s and 1940s and to this day, fetch a high price whenever they are sold. This is not because of what drives them (although many engines were impressive for the time) but just generally due to those sultry curves that many classic models showed.

And what about those classic pre-war trucks? They still remain in demand.

This car quiz will test your overall knowledge in identifying those  pre-1950s classics. 

Good luck!

What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Possibly the most iconic car ever built, the Ford Model T made vehicles affordable to the man on the street. Thanks to Henry Ford using interchangeable parts as well as a production line to build the car, prices for the Model T were kept low enough for ordinary people to afford. And it showed in the sales figures with more than 15 million sold from 1908 to 1927.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The Land Rover was designed by Maurice Wilks and introduced to the world in 1948. After Jeep, it is the second oldest 4x4 vehicle in the world.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Has there ever been a car more iconic than the Volkswagen Beetle? Or a car produced for a period of over 65 years like the Beetle was (the last rolled off the production line in 2003 in Mexico)? No, there probably hasn’t been and never will be. It's a true classic! The Beetle was an idea of Adolf Hitler who wanted a small car that each German could afford.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Almost instantly recognizable, the Willys Jeep was produced for American armed forces during World War II. Of course, after the war, Jeep went on to become a very successful commercial brand in its own right.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

One of the earliest Cadillac models, the Model Thirty was produced between 1909 and 1911. It was the first model in the United States to offer a closed body.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Built between 1934 and 1937, this full-sized Chrysler model was available as a four-door sedan or two-door coupe. Its design incorporated the concept of streamlining, one of the first American cars to do so. Ultimately, however, the Airflow was not a particularly successful model for Chrysler.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Produced between 1948 and 1953, the B Series was a pickup truck available as either a 1/2 ton or 3/4 ton option.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Built between 1931 and 1940, the K-Series was partly designed by Edsel Ford, son of Henry Ford. Over the years, it had a variety of powerplants, including a massive 414 cubic​ inch 6.8-liter Lincoln-Zephyr V12 engine V12 engine.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

This marque was used on special Cadillac vehicles from 1938. Generally, this is a four-door sedan of high quality and ultimate luxury. The 1938 version was powered by a 5.7-liter monobloc V8 engine.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The first full-sized car released by Chrysler, the Royal badge adorned a range of body styles, including a four-door sedan and two-door convertible as well as a coupe. It was produced from 1937 to 1950.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

A real looker, the SJ was only for the rich and famous. After all, it was produced during the depression, so the man on the street was certainly not going to get behind the wheel. These cars had a supercharged motor and were capable of traveling at more than 100 mph.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The Model A was the successor to the Model T and was just as much of a success. In a period of only six months, between February and July 1929, more than 1 million were sold.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Built in 1939, the Horch Special Roadster is a vehicle of rare beauty and shows off those classic lines of a pre-World War II car. A Horch 853A Special Roadster recently sold for $5.1 million in California.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

A Rolls-Royce 10 hp Two-Seater sold for $7.2 million at auction in 2007. Produced between 1904 and 1906, only 16 were ever made.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Considered the first sports car built by an American company, the Bearcat, introduced in 1914, had a four-cylinder 60 brake horsepower engine. Although by today’s standards that may seem like nothing, in 1914 the Bearcat was the fastest thing on four wheels.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

This early Volvo model was manufactured between 1946 and 1950 although development had started in 1939 but was stifled by World War II. It featured a 3-speed manual gearbox coupled to a 3.7-liter straight six engine.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Marketed between 1927 and 1929, the Series 341 had a range of body styles and cost between $3350 to $5500 depending on the style chosen. Morethan 18,000 were built of this popular model.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

