# Production Figures Year-By-Year?



## Dbike (May 6, 2021)

Does anyone know the production numbers of the Schwinn Stingray? I am most interested in the boy's Stingray and the girls' Stingray Fair Lady. Year-by-year 1963-1982? It would be interesting to compare and also see what year was the best selling of all. Just a wild guess, but I would say the late-'60s/early-'70s was the peak of the sales. Also would be interesting to see the production figures of the rare Grey Ghost (1971).


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## GTs58 (May 6, 2021)

Nothing like that was ever published.


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## Dbike (May 6, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Nothing like that was ever published.



Oh, no!


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## Freqman1 (May 6, 2021)

I think the best you will find are yearly production figures for all the bikes they built. I’ve never seen a breakout. I would think in the archives there may be some percentage breakouts to help them with marketing and where to focus production but these documents, if they exist, are likely with the BMA or a private collector. V/r Shawn


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## Dbike (May 6, 2021)

Freqman1 said:


> I think the best you will find are yearly production figures for all the bikes they built. I’ve never seen a breakout. I would think in the archives there may be some percentage breakouts to help them with marketing and where to focus production but these documents, if they exist, are likely with the BMA or a private collector. V/r Shawn



Too bad they were not as thorough as they were with some cars. For example, not only do I know the build date of my 1976 Cadillac limousine (10A, which translates to the first week of Oct., 1975) but I know it was the 246th limousine of 834 built for the 1976 model year.

Yes, yearly production figures would be better than nothing.


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## Freqman1 (May 6, 2021)

Dbike said:


> Too bad they were not as thorough as they were with some cars. For example, not only do I know the build date of my 1976 Cadillac limousine (10A, which translates to the first week of Oct., 1975) but I know it was the 246th limousine of 834 built for the 1976 model year.
> 
> Yes, yearly production figures would be better than nothing.



Yea a lot of car guys get frustrated but its an apples and oranges comparison. Automakers were building vehicles that had to be registered bicycle makers were building transportation for kids and the serial number often means very little and no bicycle manufacturer I know of kept anything more than yearly totals. Many of these have been lost to time. V/r Shawn


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## GTs58 (May 7, 2021)

Here is the published yearly totals and some info on the 1963 1/2 Sting Rays.


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## Freqman1 (May 7, 2021)

At least that gives you an idea but that extrapolation seems to be based on an even distribution across the entire line which it likely was not. V/r Shawn


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## GTs58 (May 7, 2021)

Yes those figures must be an averaged guess. What I was referring to on the 63 Sting Ray was it exceeded 10,000 units for the first half year of production.


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## coasterbrakejunkie1969 (May 7, 2021)

I have read correct me if I'm wrong, that they sold over 40,000 Stingrays in 1964 having never sold much more then 10,000 of any one bike. I would imagine that the first couple years were the best selling years. Really strange that someone who was there at the time has not come up with some sort of numbers. There are were laws in place that car manufacturers had to produce a certain amount of replacement parts for each car. There was nothing like that for bikes so once they were made and sold they were done with them.


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## GTs58 (May 7, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> I have read correct me if I'm wrong, that they sold over 40,000 Stingrays in 1964 having never sold much more then 10,000 of any one bike. I would imagine that the first couple years were the best selling years. Really strange that someone who was there at the time has not come up with some sort of numbers. There are were laws in place that car manufacturers had to produce a certain amount of replacement parts for each car. There was nothing like that for bikes so once they were made and sold they were done with them.




I wouldn't doubt that figure. Look at the jump in production for 1964. In 64 Sting Rays were flying out the local dealers door. I purchased a 1964 Lime Varsity in the beginning of Summer and I never had the itch for a Sting Ray.


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## Dbike (May 8, 2021)

coasterbrakejunkie1969 said:


> I have read correct me if I'm wrong, that they sold over 40,000 Stingrays in 1964 having never sold much more then 10,000 of any one bike. I would imagine that the first couple years were the best selling years. Really strange that someone who was there at the time has not come up with some sort of numbers. There are were laws in place that car manufacturers had to produce a certain amount of replacement parts for each car. There was nothing like that for bikes so once they were made and sold they were done with them.



Yes, you are correct. A little over 46,000 sold. BTW, 1973 was the first year that more bicycles were sold than cars.


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## Dbike (May 8, 2021)

GTs58 said:


> Here is the published yearly totals and some info on the 1963 1/2 Sting Rays.
> 
> View attachment 1406023



Thanks for posting that. Good and useful information.


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