What Do You Know About The Greatest Italian Cars Of All-Time?
Italy doesn’t just build cars—it crafts rolling opera. From micro-city runabouts to V12 missiles, Italian metal has shaped every decade of motoring with equal parts beauty, bravado, and motorsport grit. Below is a 30-question, slide-style quiz that zips from Turin to Modena to Sant’Agata, mixing supercar legends with cult cruisers. Each question is on its own slide, with the answer and explanation revealed on the following one—under a brand-new title for that “aha!” moment. In bocca al lupo!
Miura Magic, Mid-Engine Mayhem
Which Lamborghini is widely credited with cementing the mid-engine supercar template?
A) Countach LP400 B) Miura P400 C) Diablo VT D) 350 GT
ilikewaffles11, Wikimedia Commons
The Bull That Changed Everything
B) Miura P400 — When it arrived in 1966, the Miura made the rear mid-engine layout the supercar norm and was the fastest production car of its day.
Enzo’s Last Word
Which Ferrari was the final model personally approved by Enzo Ferrari?
A) 288 GTO B) F40 C) F50 D) Testarossa
Farewell From Il Commendatore
B) F40 — Enzo signed off the F40, launched for Ferrari’s 40th anniversary.
Over 200—Forza!
Which Italian road car first officially broke the 200 mph barrier?
A) Bugatti EB110 B) Lamborghini Countach 5000 QV C) Ferrari F40 D) Maserati MC12
Joining The Two-Hundred-Mile Club
C) Ferrari F40 — Ferrari claimed 201 mph (324 km/h), a headline first for a production car in 1987.
Matti Blume, Wikimedia Commons
Cloverleaf Luck
Alfa Romeo’s Quadrifoglio badge debuted in 1923 on which event-winning car?
A) P2 B) 6C 1750 C) RL “Corsa” D) 8C 2300
Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons
Four Leaves For Fortune
C) RL “Corsa” — Ugo Sivocci painted the four-leaf clover and won the 1923 Targa Florio; the emblem stuck.
Norbert Schnitzler, Wikimedia Commons
Rally Wedge, Rally Legend
Which wedge-shaped Lancia won three straight WRC titles (1974–76)?
A) Fulvia HF B) 037 C) Stratos HF D) Delta S4
Thesupermat, Wikimedia Commons
The Stratosphere Of Rallying
C) Stratos HF — Purpose-built for rallying and victorious in ’74, ’75, ’76.
Mr.choppers, Wikimedia Commons
Six-Time Turbo Terror
Which Lancia took six consecutive WRC Manufacturers’ titles (1987–92)?
A) Delta HF Integrale B) Beta Montecarlo C) 037 D) Thema 8.32
Rudolf Stricker, Wikimedia Commons
Six Crowns, No Mercy
A) Delta HF Integrale — The Integrale’s AWD/turbo combo dominated Group A.
Scissor Door Debut
Which production car introduced Lamborghini’s signature scissor doors?
A) Miura B) Countach C) Murciélago D) Diablo
Alexandre Prevot from Nancy, France, Wikimedia Commons
Hinged On Drama
B) Countach — The first production car with scissor doors, a Gandini hallmark.
Lamborghini Countach Review // Wolf Of ALL Streets, Throttle House
The People’s Piccolo
In what year did Fiat launch the Nuova 500 city car?
A) 1955 B) 1957 C) 1960 D) 1962
Thomas doerfer, Wikimedia Commons
A Nation’s Little Darling
B) 1957 — The Nuova 500 debuted on July 4, 1957, helping mobilize post-war Italy.
bohringer friedrich, Wikimedia Commons
Pantera Goes Stateside
Which U.S. dealer network sold the De Tomaso Pantera in the early 1970s?
A) Chevrolet B) Lincoln-Mercury C) Chrysler-Plymouth D) AMC
Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, Wikimedia Commons
Ford’s Italian Feline
B) Lincoln-Mercury — Ford partnered to sell the Italian mid-engine Pantera in America.
Four Doors, All Drama
Maserati debuted its “four doors” icon at Turin in 1963. Name it.
