What do you think is the rarest regular production car you've ever seen?

[alsancle]

I draw the line on engine/transmission combinations when talking about 1 of ...

 

For example,  1 of 65 Shelby GT500 Convertibles built with the 4 speed transmission.    Or,  1 of 8 69 GTO convertibles built with the RAIV engine and a 4 speed.   If you take color and options into consideration then it is not hard to take a basic car built in the thousands down to almost a 1 off.

 

 

Real one off cars were available during the coachbuilt era where the customer would buy the chassis and then have a custom built body.

[Rusty_OToole]

I remember seeing a green 71 Dodge Challenger, low line stripper model on a used car lot with 2 barrel 318 and manual 3 speed transmission. This must certainly be a rare car, possibly one of a kind. Have also seen a full size 73 Pontiac with Chev six under the hood which surprised me. I didn't know they built such an animal and I am sure it was a Canada only option.

 

There are other "rare" cars that are rare because of weird, undesirable mix of options and color choices. I don't consider them "rare" in the sense meant by this thread. But interesting none the less.

[padgett]

Rare is easy. Desirable is the hard part.

 

ps Canadian built Pontiacs had Chevvy drivetrains. Badge engineering.

 

pps some synapses are firing about a late 60s or early 70s taxicab version of a GM B-body with a 4 cyl. engine.

[nick8086]

Edited October 26, 2015 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[John348]

I the very early 70s, I saw a 1967 Ford Country Squire wagon at a show in Xenia Ohio. It had a 428, 4 speed, and a console. Owner had documentation it was built like this. I doubt if there was another one like it. I never saw it again.

Kevin

 

???? In the early 70's a 67 Ford Wagon was a used car what kind of show was it in?

[Chrycoman]

Rarest I have ever seen is a Canadian-built 1935 Hupmobille 517W 2dr Coupe. 

 

The W series cars used Ford-built sedan, touring sedan, and convertible coupe (with and without rumble seat) bodies.  Hupp added a steel top to the convertible coupe to make a coupe.   The chassis was a Hupp supplied unit with a 117" wheelbase.

 

Production in Canada was extremely low and I believe only 49 517W models were built, down from 146 in 1934.  

 

The one in Vancouver was dark blue and the owner had updated a few things - engine, brakes, wheels, interior - but the basic car was still all there.

 

This year at the Langley show I came across a 1934 Ford with a Hupp W coupe body.  Couldn't find the owner, but I have a gut feeling that body was originally dark blue on a Hupp chassis.  The windshield wipers are the same as the dark blue model which were not factory original.

[kevin1221]

???? In the early 70's a 67 Ford Wagon was a used car what kind of show was it in?

Sorry John. I meant to type early 80s. It was displayed at a collector car show.

Kevin

[DAVES89]

I remember seeing a green 71 Dodge Challenger, low line stripper model on a used car lot with 2 barrel 318 and manual 3 speed transmission. This must certainly be a rare car, possibly one of a kind. Have also seen a full size 73 Pontiac with Chev six under the hood which surprised me. I didn't know they built such an animal and I am sure it was a Canada only option.

 

There are other "rare" cars that are rare because of weird, undesirable mix of options and color choices. I don't consider them "rare" in the sense meant by this thread. But interesting none the less.

I had a 1970 Barracuda 318 2 barrel 3 speed no console no air. It was green inside and out. It was the low option car. But at age 18 I didn't care as it was still fun to drive and sporty.

 BTW I also agree with a prior poster. I thought this was about cars that had a low production run, not how a car was made into a "one of" or so.

[Restorer32]

I once saw a Corvair that didn't leak oil.

[Guest AlCapone]

I once saw a Corvair that didn't leak oil.

You just destroyed your own credibility. You have proven that you are a stranger to the truth! Wayne

[ragtop4two]

I saw this tucker at RM Restoration a couple of years ago

[Guest Roj]

I always find it amusing to decode every option on a car until it's "one of a kind." Late-model Corvette guys are famous for this foolishness.

 

One of 38,032 2005 Corvettes built

Of those, only 19,235 were coupes

Of those, only 12,643 had automatic transmissions

Of those, only 8352 had the transparent roof

Of those, only 1243 had the AM/FM/CD/Satellite radio

Of those, only 523 had dual power seats

Of those, only 32 also had dual zone climate control AND heads-up display

Of those, only 8 were sold on the west coast

Of those, only 1 was sold in Ogden, Utah in February

THIS IS THAT CAR!!!!!

 

Ugh.