This light truck was part of the Chevrolet fleet from 1941 until 1947. In terms of transmission, the AK only had a three-speed manual gearbox. This was coupled to either a 3.5 or 3.77-liter straight-six engine. The AK was also sold under the GMC badge.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The Curved Dash Oldsmobile was released in 1901 and built until 1907. Before Ford had even conceived his production line, Oldsmobile was living it when producing the Curved Dash. Although let’s be honest, it still looks like a horseless carriage. The Model T started to look more like a car. More than 19,000 of the Curved Dash Oldsmobile​s were produced.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The Coronet was manufactured by Dodge for three decades with some breaks in between. From 1949 to 1959, the Coronet was positioned in the full-sized car segment. The 1949 models were powered by a straight six flathead engine.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The first Ford in the F-Series was released in 1948 and over the years, this brand has become one of America's favorite pickups.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The first car ever produced by Lincoln was the L-series. The model made its debut in 1917 and was built until 1930. Throughout its production run, the L-series was powered by a V8 motor coupled to a 3-speed manual transmission.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Designed by Erwin Komenda, the 356 coupe was produced between 1948 and 1963. This was the first vehicle offered by the company and started off its rear-engined, rear-wheel drive design philosophy. More than​ 76,000 were built and it is estimated that half still survive.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Christie's sold one of only 182 Bentley Speed Six Tourers in 2004 for $5.1 million dollars. It's not difficult to see why as this Bentley from the early 1930s is a beauty.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Produced from 1936 to 1940, the Roadster from BMW is simply beautiful. This two-seater, open top sportscar was powered by a 2.0-liter straight six engine coupled to a manual 4-speed transmission. Only 464 were built.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Built between 1937 and 1939, this Italian classic sold at auction for $5.983 million in 1999. Imagine how much it would go for now! Essentially, this was a road-going version of the famous 8C 2900A race car.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Founder JK Starley, the founder of Rover, designed an early electric car in 1888 but this never went into production. The Rover 8, the first car produced by the company, saw the light of day in 1904.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Produced between 1937 and 1939, the Coupe Express J5 looks like a moving piece of Art Deco. Over 3,500 of these beauties were built but in reality, it could never compete with the Ford and Chevrolet equivalents which were priced well below the Express.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

In 2012, a Bentley 4½ Litre Le Mans Sports 'Bobtail' sold for $6.449 million at an auction in California. These cars set a number of records in the early '30s, which just adds to their attraction.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

From 1934 to 1940, 710 units of these stunning-looking cars were produced. This is a true classic and a vehicle of rare beauty. That would explain the price of $7.9 million at auction in 2008.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

One of earliest pickups around, the International Series was the first to feature a 6-cylinder OVH engine. It also had metal rims, a far cry from earlier models with wooden wheels.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Produced from the 1940s, this is one of the first 4x4 off-road vehicles made. It was based on the chassis of a U.S. Military truck. The Power Wagon was in production from 1945 to 1980. Dodge resurrected the name in 2005 as part of their Dodge Ram lineup.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Released in the 1930s, the Big Boy C28 was built by the Hudson Motor Company. It came with a 6-cylinder engine as well as a 3-speed manual transmission. Around 600 were built.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

There is no denying that his vehicle, produced in the 1930s, is one of the best-looking cars ever made. Those lines simply do not age. A few have been up for auction over the past 20 years, including one that went for $4.8 million.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Manufactured between 1936 and 1938, the Series 60, a full-sized vehicle, was available as a 2-door coupe and convertible as well as a 4-door sedan and convertible. The Series 60 was marketed in the mid-priced category.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Although keeping with the 'air' theme like its another Chrysler model, the Airflow, the Airstream was not a streamlined design and was based on the 1933 Chrysler CO. And it certainly proved more popular than its more streamlined stablemate, with five sold to every one Airflow. The following year, 1935, this rose to nine sold for every Airflow that left the showroom floor.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

The Ford Model N was produced between 1906 and 1908. It was only made in maroon and featured an engine at the front of the car, unlike the Model A and Model C. More than 7,000 were built.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Northwestern Auto Parts Company, or Napco, was a company established in 1918 that specialized in making 4-wheel drive systems for vehicles. One of these projects was for Chevrolet pickups from 1942 to 1956. This gave the vehicle moderate off-road capabilities.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Produced between 1936 and 1940, the Zephyr was a mid-sized luxury car produced by Lincoln. It was the only car in its class to feature a V12 engine with its rivals running V8s and straight 8s. The Zephyr was available in a variety of body types, including two-door coupe, two-door convertible, and four-door sedan to name a few.

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What pre-1950's car is shown in this image?

Known as the Cadillac Sixteen, this full-sized luxury car was produced from 1930 to 1940. It featured two- and four-door versions and​ a range of body styles, including coupe, convertible, town car, sedan and even a limousine.

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