How Many LS5's Based On Body Style Were Sold?
DisclaimerChevrolet did not keep, or at least did not release, information on how many of any particular body style were sold with what specific options. So, there is no known figure on how many of the 4,298 RPO Z15 options in 1970, how many of the 9,502 optional RPO LS5 in 1971, or how many of the 5,333 optional RPO LS5 were sold in a coupe, convertible, or sedan pickup body style. The same applies to how many H.D. 4-speeds, TH400 automatics, Positraction, vinyl tops, radios, etc. were sold by particular body style or in combination with other options.
How many of an individual option and what series and/or body styles they were available in is known for regular production options; combinations of any two or more options are not. Exterior paint colors sold were a choice the consumer made and not technically an option so even the overall number of red/blue/green/etc. Chevrolets is not known. Toss in an unknown number of 1970/71/72 Chevrolets with RPO ZP3, special order paint, and you now have an unknown to factor in. While something simple like the number of Chevelles sold with bucket seats (RPO A51) is known, the colors of those seats and the body styles they were installed in is not known.
Examples of what is known and what can statistically be calculated given the number of 1970 (in this example) Chevelle V8 Malibu sport coupes, convertibles, and sedan pickups along with the number of known base LS5 options. For the purposes of this example, the known number of Z15 SS454 Equipment options is known, 8773, and the known number of optional LS6 engine sold is 4475, leaving 4298 with the base LS5 engine.
Total of possible body styles that the LS5 could be ordered in:
311,553
13637 V8 sport coupes: 263,684 - percentage of total
possibilities, roughly 84.63%
13667 V8 convertibles: 7,141 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 2.29%
13680 V8 sedan pickups: 40,728 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 13.07%
RPO Z25 options: 8773 - 4475 (LS6) = 4,298 remaining base LS5.
Using an evenly distributed formula:
13637 V8 sport coupes: 84.63% of 4,298 results in 3,766 sport coupes.
13667 V8 convertibles: 2.29% of 4,298 results in 98 convertibles.
13680 V8 sedan pickups: 13.07% of 4,298 results in 562 sedan pickups.
The only real known number of LS5 engines in a particular body style are the 3,883 sold with the Monte Carlo Z20 SS454 option in 1970 and 1,919 LS5 engines in 1971 Z20 optioned Monte Carlos.
Naturally the same methodology can be applied to 1971 and 1972, but with a twist. While the number of LS5 options is known for 1971 & 1972 Chevelles for example (9,502 & 5,333 respectively), one must remember that the RPO Z25 SS Group option in these years could be ordered with any optional V8 engine, the 350-2, 350-4, 402-4 and 454-4. Therefore one can only calculate the number of Z15 SS Group optioned sport coupes, convertibles, and sedan pickups with the 454-4 based on an equal distribution basis and not factual numbers.
The total possibilities (13637, 13667, and 13680) for 1971 & 1972. In these calculations the percentages are rounded up to the nearest .01 so the total percentages do not come to 100% for 1972 and, hence, total LS5 options to not match exactly. The number of LS5 options sold listed below for 1971 and 1972 are LESS those reportedly sold in the Monte Carlo.
1971 - 231,101 Z15 SS Group options & 7,583 LS5 options:
13637 V8 sport coupes: 189,970 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 82.20% or 6,234.
13667 V8 convertibles: 5,089 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 2.20% or 167.
13680 V8 sedan pickups: 36,042 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 15.60% or 1,182.
1972 - 262,810 Z15 SS Group options & 4,065 LS5 options:
13637 V8 sport coupes: 207,598 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 78.99% or 3,212.
13667 V8 convertibles: 4,853 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 1.85% or 75.
13680 V8 sedan pickups: 50,279 - percentage of total possibilities,
roughly 19.13% or 778.
When one tries tossing into the mix the possible combinations of H.D. M22 4-speed, the M40 TH400 automatic, and/or the ZL2 cowl induction hood, those figures become even more diluted.
So the next time you see a Fathom Blue, LS5 4-speed with white interior and Cowl Induction hood being sold as '1-of-20' or 1-of-(any figure), etc. you can pretty much guess which part of the human anatomy it came from.
The same holds true for LS5-optioned Corvettes and Passenger cars. There are a known number of LS5 engine options sold but not how they were distributed by body style or in combination with any other options.
Many of these 1-of-xx figures come from an appealing and colorful production poster by Chevelle enthusiast Dan Carr. This poster has production figures for 1968 to 1972 Chevelles and Dan breaks down the figures in a very unbiased way (mathematically) in an attempt to show how many of a body style might have been ordered with various SS and non-SS specific options; mainly which SS package, transmission types and cowl induction hoods for 1970 through 1972. With Dan's permission the following excerpt from his explanation on how certain figures were determined is presented here.
* The asterisk is my inclusion since it is now known that NO LS6
Chevelles were built in Canada and imported into the U.S. In fact,
just the opposite is true. All LS6 Chevelles, be they coupes,
convertibles, or pickups, sold in Canada were built in the U.S.;
hence the difference in Malibu coupe figures of 263,684 and 289,622,
or 25,938 units. These 25,938 Malibu coupes imported from Canada
should not be counted in the percentages for possible LS6 optioned
Chevelles in 1970. No convertibles or El Caminos were built in
Canada so these production figures are sill valid, U.S. numbers.
Continued...
See http://www.designscomputed.com/auto_pub/a_body_68_72.html for ordering information on Dan's poster.
