View Full Version : Extinct cars? What models are completely gone from the face of the planet? I live near an ex-Chevrolet dealership that was last selling cars sometime in the 70s.. Rumor has it that these cars were involved in that engine recall and somehow just ended up sitting Anyway, it got me thinking about how some cars are so deeply flawed that at some point, people will stop fixing them and just let them die. On the other hand, some rust away, some are used up, some are just too expensive to fix..
Does anyone else find that concept interesting? Aside from one-off and super limited cars, do you know of any specific cases where this has happened? My company tracks Canadian vehicle registration using data back to the model year. Looking through the files, a few stats jump out: - 2, Lada passenger cars sold in ; 3 remaining - 73, Hyundais sold in ; remaining - 23, Eagles sold in ; remaining - no Subaru Brats remaining - barely any Renault Le Cars Les Car?
Although the numbers aren't particularly sexy, the early Chrysler minivans also have abysmal survival rates. I'd imagine that most vehicles - even "important" ones like the early DCX minivans - that have virtually no styling or driving interest are overshadowed by their more collectible peers. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but I think that the Toyota Camry would also have pretty dismal survival numbers, for instance. Yeah, those Vegas started doing that as soon as they rolled off the assembly line.
Unfortunately, in the history of even just the US car manufacturers,there were hundreds around of car companies early on. There are many cars from the early era that have no surviving known examples left. There are a few of just about everything - somewhere. Probably in better climates, with no salt, you'll see a lot more.
In the US I bet there are relatively few that have withered into nothingness. I occasionally see all sorts of odd old crap. Subaru brats, I bet you could find a website about someone that has one, I saw an 80's plymouth scamp yesterday, I know Vega's are used as drag cars because you can fit a V-8 into them, not to mention the cosworth vegas that survive.
