Help! How can you tell the production rarity of your C3?

[Brett]

You know when they say "This car is 1 out of xxxx silver coupes." (Just an example)

I just helped my dad buy a '72 454 coupe, in Steel Cities Grey, with the M21 manual transmission.

Is it possible to figure out how many were built in this configuration?

This website shows the production amounts of each individual option, but there is no way to combine the rarity of multiple options.

 

[Crimson Thunder]

Nope,only the lucky Pontiac guys can.

 

[Brett]

Nope,only the lucky Pontiac guys can.

Why is this?

 

[JohnZ]

Why is this?

Because Pontiac saved their individual production records, and an outside company (PHS - Pontiac Historical Services) provides them to enthusiasts.

Chevrolet didn't save individual car records (they built more cars in a day than Pontiac built in a week); Chevrolet dealer invoices are available for 1977 and later Chevrolets through Allied-Vaughn and the GM Heritage Center.

No records were kept of the thousands of possible permutations of combinations of options - only how many of each individual option were built.

 

[Brett]

I suppose that makes sense.

But to be honest, I'm surprised no one among the Corvette organizations has tried to tackle such a project with the enormous, cult-like following the car has. With around 30,000 cars built per year, it seems like something of relative accuracy could be compiled. Some of the work is already there.

Disappointed!

 

[Yoda]

Brett,

I does sound like something that would be easy ... doesn't it

Well let me tell you a little story about Registry named The L81VetteRegistry and a boy named Sue... well maybe not a boy named Sue

We started a Registry for 1981 Corvettes in 2001 or 2002 with just those intentions ... To Document all the 1981 Corvettes still alive or when possible sent to an early parts grave.

Well after 8 or 9 years of our website being online, we have 1,274 Documented 1981 Corvettes out of the 40,606 Built for production Year 1981 AND it is FREE

I've found that for every person that wants to document their Corvette there are just as many if not more that could care less So in retrospect getting 1,274 1981 Corvettes DOCUMENTED is pretty good. Now for the truth of the Documentation ... big sigh here..... not everyone follows instructions, it requests that PLEASE DOCUMENT YOUR CAR AS IT WAS WHEN IT LEFT THE FACTORY, not the color someone painted it 9 years ago, or if someone changed the interior colors ... so some of the Documentation is fairly useless except to document the car still is alive ..

So go back a few years from 1981 and take what JohnZ said about 1976 and older not having any build records... I'd hate to even image the distortion and fraud that could / does occur when it comes those Barn Finds and those 1 or 12 built cars :eyerole THEN to try and put a number to something like how many 4-speeds had olive interior in 1968 ... NOT..

It is a great idea, but just not feasible... BUT I have seen and heard of folks that are math types using mathmatics to extrapolate numbers that they think would be a close representation

Anyway we didn't strike any bubbling crude and we don't live in Beverly Hills

Good luck, the hunt can be more fun sometimes than bagging out Enjoy the search...

Bud

 

[Brett]

Hey Bud,

Thanks for the reply. Definitely eye opening to the concept! Again, the Corvette community is so strong, I pretty much assumed such documentation would exist. I guess Corvette has a more mysterious past than I thought.

As for enjoying the hunt....it's over! My dad bought the car. She is beautiful! Considering only 1,600 cars came with the M21 transmission that year, the number of 454, coupe, steel cities gray cars must be quite a small number.

I'll have to post some pics soon here. My dad lives about four hours away, and I found the car by me, so I'll be storing it in my garage for a while. I'll be sure to make sure she is in proper running order often.

 

[6880 Mike]

...I'm surprised no one among the Corvette organizations has tried to tackle such a project with the enormous, cult-like following the car has....

Lots of folks have wanted to try, but where would you begin? The critical factor is missing -- actual build data from Chevrolet.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

Many owners like to multiply one option number against another to make the statement 'one of xxx'. Nothing could be further off than using this method. In reality, the most rare Corvette is one that was ordered with NO options at all or than choosing coupe or convertible and a colour. Statistically there would a few thousand of each in a given year- but there was actually only a handful produced.

Conversely, any Corvette with a long option list can be proven statistically to be one of one, or even less. Mine was ordered with all sorts of stuff (except a big powerful engine) For grins I played the game of going down the list and just kept multiplying. The car became less than one of one about 3/4 the way down so I stopped and went out to the garage to look. Sure enough the car was gone.

Just go to show that you should be careful what you wish for.

 

[Brett]

Yeah, almost any 'vette is going to have a unique set of options when you get specific enough. I was just hoping to get a sense of the big ones--engine, transmission, body style, and color.

So here's a question: For '72, two transmission options are listed, the M21 manual, and the auto M40. M21 production was 1,638, while M40 was 14,543. That is a total of 16,181 cars. But total '72 production was 27,004 cars. Is there a third transmission the rest of these cars had?

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

The standard four speed M20.

 

[Crimson Thunder]

Many owners like to multiply one option number against another to make the statement 'one of xxx'. Nothing could be further off than using this method. rare Corvette is one that was ordered with NO options In reality, the most at all or than choosing coupe or convertible and a colour. Statistically there would a few thousand of each in a given year- but there was actually only a handful produced.

Conversely, any Corvette with a long option list can be proven statistically to be one of one, or even less. Mine was ordered with all sorts of stuff (except a big powerful engine) For grins I played the game of going down the list and just kept multiplying. The car became less than one of one about 3/4 the way down so I stopped and went out to the garage to look. Sure enough the car was gone.

Just go to show that you should be careful what you wish for.

That describes my car.The only option it came with was a radio.

 

[Vettehead Mikey]

That describes my car.The only option it came with was a radio.

So right there the probability of a given body style with a combination of exterior and interior colour, plus no options except radio almost certainly makes your car a one off. Almost as rare as my car (which is less than one of one).

 

[6880 Mike]

...I was just hoping to get a sense of the big ones--engine, transmission, body style, and color...

The Corvette Black Book and The NCRS 1968-82 Corvette Specifications Guide list the known production numbers by quantity for each model year. That type of information has never been a problem. Lack of specific build information is the problem since no records exist.