Virginia,
I suspect this fellow might have been from America and if this is the case, the question, whilst ridiculous, may not have been quite so daft.
"Why do the Brits drink warm beer?"
"Because Lucas makes the refrigeration equipment".
If this PAX had bought a British car in the '70s, he would have been well acquainted with Lucas, Prince of Darkness. Reputations, particularly unflattering ones, are hard to dispel.
GC.