Can You Identify the Fastest Cars From the 1940s?

By: Ian Fortey
Estimated Completion Time
4 min
Can You Identify the Fastest Cars From the 1940s?
Image: Thomas Vogt via WikiCommons

About This Quiz

If you look at car making like learning to swim, the Model T was just when people discovered water and were getting their feet wet. By the 1940s they were experimenting with the deep water and taking some fancy dives to impress their friends. The early days of boxy, awkward designs were beginning to fade away. All those hard corners and squares attached to more squares were being replaced by sleek curves and smooth lines. This was truly the era when automakers began to get comfortable with the idea of speed.  This was when design became an art form and utility was not the only concern behind making a vehicle. 

Just look at the futuristic form of the Chrysler Thunderbolt, or the racer form of the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 SS ‘Torpedino Brescia’ and you'll have no doubt that cars of the '40s were as much art as they were machine. And along with that came speed. Cars that could routinely crack 100 miles per hour, something that a decade earlier would have blown the mind of the common driver on the street.

If you appreciate speed in the present you need to know about how we got here. Let's see how many of these old school speed demons you can ID!

Jaguar XK 120
Johannes Maximilian via WikiCommons
Which car is often considered the fastest ever produced in the entire decade?
Jaguar XK 120
Healey Silverstone
BMW M Roadster
Lincoln Ford 40 Special Speedster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Word is this was not the only car that could actually reach 120 miles per hour, but it was certainly the most well known. In fact, the Jaguar XK120 got the "120" part of its name from that top speed. At least one test got it to 126 miles per hour and rumor was, with the windshield folded down you could crack 130.

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Stanguellini 750 Sport Internazionale
Valder137 via WikiCommons
This racer from Modena, Italy could hit 112 mph. What is it?
Cistalia 202
Lagonda 2.6 liter
Stanguellini 750 Sport Internazionale
Lancia Aprilia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Vittorio Stanguellini had a history of tuning other cars from Alfa Romeo, Fiat, and Maserati for racing before he decided to take a crack at making cars himself. The results included the sleek 1948 Stanguellini 750 Sport Internazionale.

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Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
Buch-t via WikiCommons
Which car was the first ever to be fully designed and built by Enzo Ferrari?
Maserati A6 1500
Ferrari 166 MM Zagato Panoramica
Fiat 1100 S
Auto Avio Costruzioni 815
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Usually known as the AAC Tipo 815, the Auto Avio Costruzioni 815 goes down in history as Enzo Ferrari's first production vehicle. If you haven't heard of it that's to be expected, they only made two of them. The reason it's not called a Ferrari? Fiat wouldn't allow it and it was made with mostly their parts.

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Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Freccio D’Oro
Palauenc05 via WikiCommons
Do you know which of these is known as the Golden Arrow?
Maserati A6 1500 Pininfarina
Alfa Romeo 6C 2500 Freccio D’Oro
Delahaye 135
Bugatti Type 73C
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This one was a gimme if you know Italian as "Freccio D’Oro" means "golden arrow." Alfa Romeo started designing this just after the war and kept them in production until 1951. Only 680 were built and they topped out just under 100 miles per hour.

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MG TC Midget
Steve Glover via WikiCommons
In 1945, which of these could get from 0 to 60 in 22.7 seconds?
Bentley Mark VI
Austin Atlantic
MG TC Midget
Porsche 356
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first car MG made after the war was the TC Midget. That 0 to 60 in 22.7 seconds might sound silly by today's standards, but this is the car that's credited with starting the American love affair with sports cars.

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Cadillac Series 62 Saoutchik Cabriolet
Gregory Moine via WikiCommons
A famous Belarusian cabinet maker living in France designed which of these?
Norman E. Timbs Buick Streamliner
Veritas Rennsport
Buick Roadmaster Riviera
Cadillac Series 62 Saoutchik Cabriolet
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jaques Saoutchik was the man behind the Cadillac Series 62 Saoutchik Cabriolet. Saoutchik, and later his son, ran a business in France designing unique and often dramatic and eye-catching bodies for famous carmakers including Bugatti, Delahaye, and others.