 

It's hard to call a production car with a happy confluence of options rare or extra desirable unless the options are a big deal (say, a limited-production and/or expensive engine or factory A/C back before A/C was common). Interesting, yes, but unless there's something special about how the car was built or the factory's intentions, rather than just a haphazard collection of options, I think "rare" and "production car" are kind of mutually exclusive.

Well I have a 1953 EX129 car which was made into a 1955 experimental corvette, one of one, rare yes, I'll still take my 31 Buick over it anyday!

[A. Ballard 35R]

Perhaps not the rarest but extremely rare -

 

!915 FRP at Seal Cove, 9 built and 1 survivor.

[countrytravler]

Have a 1968 Cuda.

One of 7 produced. Only one with this color combo.

383 Formula S

4 speed

Convertable.

I hauled this car in 1996 from MI to CA on my 10 car hauler.

[JamesBulldogMiller55Buick]

1953 Skylark Roadmaster 76X conv

1690 produced

[Ed Luddy]

My first car was a rare one. A 1957 Meteor Rideau 2 door "imitation hardtop" in tri-tone red, white & black with a blue interior. Another Canadian only model based on a Ford Fairlane,not a Mercury. Never realized it at the time or even cared that it was rare.

[61polara]

I've held my tongue long enough.............Back to the OP's question..........What is the rarest PRODUCTION car you have seen, not what is a common production car with a rare combination of options.  Take the car in my avatar, 1961 Dodge Polara 2 door hardtop.  My dad bought it new, I was with him, and still have it.  I've actively looked for other since that day and have only seen 2 others and 1 advertised for sale since 1961.  How many have seen one?  Most likely no one.  Desirable, no, that's why it survived.  A great car that no dealer wanted on trade.  Chrysler build about 2100 Polaras across all body styles in 1961, but did not break out production by body.  My guess is less an 100 were built.

 

When at a car show, I generally walk past the Hemi Challengers, because they were truly rare and I suspect most are not original Hemi cars.  I never saw one new, but saw plenty of the 318 and slant six versions, which most were.  They are now the rare cars on the show field.

[8E45E]

1970 Chrysler 300H convertible; the  only one made.  I saw it in April,1970 at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse at the Antique Car & Gun show in Edmonton, and later, it was on display in the showroom at Crosstown Motors for a short time afterwards.

 

Craig

[keiser31]

1970 Chrysler 300H convertible; the  only one made.  I saw it in April,1970 at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse at the Antique Car & Gun show in Edmonton, and later, it was on display in the showroom at Crosstown Motors for a short time afterwards.

 

Craig

That car used to hang out in San Diego. I have some photos of it in the beach area. I have seen a few of the hardtops, too.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

Remember the Tucker convertible that somebody made, claiming it was Preston's intent eventually? Rare as an Ethiopian chicken.

[nick8086]

I was looking for a local car show picture.

 

Google listed 25 ...Rare cars..

Edited October 27, 2015 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Guest Rp1967]

1970 Chrysler 300H convertible; the  only one made.  I saw it in April,1970 at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse at the Antique Car & Gun show in Edmonton, and later, it was on display in the showroom at Crosstown Motors for a short time afterwards.

 

Craig

I read that the one convertible was converted out of a hard top after it left the factory.

[rocketraider]

Having owned a couple of Hurst cars, not sure if they can be counted among regular production cars as they were outsourced to Hurst Performance for the styling conversions. However, they WERE pulled off the factory assembly lines when the batch car order was delivered to Hurst. Yes, the 1968 Hurst/Olds had their 455s installed in Oldsmobile Main in Lansing.

 

With highest production number 2535 (1975 Hurst/Olds), seeing a Hurst conversion is rare anytime. The Chrysler, Pontiac, and AMC versions are especially rare sightings. (1979, 1983 and 1984 Hurst/Olds were higher production but were not done in the Hurst conversion shops.)

[28 Chrysler]

My Chrysler Model 62 touring car (1 of 183) that was made the first hour of the first day has many parts that were used on the previous 1926/27 Model 60. It is also non standard colors, I still consider it 1 of 183.

[Guest carlnut50]

When I worked at a small town Chevy dealership in the 70"s, a couple came in and ordered a chevelle station wagon with woodgrain sides, rally wheels, big block engine, 4 speed , bucket seats and roof rails. It ran and drove about like a SS Chevelle except it was a shade heavier.  I also worked on a Monte Carlo with a 3 speed manual on the collum shifter. I thought that a bit strange.

[countrytravler]

In 1979, I bought a 1967 Chev Caprice 4 dr hardtop. 427-385 HP 2 barrel with a 4 speed. Bought it from a doctor.

[countrytravler]

Couldn't give these away when they were new. Dealers was taking the wing off to help sell these cars. They are rare production cars.

