Are there any cars that have gone extinct?

saw this question on another forum and there was just a buch of BS posts.

so are there any cars that are extinct?

 

SURE! There were over 5000 manufactures in the USA before 1942. Some only made a prototype others went out because of competition, others were just crap that nobody wanted.

 

Counting back, Oldsmobile died last year, Chrysler killed the Dodge name about 5 years ago, the Bricklin came and went in the '70's. Checker died about the same time. While the Studebaker name survives, it died in late '60's. Packard used Stude bodies towards the end, ~1960. American Motors died late '60's. I'm sure that's only part of them and the pace really picks up pre-war.

 

Sure lots of companys have gone under. I think he's asking are there any cars that there are NONE left. Right?

 

Phil - Plymouth, not Dodge. Edsel, Hudson, Kaiser, Frazier...Desoto...


Mutt

 

yest that is just what I ment

 

Simon Ingersoll built a steam powered car long before the steam powered rock drill made Ingersoll-Rand the corporation it is today.

 

There was a truck built in Allentown, Pa.around 1900. It was called the Nadig.It was a large flatbed type truck,single seat,solid rubber tires and it was electric! it was the only one built.Im sure its long gone,but you never know!!

 

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Yup. 1932-1934 Ford truck doors are extinct.

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Well, the truck may be gone but the first car the Nadig brothers built is still around, they built it in 1891. I believe it is in the car collection in Boyertown or Doyelstown, I always get those towns mixed up. I don't think they had any steam powered vehicles, their main business was manufacturing gasoline powered engines in Allentown, Pa.

 

Cool,I did not know about the car.I have a photo of the truck at work,Ill see if I can scan and post it tomorrow night.

 

Tucker

 

In Enid Oklahoma there was a car built by the name of Geronimo. The local antique car club searched for years to find one and had just about given up hope when they came across a touring, in a field in Kansas. It was restored over the course of a number of years and makes regular appearances around town now and then. It is the only known surviver as the plant was only in production for a couple years and then burned.

 

Here in Nashville we had Marathon motors, i think they went from 1913-1919. As far as i know only 10 survived and they are all here in Nashville. the factory is now being converted to loft apartments for the yuppie crowd. I think the guy who owns the building owns the cars but not real sure.

 

Arnie "The Farmer" Beswick's 1964 Pontiac GTO. Was the only GTO to escape the factory with a aluminum front end. The front ended up on one of Arnie's crew member's '64 GTO after Arnie went to a fiberglass front. I guess the guy owed someone some money because while it was stored in a parking garage in Chicago while the crew was at a race some guys came with bats and pipes and totally destroyed the car and the front end. The Beswick '64 GTO or "Mystery Tornado" lived out it's last days as a circle track dirt racer. As many of you know a dirt track car doesn't live a nice life so after two years it was scrapped.

 

there are tuckers still around.

 

yeah 49 of the 51 are stil around about 29 are available to view, the others are private hidden away,my old boss has one ,saw it once in 89 i think it was, if you stared at it he said "ok thats enough looking," come to think of it i think he was going nuts at the time

 

one of my friends dad back in wisconsin has one of the 49 that remain, and parts of one of the two that are not.

that was one hell of a car when you really think on it...way ahead of the engineering curve at that time

 

Around 1954 Cushman of motor scooter fame built a small pickup truck for a couple of years. I havent seen one in years. Pogo

 

Last time I checked that company was extinct.

 

There was a car built in Moose Jaw called the Moose Jaw Standard, apparently there is only one of these left and when it was restored, a lot of the missing pieces had to be fabricated. From what I have read, there were only a small number built, 3-7. Mybe Fordnutz can add to this.

 

A far more interesting question is:
How many "one-offs" still exist??
Pick up a copy of "The Standard Catalog of American Cars, 1805 - 1942".
This is a fascinating read, you can open it onto any page and be completely engrossed with the stories of the pioneers into the world of auto manufacture.
Many of them only built one car, and more than a handful of those survive in museums and private collections dotted around this country.
Example:
The Hill steam car.
Built in 1868 in Fleetwood, PA, he apparently tinkered with the car for decades after it was built, only to have the city council ban him from using the vehicle on the streets as it frightened the horses.
It survives (converted to petrol by the inventor) in a private collection in Berks Co., PA.

THIS, to me, is a far more interesting question (and topic).

Cosmo

 

The Dodge name is still around.

 

Was that the outfit that had an owl on the front of their building? I remember reading an article about them 40 years ago or so. Seems they came into play during the Selden patent squables. Wayno

 

Nothing to add, except this is a great thread!

 

Dodge is still around (as in Ram, Charger, etc.), but Plymouth is gone.
And AMC was around into the late '80s or early '90s. At least that was the name on my Dad's paychecks until Chrysler bought them out.
-Brad

 

I don't know about the Owl, but they did testify in the Selden hearings. This is a great thread, nice to know there so many automotive history bugs on the HAMB.

 

Nooo AMC died or was bought out in 1987 by Chrysler which was bought out by Jeffrey Dahmer/Benz.

 

a buddy of mine told me when he went to Carlisle a few years back a Tucker that was asshead turned in to a dirt track racer was or sale there for some crazy price.wonder if thats true?anyone ever hear bout a dirt track beat to shit Tucker floating around?

 

There are lots of those around... I've got a real cool documented prototype cushman highlander with a cushman two stroke friction drive engine..

And I've got the only Pedersen Cycle Car to ever exist... legit company too.

International Harvester made a motorcycle in milwaukee in the Teens, that there are no known examples of... it was called The Pirate.

I'm sure the american car companies were just like the early motorcycle companies... 350 or so makes, and only examples of maybe 260 or so.