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Horch 853A Speedroadster
Mr.choppers via WikiCommons
From 1937 until 1940, which of these was meant to rival the Mercedes-Benz Spezial Roadster?
Horch 853A Speedroadster
Lincoln Ford 40 Special Speedster
Bristol 401
Triumph 1800 Roadster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

German automaker Horch produced the Horch 853A Speedroadster to be a luxury roadster that would rival Mercedes. The company name may not be familiar to you but it led directly into the creation of Audi when it merged with two other organizations.

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Maserati A6 1500 Pininfarina
Christine und Hagen Graf via WikiCommons
Production of which of these cars began in 1941 and then was suspended until the war ended?
Mercedes Benz 770
Maserati A6 1500 Pininfarina
Healey Elliot
Delahaye 135
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Maserati A6 1500 didn't officially roll out until 1947, having to wait six years through the war to fully get into production. Only 61 of them were produced between 1947 and 1950 and they buried the needle at 96 miles per hour.

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Cadillac Sixty Special
Greg Gjerdingen via WikiCommons
Do you know which of these cars was produced from 1938 until 1993?
Lincoln Ford 40 Special Speedster
Chrysler Town and Country
Bentley Mark VI
Cadillac Sixty Special
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The first production run of the Cadillac Sixty Special lasted from 1938 until 1976. After a break, it returned from 1987 until 1993. With a 331 cu. in. OHV V8 engine, the 1948 model could get from 0-60 in 16.8 seconds and hit a top speed of about 85 mph.

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Bugatti Type 73C
Dave Hamster via WikiCommons
Only five of which of these were ever built. What is it?
Bugatti Type 73C
Lancia Aprillia
Porsche 356
Trabant 601
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Bugatti is known for making some of the fastest cars in the world today, like the Veyron and the Chiron, and they didn't do too badly in the 1940s either. The 73C was one of 5 made in the 73 series, this one clearly for racing. Production never got underway for these cars in any serious way because designer Ettore Bugatti died just after creating them.

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Lancia Aprilia
Liftarn via WikiCommons
This was one of the first cars to be designed using a wind tunnel. What is it?
Austin Atlantic
Cistalia 202
Cadillac Series 62
Lancia Aprilia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Lancia used wind tunnel technology to make the car aerodynamic and they achieved a drag coefficient of 0.47 which was stunningly low for the time. The car had a top speed of just under 80 miles per hour at the beginning of the 1940s.

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Triumph Roadster
Ricardo Diaz via WikiCommons
Designed in 1946, which of these cars was designed to compete with Jaguar?
Ferrari 166S
Kurtis Sport
Triumph Roadster
Tucker Torpedo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Triumph 1800 Roadster, also known as the TR18, was designed at the tail end of World War II as competition for Jaguar. While it looked great, it didn't manage to beat Jaguar for speed, topping out around 75 miles per hour.

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Buick Roadmaster Riviera
Brian Snelson via WikiCommons
In 1948 which of these was a relatively unique pillarless hardtop?
Buick Roadmaster Riviera
Lagonda 2.6 liter
Mercedes Benz 770
Rolls Royce Phantom III
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Buick Roadmaster Riviera came as a hardtop coupe, which was extremely rare at the time and only shared with a couple of other cars, like the Cadillac Coupe Deville and the Oldsmobile 88. It also featured portholes along the sides because why not?

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Allard K1
Charles01 via WikiCommons
Only 151 of which of these V8-powered cars were ever made?
Tucker Torpedo
Ferrari 166 S
Bristol 401
Allard K1
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Allard Motor Company only existed from 1946 until about 1958 and in that time one of their most memorable cars was the 1946 K1 model. With a V8 engine and 3-speed transmission, it reached an impressive 90 miles per hour.

