Over the holidays, I came across a fascinating piece of automotive history, courtesy of my dad, an ex-Ford and ex-GM engineer. Tucked away in his old belongings was a 1997 Automotive Glossary published by 3M, packed with hundreds of terms. Despite my efforts to stay plugged into the industry, I was a bit surprised at how many of these terms I’d never heard of.
What’s really cool about this glossary, is it’s not just a list of words, it’s a time capsule of the automotive world, capturing design, manufacturing, technology, and styling concepts that were once essential but are now part of the industry’s rich history.
Nancy and I had a blast with this glossary, so we thought the best thing to do was share it! Think you can decode these old terms? Take the quiz and see how deep your roots in automotive knowledge really go. At the end, you’ll see how your score compares against others!
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