Maybe a trick riddle??
No trick, and no Mini (they were on the short list but priced too high)
Engine is in the back, along with the gearbox.
Some other interesting similarities. VW wheels/tires 4.5x15 155/80/15 Riddle Car 4.5x15 155/60/15 (fronts)
Width: VW 60.5 Riddle 61.38
Oil Capacity: VW 3.5qt Riddle 3.5qt
Someone has actually produced a chart with all the specs of both cars and they line up pretty close on alot of things. I guess Im not the only one that things this is much closer to a "new beetle" than the VW version.
Oh and the "throne" thing was not a hint, but you were on to something following the "produced by" logic.