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Cadillac Series 62
Jeremy via WikiCommons
Do you know which of these cars had to end production due to the war but started right back up again in 1946?
Cadillac Series 62
Austin Atlantic
Fiat 1100 S
Aston Martin DB1
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Cadillac Series 62 was available as a Club Coupe, Convertible Coupe or Sedan. They were manufactured with Cadillac’s L-head V8 which was capable of producing up to 150 hp, making it a pretty powerful vehicle at the time.

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Bristol 401
Charles01 via WikiCommons
The company that made this car was originally a manufacturer of airplanes. What is it?
Kurtis Sport
Bristol 401
Bentley Mark VI
Delahaye 135
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Bristol 401 was made by Bristol Cars, a division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company. The car could go from 0 to 60 in about 15 seconds which, are the time, was some top-shelf speed. It also pulled an impressive top speed of around 97 miles per hour.

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Mercury Sportsman
Greg Gjerdingen via WikiCommons
Which model was discontinued after only 205 units were sold?
Mercury Sportsman
Aston Martin DB1
Bentley Mark VI
Tucker Torpedo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Mercury Sportsman holds a place in history for being a woody and a convertible, not a typical mix in any era. Even in 1946 when it was introduced it didn't impress too many people with its price tag, which was $500 higher than a regular version. Hence the discontinuation.

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Ford 40 Special Speedster
Jim Evans via WikiCommons
Edsel Ford personally owned which of these cars?
Lincoln Continental
Ford 40 Special Speedster
Veritas Rennsport
Ford Model 86
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Ford 40 Special Speedster dated back to 1934 originally when it was in the personal collection of Edsel Ford, the son of Henry Ford. Due to poor storage, the engine block cracked in the cold in 1940 so the car was overhauled and a new Mercury V8 engine was installed essentially making it a new car.

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Norman E. Timbs Buick Streamliner
MyClassicCarTV via YouTube
A Californian mechanical engineer fabricated most of this car himself. What is it?
Austin Atlantic
Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
Norman E. Timbs Buick Streamliner
Healey Elliot
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Norman E. Timbs Buick Streamliner was a car legend. Timbs had been a designer for Indy cars and this beast was designed for speed as well with a Buick V8 that got it up to 120 miles per hour. In 2018, the one-of-a-kind Timbs Special was destroyed in the California fires.

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Chrysler Town & Country ‘Barrelback’ Wagon
AlfvanBeem via WikiCommons
Which of these vehicles came with double wooden doors in the back?
Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
BMW M Roadster
Veritas Rennsport
Chrysler Town & Country ‘Barrelback’ Wagon
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Chrysler Town & Country ‘Barrelback’ Wagon looked like a down-home country sort of vehicle, a point that was driven home, so to speak, by the center-opening, double wooden doors in back. With a top speed of about 95 miles per hour, it was one of the nicest-looking and fastest woodies ever made.

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Cisitalia 202
Hmaag via WikiCommons
Do you know which car was made by amateur driver and businessman Piero Dusio?
Lancia Aurelia
Cistalia 202
Ferrari 197
Delahaye 135
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Piero Dusio started his own company called Compagnia Industriale Sportiva Italia or Consorzio Industriale Sportive Italia depending on your source. Regardless, they both abbreviate to Cisitalia. Their 202 model could hit a top speed of about 100 miles per hour.

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Fiat 1100 S
Palauenc05 via WikiCommons
This car debuted at the Mille Miglia race. What is it?
Mercedes Benz 770
Healey Silverstone
Fiat 1100 S
Lagonda 2.6 liter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Fiat 1100S made its debut at the 1947 Mille Miglia, or Thousand Miles, race and managed to place second, third, and fourth overall. It was decked out with a 1100 cc engine that produced 50 hp and managed a top speed of around 94 miles per hour.

