A $140,000 station wagon

No doubt. As Joe P says, the graph is an average across all cars.

However, the original point of my posting these was regarding the assertion by BillT above that "less than half" of '57 Pontiac Safaris are still around. Of course, he is correct, but my point is that there are MUCH less than half of '57 Safaris still around. Whether it's 1%, 2%, or maybe even as many as 10%, it's not 40 or 45% under any stretch of the imagination.

 

It's true the Nomad and Safari were "special" cars right from the beginning. They were very stylist, low production cars and a custom 2-Door to make them even more special to boot.

I would say that they would have at least a 2 to 3 times chance to be saved in comparison to a regular production every day car.

There actually could be some stats out there or at least an approximate on how many are left. The National Nomad Association was formed back in '72 and there still is a Nomad club in existence today. I wouldn't doubt if someone out there has a registration of these cars. I believe the Nomad club did and still does accept Safari's today as well.

 

I would agree with this wholeheartedly, but all it means is that, if the every-day car survival rate is 1% after this many years, three times that is 3%. No matter how you slice it, the number of survivors is low and tends to be much lower than people think based on a car's current popularity.

About the only model that I would say might have a double-digit survival rate, maybe as many as 30 or 40%, is the Corvette. Now that's a car that is recognized as collectible right off the assembly line and has been pretty much through its entire existence.

I've never put much stock in these how-many-are-left surveys. They depend totally on people self-reporting their ownership of a particular car. Many people do belong to clubs or report their ownership to whomever is keeping track, but many don't. Now one thing these surveys DO provide is a floor. You know that the number surviving of a particular model is at least as many as these surveys show.

 

Unknown is the number of Nomad/Safari wagons which have fallen victim to getting strapped onto 4-wheel drive frames, entered into demolition derbies or have suffered various other Gooberies. Not everyone thought about specialty cars back then like we think about them now. There was no guarantee that these vehicles wouldn't someday change hands enough to end up in horror ownership of some sort or another. Especially, when that vehicle's value was underestimated, if taken into account at all. There are no shortage of Numbskulls out there who would be overwhelmed by one of those two barrels acting up on a tri-power set-up and then cure the symptom, simply through swapping the tri-power for an ordinary four-barrel carburetor. Furthermore, nobody could envision as to what the future was to have in store and that we'd someday end up with the cars we now have to live with.
Yellerspirit's postings aren't at all short of featuring butchered Nomads whatsoever, to prove a point

 

The "official" registries are by VIN and Cowl Tag Production Numbers. I am listed on a registry for my '59 John Deere 435 which is also considered not only an Antique but a Low Production of a Tractor of Interest.

We list them by their Serial Numbers.

I can't remember if we had an official registry in the old National Nomad Club as I did not renew after I sold my last one in '82, but I would not be surprised if they had one today.

They are many cars out there today that are not just Registered, but Documented. In one of the Chevy forums I'm a member of, there are at least two members there that Document certain cars.