Spider production numbers

["Mark Rawlings" <mrawlings@domain.elided>]

James wrote:

>I know this sounds like I have really lost my marbles, but I think it is
>very strange that if Pininfarinia built 198,000 spiders, they would be
>virtually extinct be now. I mean, Chevrolet built something like 1,000,000
>Cavaliers from 1981 to 1985 (the boxy body style) and I seldom see any of
>those nowadays. But seems like everytime I turn around I see a 124/2000
>spider for sale in the local paper. I'd say 95% of the time there is a
>different 124/2000 Spider for sale in the local paper every week.

Obviously, Cavaliers were disposable cars, whereas Spiders, even in the U.S., are collectible sports cars.  Most any convertible car 
will have a tendency to survive, due to their appeal.  When I lived in California, there were about twelve Lancia Scorpions within a 
one mile radius of my house, and there were only 1800+/- built for the entire U.S.  Just goes to show.

>Are these figures really true? Could Pininfaria have just said, "yea ,we
>just built 198,000 of them so they are destined to become a classic". The
>1985 Chevy Cavalier my Father owned was not worth squat when it was new and
>will never be worth anything.

I think you must be counting all those Southeastern Spiders with the Pinto engines.