Fourth Annual Sub5Zero Christmas Motoring Triviaganza

We understand that you’re probably quite busy right now, what with all the trying to avoid tripping on wadded up wrapping paper and formulating excuses as to why you haven’t yet given your Aunt Brunhilda a smooch. Our annual Christmas trivia quiz (which is now in its fourth incarnation) will still be here when you do eventually have some “you time.” And when you do find the time, we hope you find it equal parts challenging, amusing and educational.

We’ll have the answers in a separate post tomorrow but, until then, have a very merry Christmas.

Round One: The Bunny Slope

1. In what city was GM’s Pontiac Division headquartered?
2. Which American sportbike marque did Harley-Davidson own between 2003 and 2009?
3. What’s the best-selling automobile model nameplate of all time?
4. Who is the last driver not named Sebastien (and not from France) to win the World Rally Championship for drivers?
5. What car recently set a new production car speed record with a two-way average of 277.9 mph?

Round Two: The Big Kids Table

1. What was the last year for 500cc two-stroke bikes in MotoGP?
2. Who is the current voice of American Ford truck advertisements?
3. To what company did GM sell its two European brands (Opel and Vauxhall) this year?
4. What two-character engine/powertrain suffix does Volvo assign its current turbo and supercharged plug-in hybrid models?
5. How many cylinder heads do Volkswagen’s VR6 engines have?

Round Three: Long Division

1. The body of the Alfa Romeo Arna was shared with that of what non-Italian machine?
2. In 1976 and ‘77, Chevrolet offered a K-5 Blazer with a specially designed camper on the back called the Blazer Chalet; what was GMC’s version called?
3. Where and when was the shortest Formula 1 race in history?
4. What is the only U.S. market full-size van that offers factory-installed four-wheel-drive with a low range gear set?
5. On what engine family is the outgoing naturally-aspirated Aston Martin V12 based?

Round Four: Bomb Disposal

1. What famous race circuit has a corner named after an East German defector?
2. True or false: For three consecutive years (1994 through ‘96), Volkswagen sponsored the European tour of a well known band and released a corresponding special edition Golf Mk. 3.
3. What company supplied the automatic transmissions installed in 1949 to ‘54 Lincolns?
4. What is the codename of the only member of the GM LS-series engine family designed for transverse front-wheel-drive applications?
5. What’s the only track other than Charlotte Motor Speedway that has hosted NASCAR’s All-Star Race?

Round Five: Lucifer’s Sweat-Soaked Taint

1. What was unusual about the first three generations of the Isuzu Aska?
2. How many Dodge B-Series vans with Mitsubishi’s 6DR5 naturally aspirated inline-six diesel were sold?
3. True or false: The Compact body style of the E36 BMW 3 Series was basically the same as the bigger ones underneath.
4. Which automaker toyed with the concept of “T-Drive” center power take off engines in the 1980s?
5. What was unusual about NASCAR’s 1981-season-opening Winston Western 500 held at Riverside, California?