Last of 1965 Model Year Production

[Veit P.]

This message is directed towards Wayne Midkiff

Al Grenning told me [via email] that you are the person I should contact regarding the last of the 1965 production. I went to the NCRS Discussion Board and searched the archives and found an email, which you posted on April 16, 2000. It was in response to some further questions regarding a 1965 396 Coupe. In your response, you mention car number 23551, which I currently own. It is a 327/365 air coupe, serial number 194375S123551. All of the numbers match and the date codes are all within about two weeks of one another. It has a production date of L30. I have suspected that this might be the last 327/365 air coupe built, and your comments in your email from 4.16.00 support that. I would like to discuss whatever facts you may know about this car. If this is in fact the last BODY of any style produced on the St. Louis assembly line in the 1965 model year, does this affect the value in any way? If you want to contact me by telephone, my numbers are 937.832.2830 ext 115 at my office and 937.672.7128 by cell.

Thanks,

Veit.

[Wayne M.]

Re: Last of 1965 Model Year Production

Hi Veit -- nice car you have. I saw it at a mid-90's Cypress Regional. Talked to the (then) owner, and he said that under rear carpet jute underlay, scrawled on the fiberglass, were the words "LAST Job". Your trim tag shows L30, S-body # 4082, and owner said crayon body job # (on inner doors, RH footwell and rear bulkhead) was "216". If memory serves, he may have had a photo album of the restoration.

Have no PROOF that this is the last '65 L76 air coupe, as there were still 13 cars to roll off the line; 5 of those are known, with one (#561) being a L79, C60 convert.

But I think it MAY be the last 1965 BODY (coupe or convert) produced on the St.Louis body line, mainly because of the "LAST Job" marking, coupled with its crayon job # 216. I believe body line crayon #'s were sequential, independent of body style (I may be wrong on this).

Here's why: my S-body convertible, which scheduled it's way onto the last chassis of 1965 production, is L30, S-7755, and has crayon job # of only "204". Unfortunately, I don't have any other S-body crayon job #'s on my list between your car and mine, to compare. But so far, I've never seen a trim tag (convert) S-number greater than 7755. Yet given the crayon # of only 204, would not be surprised --- time will tell. Also, I've never (yet) seen an S-body coupe with body # greater than your 4082.

So maybe there are other St.Louis L30 (coupe and convert) bodies out there, ending up on cars with VIN #'s before and after yours, but (probably) with crayon and (maybe) trim tag S-#'s LESS than yours. In my case, there's a possibility that I'll discover L30 S-convertible bodies with #'s higher than 7755, and certainly crayon #'s greater than 204, yet under your 216. A lot of strange things were happening as production drew to a close.

Email me (to the right of my name at top of this posting) and I'll send you a list of what I have so far, from VIN 23512 thru ..564.