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Endangered & extinct cars

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I'll agree with the Plymouth Arrow/Fire Arrow, rarely seen, did see one about ten years ago driven by an older man who simply used it as daily transport and was the original owner...

My picks?

Most rare is the early 1970's Plymouth Cricket (aka Hillman Avenger badge engineered for North America)... I'm not sure how many were ever sold new back then (as the Cricket), but one person I know thinks there are only a handful of them left anywhere on the continent, I do know there is one right here in Calgary at a friend's shop... This one here...

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There are also a number of very low run European sedans and British saloon cars from the 1960's, there are many examples, likely few were ever sold on this continent (even if sales were stronger in other places), even fewer have survived...

I've seen a few rare cars, once spotted a 1969 Nissan Cedric station wagon here in Calgary - languishing in a backyard, they were sold in limited numbers in Canada... This car here...

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They also sold a small number of Triumph 1300's here in Canada in the 1960's, I'm aware of three of four survivors still, I saw one during a trip to B.C. two years ago... And also got to ride in the same person's Triumph Atlas van, essentially a re-badged Standard Atlas van used for dealership purposes here in Canada, he has owned this van since new! Picture...

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I could go on but I'd bore everyone to tears... Just rather ordinary cars really, my sightings of vintage exotic cars are few and far between, not many of them here...
 
Certainly My Viva Gt is one - 65 in the world and only one other that I know of on the continent - the ones that are even more interesting are like the mini van, ubiquitous, then gone - was a diesel Chevette at cruise night tonight - can't be many of those.
 
I just sold an endangered car this evening. My 1993 Saturn SC2. Paid 1k for it 8 years and 74k miles ago. Just sold it for $700, still running strong. If I had the room to store it inside, I would have kept it and restored it in 10 years. It was on CL 15 minutes before I got the first response, 2 hours later, gone.
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Tiger said:
Remember the magazine cover of one parked under a Mitsubisji "Zero"?
Click to expand...

Unless the mag was looking to doom it that's the worst idea I've ever heard.

Back when guys would put 440's in those things.
 
My picks would be the Ford Pinto California Cruiser editions. those panel wagons they sold with the awful paint schemes, and my VW Type 3. but I think the VW is only rare in my part of the country. there seems to be a healthy supply in CA.
 
I never would have thought that the 84 Plymouth Voyager as on Hagertys page, would turn out to be a proven vehicle. My son just pulled his off the road, but it still runs, after buying a new SUV. The Plymouth has well OVER, 300,000 miles on it! It still has the original engine and uses a little oil. Front end has been worked on a half dozen times due to the rough road he lives on. I looks like it belongs in the junk yard, but the son of a gun still runs great! Who would have thought. PJ
 
VW's Karmann Ghia Type 34...never imported to US because of concerns that the sole manufacturing facility could not meet the demand...of the Type 34s produced fewer than 1000 are verified to exist today worldwide with perhaps double that number in storage.

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BustedKnuckles said:
VW's Karmann Ghia Type 34...never imported to US because of concerns that the sole manufacturing facility could not meet the demand...of the Type 34s produced fewer than 1000 are verified to exist today worldwide with perhaps double that number in storage.
Click to expand...

They were sold here in Canada :grin: I know of at least three local examples...

Lowered with a roof rack...

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A beautiful restoration by a local collector, pretty much all original...

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And there is another one I've seen in rough shape, parked up at a house about ten years ago...
 
The fastback bears a very strong semblance to the later VW 412, IMHO. (which you don't see a lot of, either)
 
The old VWs were great cars for the price. I had a super bug for about 5 years and loved to drive it. Only problem with it, was it had the worlds worst heater and defroster, bar none! Only car I ever owned where I had to use an ice scraper inside the car to see through the windshield! If it was 20 degrees outside, I swear it was 15 degrees inside! :highly_amused: PJ
 
+1 on the inside ice scraper. Been there with SWMBO's '74 Super.
 
PAUL161 said:
The old VWs were great cars for the price. I had a super bug for about 5 years and loved to drive it. Only problem with it, was it had the worlds worst heater and defroster, bar none! Only car I ever owned where I had to use an ice scraper inside the car to see through the windshield! If it was 20 degrees outside, I swear it was 15 degrees inside! :highly_amused: PJ
Click to expand...

Nothing compared to the bus
 
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