Any "extinct" cars?

[Jantrix]

I heard a commentator at a auction mention that the car was one of six known to exist.

Which got me thinking, are there any cars that just don't exist at all anymore?

[bbowser]

There must be 100's. There were so many car companies at the turn of the century, some only lasting a year or two before disappearing.

[tbill]

hard to say, seems like everytime you turn around there is some long lost vehicle seeing the light of day as the 'old timers' [and I mean 80 and above types] pass away and the family has no interest in whats in 'the shed', and bam, some long lost classic sees sunshine again at the sale.

[Harry P.]

I heard a commentator at a auction mention that the car was one of six known to exist.

Which got me thinking, are there any cars that just don't exist at all anymore?

Like Bruce said... hundreds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_automobile_manufacturers_of_the_United_States

And that's just in the USA! Imagine all the other countries in the world, and the total may run into the thousands.

[Jon Haigwood]

Pintos and Vegas should soon be "extinct" most of them rusted back into the earth

[chunkypeanutbutter]

Pintos and Vegas should soon be "extinct" most of them rusted back into the earth

Not as long as people are doing this...

[Atmobil]

Yes, lots of cars could be extinct withouth anyone knowing because they where made in few numbers a very long time ago and a lot of cars that have been massproduced in later times could also be extinct because not many care about them but there always seems to be some rare gems that turn up.

[Austin T]

An even more interesting exercise is how many cars are still left stock? For example try finding a stock Willys,AE 86, or a 240SX (Manual). While you can still find modified ones OK trying to find a stock one is next to impossible.

[JTalmage]

Not to mention the ONE of ONE coachbuilt cars for rich folks back in the day....

[chunkypeanutbutter]

An even more interesting exercise is how many cars are still left stock? For example try finding a stock Willys,AE 86, or a 240SX (Manual). While you can still find modified ones OK trying to find a stock one is next to impossible.

Not hard to find stock Corollas and 240s here; they're just rusty and worn-out.

[ZTony8]

There's a Nissan van from the late 80s or early 90s that was recalled for unexplained and unfixable fires.All were scrapped.

And I think there are no more Reeves OctoAutos.

Edited June 5, 2015 by ZTony8

[Austin T]

Not hard to find stock Corollas and 240s here; they're just rusty and worn-out.

For the AE 86 I'm talking about legitimate 86's and not the AE 88 (The detuned North American counterpart). As for 240's I have a hard time believing that they are as they came from the factory without mods of any type, it is hands down one of the most commonly modified Japanese cars out there.

[Art Anderson]

Considering that in just these United States alone, there have been more than 1,500 individual makes of cars produced since 1895--probably the majority of those makes have not a single example left, anywhere (that anyone knows about, that is).

Art

[Chuck Most]

Like Bruce said... hundreds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_defunct_automobile_manufacturers_of_the_United_States

And that's just in the USA! Imagine all the other countries in the world, and the total may run into the thousands.

I think he means cars of which no examples are left, not cars from defunct manufacturers. There are still examples of cars from some of those defunct manufacturers. But there may be a car built by a manufacturer still in business, but none of that particular model are left.

[Harry P.]

I think he means cars of which no examples are left...

Again, hundreds.

[Casey]

I heard a commentator at a auction mention that the car was one of six known to exist.

Which got me thinking, are there any cars that just don't exist at all anymore?

Definitely, but the ability to prove a certain number existed and are all now destroyed is the hard part. Even the auction qualified it's statement with "known to exist," which means they can't be certain how many still exist even if they know the number originally produced.

Coelacanth.

[chunkypeanutbutter]

For the AE 86 I'm talking about legitimate 86's and not the AE 88 (The detuned North American counterpart). As for 240's I have a hard time believing that they are as they came from the factory without mods of any type, it is hands down one of the most commonly modified Japanese cars out there.

The 240s around here are stock, or at least look it from the outside. None of these hellaflush tards have gotten to them yet, and I haven't seen one with a body kit in ages.

[Rob Hall]

There's a Nissan van from the late 80s or early 90s that was recalled for unexplained and unfixable fires.All were scrapped.

I remember reading that about those vans, yet I saw one in northern AZ back in April, on the highway..

On example coming in scale is the Toyota AA that Tamiya is kitting, none exist of that style except for a recreation Toyota built.

I do wonder if there are examples of more modern cars where there were very low volume of a particular bodystyle that no longer exists (or only exists in junkyards).

Edited June 6, 2015 by Rob Hall

[mr moto]

Here is one of the better known extinct vehicles, the Ferrari 156:

At least one "clone" has been built - maybe more - but there are no originals. By contrast, ALL of the original Ferrari 250 GTO's still exist.

[Ridgeback]

Some trim levels of cars are close to extinction here.A lot of the European Renaults,lancias etc that came over in right hand drive in the 70's and 80's are thin on the ground and say a GLX auto Renault 5 has gone completely, whereas there might be 10 GL autos left.

[Tom Geiger]

Going back to the 1900s, early in the auto industry it was a lot like early in the computer industry. Small town shops assembling cars and computers from parts they bought manufactured elsewhere. How unique was that car? Did it have a Dodge Brothers frame, Continental engine and other bought components, merely assembled by the manufacturer? So you want one of the 100 produced / none known to exist Wigley Cabrolets... how hard would it be to build one from scratch?

[Greg Myers]

An even more interesting exercise is how many cars are still left stock? For example try finding a stock Willys,AE 86, or a 240SX (Manual). While you can still find modified ones OK trying to find a stock one is next to impossible.

They're out there

Edited June 6, 2015 by Greg Myers

[Aaronw]

I remember reading that about those vans, yet I saw one in northern AZ back in April, on the highway..

On example coming in scale is the Toyota AA that Tamiya is kitting, none exist of that style except for a recreation Toyota built.

I do wonder if there are examples of more modern cars where there were very low volume of a particular bodystyle that no longer exists (or only exists in junkyards).

The GM EV1, not quite extinct, but very few left. GM recalled and destroyed most of the cars built. There is supposedly only one in drivable condition, and a handful of partial cars that GM donated to tech museums and such.

[1972coronet]

I'm astonished that every 1971 Hemi'Cuda convertible --11 total built-- are all accounted for!! Not sure about the 108 hardtops that were built...

There's some guy across the freeway from where I work whom has a couple of early Vega's , both in 70s livery, one rumoured to be powered by a Buick 215 (a relatively common conversion at the time, harkening back to the pre-Jerry Brown / CARB reign of terror ...)

[PeeBee]

Weren't the Ferrari 156s ordered destroyed at the end of the racing season? I thought I remembered reading something along those lines years ago. If true, I wonder if it might have had something to do with these being Ferrari's first mid-engine F-1 cars and them not wanting the cars to fall into the hands of other teams. It wasn't exactly new technology though, and Colin Chapman was the showing the racing world where F-1 was really headed by then. Maybe Ferrari was keeping the engine under wraps...(?)

I've definitely seen more hot-rodded '32s than I have stock over my lifetime (especially coupes and roadsters), but in my neck of the woods stock Model As far out-number the hot-rodded cars. Even the '32 Woody that was my wedding transportation was hot-rodded. It's stock appearing, but the owner switched out the "B" motor for a warmed over Flathead and changed over to a 12-volt system to make the car more drive-able for the Copperstate 1,000 runs he used to go on every year (he passed away about three years ago, but the car's still in the family).

PB.