how many are left

["Bill Watson" <wwatson@xxxxxxxxx>]

R.L. Polk is the great collector of registration figures in Canada and the
U.S.  At one time "Automotive Industries" printed registration figures,
supplied by R.L. Polk, for new car, total registrations and by year.
"Ward's Automotive Yearbook" also published registration figures, although
not as detailed.

The March 15, 1967 issue had registrations by make, broken down by year
(1967 back to 1953, plus 'earlier') and state.

For example, at the end of December, 1966, the number of Imperials
registered in the U.S. were (with new car registrations in parentheses) :

1966 - 14,609
1965 - 16,814 (17,214)
1964 - 21,942 (21,157}
1963 - 13,215 {15,266}
1962 - 13,130 {13,558}
1961 - 11,949 {11,747}
1960 - 15,083 {16,360)
1959 - 14,151 (18.484)
1958 - 10.039 (14,810)
earlier - 160   (most Imperials prior to 1958 were registered as Chryslers)

Interesting that in 1966 there were more 1964 Imperials registered than when
new in 1964!

I also have the March 15, 1970, issue, but the detailed lists were no longer
printed.  Instead, it only has total new car registrations by state, showing
a total of 18,860 new Imperials registered during calendar year 1969.

Bill
Vancouver, BC


> Well yeah, the statistics were educated guesses by
> someone who once researched older cars and would try
> to locate certain models- and because of such, these
> numbers are not Imperial-specific... I'm sure many
> more factors play into this (i.e. the design of the
> car- some cars rust faster or have weaker engines and
> thus would die faster, etc.).
>
> And then there would also be a survival factor baised
> on how it is liked by its owners. An Imperial would
> probably have better odds of being kept up then a car
> that most people hate (aka Pintos, etc.).
>
> Value may also play in, as the more a car is worth,
> the less chances of it getting totaled out in a crash,
> and therefore more likely that an insuramce company
> would pay to fix it.
>
> Though that's just my personal take on it (I haven't
> actually been able to track a model like that to
> see...).
> --- Bob Wilson <limoguy1950@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > [Since no one (or no company) has access to DMV
> > records for all the states, those percentages are,
> > at
> > best, only a guess.
> >
> > Bob]
> >
> > --- Mark McDonald <tomswift@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > > Jim,
> > >
> > > Thanks for that info.  Kind of sad, to me, to
> > think
> > > that %90 of the 68s
> > > are gone.
> > >
> > > I do think while those statistics may be true in
> > > general, some cars are
> > > exceptions.  For instance, convertibles, and/or
> > the
> > > first and last model
> > > of anything.  I think people tend to preserve
> > rarer
> > > bodystyles, or if
> > > they think the car will be more valuable later on.
> >
> > > The reason I say
> > > this is, there seem to be an awful lot of '68
> > > convertibles out there.
> > >
> > > Jim Gathmann wrote:
> > >
> > > > Actually, the '71 car would be about as rare (if
> > > not
> > > > more rare) due to the rate in which cars are
> > > > destroyed.
> > > >
> > > > Once I had stats on the % of cars which survive
> > > after
> > > > production. It basically came down to a small
> > > majority
> > > > of cars of a specific model (+/-65%) will be
> > > destroyed
> > > > within the first decade after production.
> > > >
> > > > By two decades, that number is up to +/- 80%
> > > destroyed
> > > > since production date (also- destroyed referes
> > to
> > > > being crashed, sent to a junk yard, recycled,
> > > etc.).
> > > >
> > > > By three or more decades, about 90% of the cars
> > > made
> > > > since production date are gone. Fogret if those
> > > > numbers are right (going by memory- had it all
> > > nicely
> > > > done up on a poster once).
> > > >
> > > > So if you really think about it, your '83 is far
> > > more
> > > > common then the 1987 Reliant KPL21 sedan (2
> > door),
> > > as
> > > > only 200 of those were made originally! (as seen
> > @
> > > > www.allpar.com).
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -----------------  http://www.imperialclub.com
> > > -----------------
> > > This message was sent to you by the Imperial
> > Mailing
> > > List. Please
> > > reply to mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx and your
> > > response will be
> > > shared with everyone. Private messages (and
> > > attachments) for the
> > > Administrators should be sent to
> > > webmaster@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > > To UN-SUBSCRIBE, go to
> > > http://imperialclub.com/unsubscribe.htm
> > >
> >
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Yahoo! Health - Feel better, live better
> > http://health.yahoo.com
> >
> >