[Vila]

If color combinations count, than I would say my 1962 Triumph TR4.

 

The British Racing Green 1962 Triumph TR4 came with either a Black or Red interior, but I believe only 2 were ever made with the red interior in 1962.  I am not sure if the other one still exists.

 

I just finished the restoration of mine on Memorial Day 2015, the day I installed the new convertible top.  I restored the car to exactly the way it left the factory including the BRG exterior and Red interior.  This TR4 has 43,196 original miles on it.

 

 

[keiser31]

Couldn't give these away when they were new. Dealers was taking the wing off to help sell these cars. They are rare production cars.

Only 1,920 Plymouth Superbirds were built. I laughed so hard when I first saw them. I thought to myself, how could you find a parking space to fit those things? And the wacky wing....

If I had only known....

Edited November 14, 2015 by keiser31 (see edit history)

[Stude Light]

1935 Röhr Type "F" 13/75 PS 3.3 Liter Cabriolet 2-Door 

I knew the 2nd owner (RJ Haggerty) who purchased the car from the original owner, who was a doctor in Germany during WWII. The doctor hid the car in the wooded hills to prevent the Germany military from siezing it. After the war, RJ was stationed in Germany, befriended the doctor, purchased the car and had it shipped to the US. RJ was an army helicopter instructor when he returned to the states and, like a lot if us, didn't have a good storage building so stored the car at a friend's place while he moved around the US. After retiring from the army, he was shocked to find the building his car was stored in had developed a roof leak which destroyed to top and took its toll on a few other parts. He never did restore the car before he passed away. I'm not sure who ended up with it....maybe one of the members here. Some photos in the link.

http://www.maxframe.com/rohr/

Scott

[jeff_a]

Without a doubt a 1924 Peerless Model Six-70 Touring Phaeton. Only survivor of 2,786 6-70s, built in 1924 & 1925. Only six-cylinder 1924 Peerless in the world and only known Pullman-bodied Peerless. Guessing it spent ten years in California, 75 in Montana, and now is in Texas. Illustration at left shows a 1924 6-70 Roadster....featured car at the Hollywood Peerless Dealership's grand opening in June, 1924. You could have driven out with one for a mere $2,235!

Edited November 15, 2015 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[58L-Y8]

At Hershey a while ago, came upon remnants of what turned out to be a 1934 Hupmobile 417W coupe.  Both it and the sedan share most of the Murray body with the concurrent Ford but with different details and features.  The rear of the sedan body is different from Ford bodies, the coupe has half-door construction with convertible-style chrome-framed windows.  Does anyone know how few were built?

[alsancle]

RE: Röhr

 

I remember the sedan being featured in AQ many many years ago.   I did not know about this convertible.  I wonder if it is restored now?   Just a couple of inches off the green house and it would be very good looking.

[padgett]

Some of the more interesting cars today were either poor sellers or never advertised when new. I remember a new 1969 Z-28 going begging for $1995 on a dealer lot in 1970. Hard to sell a closed car in Florida not available with AC or automagic.

 

In early 1966 a Miami dealer had a bunch of new '65 Shelby GT-350s for a similar price (was looking at a Devin-Jag for $1200 down there at the time).

 

ps Please: nobody mention the Packard Panther.

[g-g-g0]

In the late '70's I owned a Healey Westland. Built in 1947 or 1948 by Donald Healey in Great Britian. There were a total of 48 Westlands built if I remember correctly and 6 were shipped to the US. One was driven from the east coast to the west coast by Donald Healy himself! The car was built with a 4 cylinder 2.4 liter Riley engine, transmission and chassis and the all Aluminum body was laid over a wood frame work. The Westland was a roadster thus a canvas top. Later Donald Healey teamed with Austin to build the wonderful Austin Healey.

I have never seen another one!

[padgett]

And in the middle was the Nash-Healy. I have seen the second design and is striking but have never seen the first design except in pictures.

[John348]

Reading through the post's I noticed there seems to be different interpretations of what is a "production car". I also think there is a difference between pre-war rare, post war rare and used car rare.

Myself I would have to say would be the 1923 Copper Cooled Chevrolet, only two are known to exist, I saw the one at Greenfield Village.The other survivor is in a museum in Nevada. From what I understand It was a good idea just with poor execution, supposedly they were all destroyed by GM. I am sure the ultimate intention was for aircraft use. 

[nick8086]

Edited November 16, 2015 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Lebowski]

I didn't read all 4 pages of replies so someone may have already mentioned the '60 Edsel convertible of which only 76 were built....

[countrytravler]

I didn't read all 4 pages of replies so someone may have already mentioned the '60 Edsel convertible of which only 76 were built....