Mindful Malevolent Metallics Mask Mystery

The Responsometer was a revolutionary device developed by robotics scientist Dr. Will Magnus. Theorizing that the intrinsct properties of various metals reflects "personality traits", and so created this mechanism which when implanted in specific metals gave them a form of sentience. From this invention, Magnus created the Metal Men, consisting of the original six members: Gold, Iron, Lead, Mercury, Platinum and Tin. Over time, other metals and elemental substances would also be implanted with their own Responsometers, spawning various sub-groups similar to the Metal Men themselves. These robots at times teamed up with various members of the Justice League of America on Earth-One, including the Batman whom they worked with throughout the years.

On Earth-Two, sentinence also was implanted in the vehicle originally named Esmerelda and eventually named Goitrude. Throughout the decades of its existence, this car had various forms consisting of numerous parts, yet was aware of its existence and its surroundings. Eventually, it became the property of cab driver Doiby Dickles, and aided its owner and his friend Alan "Green Lantern" Scott of the Justice Society of America in various adventures. Possibly due to exposure from the emerald energies of Scott's green lantern battery, Goitrude gained its intelligence.

The Metal Men was a cohesive unit, working as one, and even on occasion were fused together as an alloy entity. They also from time to time used their shape-changing abilities to become various racing vehicles. Although the "Jovian Metallic Horde" invading Earth-Two originating from Jupiter-Two were also doppelgängers for these Metal Men, they lacked the moldability and individuality, working as cohesive collective replicating the metallic substances they touch.

Goitrude was the forerunner of a generation of special vehicles aiding various superheroes, including the Black Widow, Sand-Car, Atomobile, Esmerelda and the Doll-Plane... driven by the Spider, Sandman, Atom, Wonder Woman's friend Etta Candy and the Doll Man, respectively. 

While none of these other transports evidentially displayed the same self-sentience as had Goitrude, that cab itself passed a portion of its own sentience onto various clones of the supervillain Sinestro, as that renegade former Green Lantern of Earth-One's universe merged his mind with Goitrude's in order to restore his body. It seems that the sentience of the Green Flame Starheart empowering Alan’s lantern also imparted a portion of its intellect to Goitrude, with its emerald energies attracting Sinestro, which he would thereafter absorb.

Sinestro's clones remained on Earth-Two, presumably incarcerated or transported off-world to prevent them from harming humanity. They seem to have have been ingrained with Goitrude's redeeming quality of loyalty, as these synthetic Sinesteos allowed themselves to be easily defeated by the Green Lanterns of Earths One and Two, despite having superior numbers and power matching the pair. Perhaps these clones eventually turned good themselves, with Goitrude’s personally overwriting that of Sinestro’s, who returned to his own native universe.