A) Ghibli B) Mexico C) Quattroporte D) Mistral
Jason Lawrence from Boston, Wikimedia Commons
Translating To Luxury
C) Quattroporte — The luxury sports saloon premiered in 1963 at the Turin Motor Show.
Ethan Llamas, Wikimedia Commons
Zonda’s Big Entrance
Pagani’s first production model made its debut at which show in 1999?
A) Paris B) Geneva C) Frankfurt D) Detroit
Y.Leclercq©, Wikimedia Commons
Carbon Debut In Geneva
B) Geneva — The Zonda C12 stunned Geneva in 1999.
Alexandre Prevot from Nancy, France, Wikimedia Commons
The GTO Number
How many Ferrari 250 GTOs were built (1962–64)?
A) 27 B) 33 C) 36 D) 39
Liam Walker, Wikimedia Commons
Just 36 Legends
C) 36 — The legendary 250 GTO run totaled 36 cars.
Mr.choppers, Wikimedia Commons
Wedge Of Cheese? Nope—Of Awesome
Which designer penned both the Lamborghini Miura and Countach?
A) Giorgetto Giugiaro B) Marcello Gandini C) Pinin Farina D) Flavio Manzoni
Mitjagodnic, Wikimedia Commons
Gandini’s Greatest Hits
B) Marcello Gandini — The Bertone maestro behind Miura, Countach, and Lancia Stratos.
Flat-Twelve Fame
Which 1980s Ferrari is famous for its wide hips and side strakes?
A) 512 BB B) Testarossa C) 348 TB D) Mondial
Strakes In The Spotlight
B) Testarossa — Early “Monospecchio” versions wore a single high-mounted driver’s mirror.
Alexandre Prevot from Nancy, France, Wikimedia Commons
A GT With Detroit Thunder
Which Italian GT mixed Giugiaro/Bizzarrini engineering with American V8s?
A) Iso Grifo B) De Tomaso Mangusta C) Bizzarrini 5300 GT D) ATS 2500
Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons
A Transatlantic Masterpiece
A) Iso Grifo — Styled by Giugiaro at Bertone with Bizzarrini’s mechanicals, powered by U.S. V8s.
Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand, Wikimedia Commons
The Homologation Hammer
Maserati built which Enzo-related model to go racing in FIA GT?
A) MC20 B) MC12 C) GranTurismo MC Stradale D) Bora
Maserati’s Racing Cousin
B) MC12 — Built 2004–05 to homologate the GT1 racer; closely related to Ferrari Enzo.
Spider That Lived Twice
Which Fiat/Pininfarina roadster debuted in 1966 and later returned as the Pininfarina-built “Spidereuropa”?
A) 850 Spider B) 124 Sport Spider C) Barchetta D) Dino 206S
Still Spinning Its Web
B) 124 Sport Spider — Launched at the 1966 Turin show; Pininfarina continued production in the ’80s.
Carbon-Fibre Artisan
Which boutique Italian maker became synonymous with jewel-like carbon craftsmanship starting in 1999?
A) Pininfarina B) Zagato C) Pagani D) Touring Superleggera
Pagani’s Weave Of Dreams
C) Pagani — The Zonda C12 set the tone for Pagani’s carbon-fibre obsession.
City Chic, Dolce Vita
The original Fiat 500 is often nicknamed…
A) Panda B) Topolino C) Cinquecento D) Mille
Lothar Spurzem, CC BY-SA 2.0 DE, Wikimedia Commons
Meet The Cinquecento
C) Cinquecento — “500” in Italian; the Nuova 500 followed the pre-war “Topolino.”
WRC Box-Flare Royalty
The Delta Integrale’s record streak of WRC constructors’ titles is…
A) Four B) Five C) Six D) Seven
Six Straight For The Delta
C) Six — Unmatched 1987–1992 dominance.
The Ultimate Birthday Present
What milestone did the Ferrari F40’s name commemorate?
A) 40 Le Mans entries B) 40 years since first F1 win C) 40 years of road-car production D) Enzo’s 40th car
Carl Skaggs, Wikimedia Commons
40 Years On The Road
C) 40 years of road-car production.
Countach Calling
What does “LP” in Countach LP400/5000 stand for?