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Veritas Rennsport
Classic-Car.TV via YouTube
Which of these cars was made mostly from BMW parts?
Veritas Rennsport
Kurtis Sport
Lagonda 2.6 liter
Delahaye 135
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Veritas was a sports car company based in West Germany after the war. The founders of the company got their start tuning pre-War BMWs so they started making their own out of BMW parts. BMW objected to having their name included on the cars they made so they went with Veritas.

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Ferrari 166 S
Unknown photographer via WikiCommons
Only 12 of which of these legendary racers were ever made?
Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
BMW 335
Aston Martin DB1
Ferrari 166 S
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Ferrari's 166 S was said to have a top speed between 106 and 137 miles per hour, depending on the model. All that power came from a 1.5L V12 engine. The MM version was even more powerful and could hit the 137 mph mark.

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Healey Silverstone
Brian Snelson via WikiCommons
To make this car more aerodynamic they hid the headlights behind the grille. What is it?
Healey Silverstone
Kurtis Sport
Austin Atlantic
BMW 335
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Produced from 1949 to 1950, the Healey Silverstone was an open two-seater with a 2.5 liter Riley I-4 engine hat produced about 104 horsepower. That allowed the Silverstone to go from 0 to 60 in 11 seconds and hit a top speed of 110 miles per hour.

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Aston Martin DB1
Buch-t via WikiCommons
Which car is also called the 2-Litre Sports?
Bentley Mark VI
Tucker Torpedo
Aston Martin DB1
Healey Elliot
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Aston Martin introduced the DB1 in 1948 and today it's one of the most coveted cars of the '40s. A good condition DB1 can go for upwards of $2 million at auction. Brand new, the car had a top speed of around 93 miles per hour.

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Delahaye 135
Palauenc05 via WikiCommons
This convertible hit speeds of 92 miles per hour. Do you know what it is?
Cadillac Series 62
Delahaye 135
BMW 335
Tucker Torpedo
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Delahaye 135 was made by Delahaye Automotive based in Tours, France. Under the hood was a straight-six engine fitted with an 84R high lift camshaft. Prior to the war it had been a famous racer and continued to impress when construction resumed in the '40s.

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Lagonda 2.6 liter
Malcolma via WikiCommons
Despite the name, which of these was an Aston Martin?
Kurtis Sport
Tucker Torpedo
Cistalia 202
Lagonda 2.6 liter
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Lagonda 2.6 liter was named for the Lagonda Straight-6 engine inside of it, which was a 2.6 liter, of course, and was used in most Aston Martins of the era as well. Aston Martin has owned the name Lagonda since 1947 when they purchased the company.

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Healey Elliot
Robotriot la via WikiCommons
In 1946, which of these was called the fastest closed production car in the world?
Healey Elliot
Kurtis Sport
Tucker Torpedo
Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Healey Elliot was taken on a run in Belgium specifically to prove that British fuel was just as good as Italian fuel at a time when British motorists believed they were getting an inferior product. The Elliot was timed at 110 miles per hour.

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Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
AlfvanBeem via WikiCommons
Which of these cars had a top speed of 124 miles per hour?
Tucker Torpedo
Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
BMW M Roadster
Austin Atlantic
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1948 the Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport had an impressive top speed of 124 miles per hour and produced around 240 horsepower. It was a contender at the 24 Hours of LeMans when the race started up again, after the war.

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BMW 328 Roadster
Jiří Sedláček via WikiCommons
Only two of which of these cars were made in 1940?
BMW 328 Roadster
Alfa Romeo 6D 1600
Bentley Mark VI
Porsche 356
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The BMW 328 Mille Miglia Roadster could hit 124 miles per hour in 1940, which was pretty impressive but only two of them had actually been built, and those were built strictly for racing purposes. Part of the problem was that the cars began assembly in Germany and then had to be shipped to Italy to have the body fitted on the chassis.

