Monthly production numbers

[Barney Eaton]

While looking for something else, I found this list of production numbers by month.

There is a faint note at the top saying it is from the 2/96  Newsletter

The reference to the #6 (vin number) position is incorrect .....3 = convertible and 1 = coupe

Edited April 18, 2018 by Barney Eaton (see edit history)

[Cargirl]

I know on Oldsmobiles you can identify the year, month and week a car was produced using the cowl tag, is this possible with Reatta's?

[Barney Eaton]

One of the stickers on the drivers door will tell you the month and year but not down to the day.

[Cargirl]

You are correct, 2/91. Thank you.

[Barney Eaton]

1991 production was unusual.........note that in Oct & Nov they built a total of 45 cars ( new model production usually starts in Aug)

Dec jumped to 268 and would be a short month because of the holidays

Then Jan was a total of 22.    That is a total of 335 car in 4 months

Checking the database.....of the first 17 made in 1991,  11 were convertibles, probably to test the changes made to convertibles between 1990 and 1991.

Then starting with 900242 to 900254 another batch of 13 convertibles.     (That was only 30 convertibles out of 254 cars built and another document indicates that all convertible up to 900243 were scrapped)

Then at 900328 convertible build started and went to 900580 with no coupes until 900581...at that point they would build 1 coupe then 2 convertibles and that sequence continued

until they ended convertible production at 900622.

Now the exceptions....information from owners and CarFax tells us....

900005 was in Kokomo IN in 2001 with 15,433 miles

900199 was a single convertible built....maybe as a show car and it was for sale in Lansing in 2004 with 60,000

900243 was donated to Arapaho technical school

900244 was in Colorado in 2007 with 180,000

900245, 246, 247 have no record and were probably scrapped

900248 was in Mich in 2001 with 84,000

900249 was in S Carolina in 2001 no mileage given

900250 was in Florida in 2014 with 10,700

900251 was in Oklahoma in 2001

900252 was in the lobby of a GM assembly plant in 2002

900253 was in PA in 2001

900254 was in FL in 2001........... note the reason we know about them in 2001, that was when Stan Leslie ran the CarFax....if we did it today we would have updated info

So some of the cars that were shown as scrapped on one document, survived.......somehow

 

A book could probably be written on the 1991 convertibles........we know they added several additional stamping to the '91 convertible to stiffen the car and eliminate "cowl shake"

Management had to know Reatta production was going to end with the 1991 model, but when did they make the decision?  When did they make the decision to end convertible production.

That could be tied to the number of stamping they made for the convertible....did they only make 300+ stampings or did they make 500 and scrap what they didn't use.

We will probably never know.