A) “Lungo Piatto” B) “Linea Pura” C) “Longitudinale Posteriore” D) “Lusso Prestazione”
Alexander Migl, Wikimedia Commons
The Engine Placement Code
C) Longitudinale Posteriore — Refers to the longitudinal rear engine layout.
Quattroporte, Literally
What does “Quattroporte” translate to in English?
A) Grand Tourer B) Four Doors C) Fast Door D) High Port
Handelsgeselschaft, Wikimedia Commons
Four Doors, Italian Style
B) Four Doors — Maserati’s iconic luxury saloon.
The 2000s Maserati Quattroporte Is Better Than You Think, Doug DeMuro
Bertone’s Rally Baby
Which design house shaped the Lancia Stratos?
A) Pininfarina B) Bertone C) Italdesign D) Ghia
KKPCW（Kyu3）, Wikimedia Commons
Wedges Win Rallies
B) Bertone — Marcello Gandini’s dramatic wedge went from concept to WRC titan.
contri from Yonezawa-Shi, Yamagata, Japan, Wikimedia Commons
America, Meet Mid-Engine
What powered most early U.S.-market Panteras?
A) Ferrari flat-12 B) Ford 351 Cleveland V8 C) Chrysler Hemi D) Chevy 327
Cleveland Heart, Italian Body
B) Ford 351 Cleveland V8 — The U.S. tie-up was a big part of the Pantera story.
The Analog Supermodel
Which Italian exotic is revered for keeping an “analog” feel into the 2010s?
A) Pagani Zonda B) Ferrari 458 Italia C) Lamborghini Aventador D) Maserati MC20
Pagani’s Timeless Touch
A) Pagani Zonda — A long-lived, analog icon born in 1999.
Alfa’s Beauty Queen
Approximate production of the Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione coupe?
A) 250 B) 500 C) 750 D) 1,000
Tom Hipster from Miami Beach, Germany, Wikimedia Commons
500 Pieces Of Perfection
B) 500 — The 8C coupe run was about 500 units (plus 8C Spider separately).
Alfa Romeo 8C Coupe, DrivewithPaul
Side-Strake Science
Why did early Testarossas have a single, high A-pillar mirror?
A) Weight saving B) Aerodynamics only C) Packaging/visibility over the tall side strakes D) Racing regulation
One-Mirror Wonder
C) Packaging/visibility — The high mount helped see past the straked flanks; early cars earned the “Monospecchio” nickname.
Blood Destructor, Wikimedia Commons
Supercar’s Spiritual Father
Which Gandini design is often called the “first supercar” for its template-setting spec?
A) Alfa Montreal B) Miura C) Countach D) Stratos
Matthias v.d. Elbe, Wikimedia Commons
The Archetype Arrives
B) Miura — Beauty, mid-engine layout, and speed made it the archetype.
Homologation Heroes
Which pairing is both a road car and a homologation tool for racing?
A) Fiat Panda & Ferrari 312T B) Lancia Stratos & Maserati MC12 C) Dino 246 GT & Lamborghini Urus D) Alfa 75 & Ferrari 333 SP
Marco 56, edited by Cloverleaf II, Wikimedia Commons
Race Cars For The Road
B) Lancia Stratos & Maserati MC12 — Stratos for WRC Group 4; MC12 for FIA GT.
Alexandre Prevot from Nancy, France, Wikimedia Commons
Scoring
0–10 correct: Tourist In A Targa — You know the landmarks—now take the twisty backroads and try again!
11–20 correct: Spirited Sunday Driver — Solid pace, great instincts, and you can heel-toe through history.
21–30 correct: Tricolore Track Ace — You speak fluent V12 and your espresso is 100-octane.
Arrivederci! Tell Us Your Score In The Comments
From the humble Fiat 500 that put a nation on wheels to the thunder of Lancia in rallying and the carbon artistry of Pagani, Italian cars are about more than specs—they’re about soul. Whether you aced this or learned a few new nuggets, thanks for taking the tour through Italy’s greatest hits. Which era should we deep-dive into next—the coachbuilt ’60s, the wedge-mad ’70s, or the turbo-wild ’80s and ’90s?
Greg Gjerdingen from Willmar, USA, Wikimedia Commons
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