How we research
The archive exists to answer questions ordinary car websites cannot: how many were really built, what exactly is rare about a car, and which individual cars still exist. Accuracy comes before the number of pages.
Every number has its own source
Next to each figure is a small number. It links to the source that supports exactly that figure – with the page or document reference where we have it. A general list of sources at the bottom of a page is not enough.
| Level | What it means |
|---|---|
| A – Primary documentation | Factory production records, build sheets, manufacturer archives and official museum or government documents. |
| B – Specialist documentation | Established marque registries, recognised specialists, chassis registers and documented restoration records. |
| C – Secondary publication | Specialist books and magazines, auction catalogues and researched databases. |
| D – Supporting information only | Enthusiast websites, forums and Wikipedia. Used only as leads – never alone for a production figure or an authenticity claim. |
Production figures always say what they count
“36 built” means nothing until you know what was counted. Every figure states its scope and its basis:
- Factory production
- Manufacturer reported
- Registry confirmed
- Documented examples
- Surviving examples
Surviving cars are never presented as original production. Separate counts – for example an engine option and a paint colour – are never combined into a calculated figure. If the manufacturer has not published a combination, we say so.
When sources disagree
We show every figure side by side, name the source of each, explain the likely reason for the difference and mark the one with the strongest evidence. We never silently pick the smallest or most exciting number. “Unknown” is always preferred to a guess.
Each fact carries a status: Confirmed, Factory reported, Registry reported, Independently researched, Estimated, Disputed, Unknown.
Six kinds of rarity
A car can be rare as a model, as a factory specification, in its colour, as an individual car, because of its history, or because so few survive. These are rated separately and never mixed. The archive covers models and factory specifications built in 10,000 or fewer examples; a mass-produced model appears only through its rare variants, coachbuilt versions or prototypes. When a number is known, the label follows a fixed scale: One-off 1 · Ultra Rare 2–50 · Extremely Rare 51–250 · Very Rare 251–1,000 · Rare 1,001–5,000 · Limited Production 5,001–10,000. The exact number is always shown next to the label. Rarity is not market value.
Individual chassis
A known chassis number is not automatically an authenticated original. Each car carries one of these statuses: Factory documented, Registry documented, Historically documented, Expert authenticated, Authentication disputed, Identity unverified. We publish locations only at a public level (a museum or a country) and never private addresses. Private owners are not named.
Units
Every measurement is stored exactly as the original source gave it. Metric and Imperial values are calculated from that original – never from each other – and the original figure is always shown. PS (metric horsepower), mechanical hp and kW are different units, as are US and UK gallons. When a source gives both systems and they disagree, both are kept and the difference is flagged.
Photographs
We only use photographs whose licence allows it: public domain, CC0, CC BY, CC BY-SA or written permission. The photographer, licence and original source are shown with every image. Without a usable photograph we show a drawn identification card instead.
Corrections
Found an error or have documentation we do not? Send it to us. Every submission is checked against its evidence before anything changes, and nothing is published automatically.