How many left?

[busycoupe]

I was just wondering how many of the P15's and D24's that were produced have survived?  How many are still on the road?  I did a little research and found a reference on the AACA site that claims about 1% of original production of all cars from 1910to 1958 survives, but that this number would vary by age and model.  Does anyone know about our cars?  ... I have a D24 three window coupe, about 27000 were made between 1946 and 1948.  If 1% survive there should be about 270 left.  Does this sound right?  

[keithb7]

I question if there is any real way to learn those numbers. Is there a professional mathematician here that is into old Mopars, who could run some complicated calculations and come up with a more accurate guess? The 1% across the board is very generic.

 

In my example I have a 1938 4 door sedan. They made 120,000 of them.1200 left drive-able? Maybe. I'd wager there's 5,000 of them rusting away. Dead, on properties all over North America.

[MackTheFinger]

With some cars there are more than 100% of them left. 

[Skrambler]

Many years ago I was a member of the P.O.C. (Plymouth Owners Club).

They used to compile a "Roster" of all members and their cars. Mind you, this was back in the 80's when things like this were printed (like Phone Books). It would have given you a good idea as to how many were in each State from folks who were members anyway.

[Plymouthy Adams]

55 minutes ago, MackTheFinger said:

With some cars there are more than 100% of them left. 

I know where you coming from...we  had special name for these vehicles....can't say it here....

[desoto1939]

I know what you are asking but a lot of the specifc marque clubs do not have the information either.  The National desoto Club only publishes it roster every other year. We list the cars by year but if a member sells their car and either drops of of the club then we have lost the information because the old owner or the new owner might not join the NDC or the old owner did not inform the NDC that the car was sold.

 

We have been trying to get the membership chairman to keep a complete listing for a national roster but we have not had any movement with the NDC.

 

Also with the advent of Facebook Groups I am also seeing that a lot of the Desoto owners are members of the free facebook groups but not members of the NDC. I guess these newer members and owners feel that these specialty clubs are not forth the money for a membership especially when they can post questions and get answers for free without any membership fees.

 

Even the AACA might not have any of this information either.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

Edited May 10, 2020 by desoto1939

[Dartgame]

Maybe we can enlist Dr Sheldon Cooper (big bang theory) to figure out an equation - LOL. Could not resist a little humor injection...

[normanpitkin]

Obviously more expensive when new cars were always valued more, there will therefore be a correlation between survival rates and original purchase price.Some vehicle types like wagons will also be fewer due to their harder life. More plain jane cars ,like 4 door saloons will also have survived in fewer numbers due to their lack of collectability/desireability.

So ,lets say 10% for convertibles ,a little less for coupes, less again for saloons and even less for wagons.orphan makes will be even less due to the unavailability of parts to keep them going.

[Sniper]

1 hour ago, Dartgame said:

Maybe we can enlist Dr Sheldon Cooper (big bang theory) to figure out an equation - LOL. Could not resist a little humor injection...

 

He'll just make an arithmetic error and get called out by his betters on it.

[greg g]

4 hours ago, desoto1939 said:

I know what you are asking but a lot of the specifc marque clubs do not have the information either.  The National desoto Club only publishes it roster every other year. We list the cars by year but if a member sells their car and either drops of of the club then we have lost the information because the old owner or the new owner might not join the NDC or the old owner did not inform the NDC that the car was sold.

 

We have been trying to get the membership chairman to keep a complete listing for a national roster but we have not had any movement with the NDC.

 

Also with the advent of Facebook Groups I am also seeing that a lot of the Desoto owners are members of the free facebook groups but not members of the NDC. I guess these newer members and owners feel that these specialty clubs are not forth the money for a membership especially when they can post questions and get answers for free without any membership fees.

 

Even the AACA might not have any of this information either.

 

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

Yeah lot of DeSotos coming out in social media groups and just this week about a dozen airflows.  

[keithb7]

In my experience some of the largest masses of bad answers to questions, appear on these Facebook groups.  In many instances its the quickest largest growing pile of data dung I’ve ever witnessed. 

Edited May 10, 2020 by keithb7

[plymouthcranbrook]

8 hours ago, Skrambler said:

Many years ago I was a member of the P.O.C. (Plymouth Owners Club).

They used to compile a "Roster" of all members and their cars. Mind you, this was back in the 80's when things like this were printed (like Phone Books). It would have given you a good idea as to how many were in each State from folks who were members anyway.

As of when I left the POC in 2017 the still were collecting data but that said I never saw any published totals. Supposedly you could get a member roster on disc if you wanted but never saw one of those either.

[brian b]

I don't know how you could possibly get an accurate answer to this. For example, years ago someone made the definitive statement that there were 72 1939 Dodge business coupes in existence. Period.  For a while I referred to mine as #73 because I couldn't figure how it would be known it existed.  I have a regular Penna licence plate, and my yearly registration has no car year, just lists a Dodge Coupe.  I don't belong to any clubs that would document it, so how would it be counted?  Does the insurance industry give out that info?  As pointed out there are a lot of undocumented cars lurking in barns and garages, and yes, rusting in fields, but nonetheless still in existence.  Not that many years ago two Deusenburgs showed up that weren't on any register. One was on an estate in Mass or Ct, engine trouble years ago and simply put away and forgotten.  The other was a Deusy model A in a garage covered with junk. Of course they called Leno to come buy it.  My point is if they can't keep track of Deusenburgs in existence, no way can they track 39 dodge D-11's, or P-15's or D-24's.

 

brian b owner 73'rd coupe in existence ; )

[Plymouthy Adams]

I have never been fond of any car registry.   I do not register my cars and I have a few that are very low in production numbers and high in collectivity.  Of the British marques..they love their number games and many collect this data and sell it in form of a book and a self appointed guru status all on the back of the members who registered who cannot get their own data without paying...nor can they ask it to be excluded as once given permanently kept.......I refuse to be part of that and gladly accept any name you wish to tag me with for my thinking.  Maybe one day the headline will read, found in deserted barn in Georgia....but I think not as my son knows every car and such on the place.  

[busycoupe]

Thanks to all who have responded.  I agree that it is probably an unanswerable question and I agree with everything brianb says.  I guess I was hoping to get an idea of what might be reasonable,  ... 1%?  5%?   I thought that someone might have an idea because that information would be valuable to anyone making re-pop parts.  

Here is another wrinkle to the question:  I have personally seen 3 other D24 business coupes besides my own. One of them was parked at the curb and while I was admiring it the owner wandered over and as we chatted he told me that the coupe body had been lifted off of its chassis and transplanted onto an S10 chassis and drive train.  Now would that be counted as a D24, an S10 or what?

[Skrambler]

My reply would be "an or what".

[Plymouthy Adams]

as you will register the body and not the chassis and drivetrain changes....it will be counted as a D24....however for a real Mopar addict...it will enumerated with the junk and abortions...