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Kurtis Sport
MotorTrend Channel via YouTube
The engine and other parts from which of these were taken from Ford cars?
Kurtis Sport
Lagond Mirua
Tucker Torpedo
Bristol 407
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

In 1949 a man by the name of Wally Parks, famous for founding the National Hot Rod Association as well as Hot Rod Magazine, managed to get a custom modified Kurtis Sports car up to 142.515 mph at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

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Bentley Mark VI
allen watkin via WikiCommons
Despite its stately looks, this car could hit 100 mph. What is it?
Mercedes Benz 770
Allard K1
Veritas Rennsport
Bentley Mark VI
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Made from 1946 until 1952, the Bentley Mark VI looks like a serious, old-timey luxury car, but it could haul. Weirdly enough, back in the day, the manufacturer refused to supply information about how much horsepower the engine produced.

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Porsche 356
Alexandre Prévot via WikiCommons
76,000 of these cars were produced in their lifetime, but only 50 in 1948. What is it?
Austin Atlantic
Porsche 356
Fiat 1100
Lancia Aurelia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Porsche 356 was a two-seater roadster that was also available as a coupe and a convertible. The first prototype was labeled "No. 1" and thus this is generally considered to be the very first Porsche ever made.

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Rolls-Royce Phantom III Labourdette Vutotal Cabriolet
Rex Gray via WikiCommons
In 1947 the body of which of these cars cost $44,000?
Mercedes Benz 770
Rolls-Royce Phantom III Labourdette Vutotal Cabriolet
Lincoln Ford 40 Special Speedster
Talbot Lago T26 Grand Sport
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Rolls Royce Phantom III was the last model to be worked on by company founder Henry Royce before he passed away. In 1947, one was re-bodied into the Labourdette Vutotal Cabriolet by coachbuilder Labourdette at the cost of what would today be nearly $400,000.

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Mercedes-Benz 770
Triple-green via WikiCommons
Which of these cars were favored by high-ranking Nazis during the war?
BMW M Roadster
Austin Atlantic
Mercedes-Benz 770
Allard K1
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many ranking officials from the Nazi party in Germany were known to favor the Mercedes-Benz 770. The Canadian War Museum has one of the seven surviving, heavily armored cars used by Adolf Hitler on display in Ottawa.

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Tucker 48
Sicnag via WikiCommons
Do you know which car goes by the nickname Torpedo?
Tucker 48
Ferrari 188
Cisitalia 300
Lancia Aurelia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Tucker 48 was often better known as the Tucker Torpedo and was one of the most revolutionary cars of the age. Not only could it hit 120 miles per hour, it was cheaper, safer, and more innovative than nearly every other car on the road.

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Austin Atlantic
allen watkin via WikiCommons
Which four-seat convertible had a top speed of 90 miles per hour?
Lancia Stratos
Bentley Mulsanne
Austin Atlantic
Veritas Roadster
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Austin Atlantic was produced from 1949 until 1952. Nearly 8,000 Atlantics were produced but only 350 of them managed to find their way across the ocean to the United States. Despite its impressive abilities, it just wasn't as impressive as the American V8s of the time.

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Chrysler Newport Phaeton
Greg Gjerdingen via WikiCommons
Actress Lana Turner owned which of these?
Bentley Mark VI
Lincoln Continental
Fiat 1200
Chrysler Newport Phaeton
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The Chrysler Newport Phaeton was produced from 1940 until 1941. Only six were ever made and five are known to still exist. Lana Turn had one, as did William Chrysler, who used it as his personal mode of transport.

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Mercedes-Benz T80
Morio via WikiCommons
Which car that was never actually driven was assumed to have been one of the fastest cars of all time?
Mercedes-Benz T80
BMW M Roadster
Veritas Rennsport
Lancia Aprilia
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

At a cost of 600,000 Reichsmarks, which we can assume was expensive, but that currency no longer exists, the Mercedes-Benz T80 was designed to break land speed records. The six-wheeled car was expected to hit was 466 mile per hour. The Second World War prevented the test from ever being conducted.

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You Got:
/40
Thomas Vogt via WikiCommons