How Many Duttons...

[Adrian Southgate]

One of our new members wrote to me and gave me some figures quoted from a book he got for Christmas. The numbers seem about right though.

The “A-Z of Kit Cars, the definitive encyclopaedia of the UK’s kit-car industry since 1949” by Steve Hole. Devotes 3 pages to Duttons and he includes his estimates of the number of cars produced, as follows:

Dutton B-type (1971-74) Approx 250

Dutton B-Plus/B-Plus 32 (1973-81, 1986-89) Approx 260

Dutton Beneto (1989-94) Approx 12

Dutton Cantera (1976-77) Approx 6

Dutton Legerra (1984-94) Approx 120

Dutton Melos (1982-94) Approx 1,500

Dutton Malaga (1974-77) Approx 200

Dutton P1 (1970-71) 9 made

Dutton Phaeton (1978-89) Approx 3,000

Dutton Rico (1984-89) Approx 25

Dutton Rico Shuttle (1986-89) Approx 50

Dutton Sierra (1980-94) Approx 3,000

Dutton Sierra Drophead (1984-87) Approx 50

Dutton Sierra Pickup (1983-89) Approx 5

Dutton DSL Spyder (1978-81) Approx 6

 

It also lists:

Eagle P21 (1989-97) Approx 40 (formerly Dutton Phaeton)

Eagle P25 (1989-97) Approx 35 (based on Dutton Phaeton)

I'm not too sure what the DSL Spyder refers too, anyone got any ideas?

[Big Vern]

Something just under 9000 would be about right with just over 5000 during the '80's
Dsl spyder was essentially a bonnet for a triumph spitfire that looked a bit like a phaeton from the front.
Thought 12 p1's were made?

[Adrian Southgate]

No Idea although I always thought there were more than 120 Leggys too.   Makes me even sadder that I have a crippled one sitting under a tarp in the front garden.

I'll have to sort them into chronological order' it might make more sense.

[Big Vern]

Dutton chassis numbers were issued sequentially regardless of model.
I knew only around a hundred or so Legerra's were made, first 50 were supposed to be turn key as indeed they were all meant to be but the idea didn't take off so the rest were sold as kits. Dutton ceased trading in late 1989 just after TDW sold it in fact:-(
BTW it's not b+32 its b+s2 which became the eagle p25

[Adrian Southgate]

I think its time i tried a different approach to the database then.

I am going to make a new one based on the id number of the chassis and then just fill in the blanks where we know them, that way I can add fields for modifications etc and a space for photo's.

As the dutton chassis number is the lowest 'prime' in the equation as it were. all the others have been a bit random based around membership numbers up to now.

[Big Vern]

Guess you can only make a database on known cars of each model. Not all duttons are registered on the dutton number but are on vro numbers or donor vin numbers.
I suspect your trying to make a database based on logic where no logic exists. All you can really do is to record what cars are known to the club. A simple excel sheet should do the job as it will have searchable fields. Record reg, chassis and members number then any other details.

[Adrian Southgate]

I've made a start. Working on the principal that every Dutton to leave the factory was allocated a 'body' number I can just fill in the blanks. 'Simple' spreadsheet BV? its 64,000 cells :-) and if I add photo's  well i'll leave the maths alone after that.

Once the actual table is constructed I can do the data entry on a form and just work from one pc to the other, pretty much the way I have had to reconstruct the club database after my little mishap. If I really want to get fancy I will look each one up on the DVLA database and include that data too... now THATS a big job.

[Paul Sheridan]

Rollodex ?? .............  Mr Sheridan has left the building

[Adrian Southgate]

Thats how the DVLA used to keep records.

That and olive drab or grey filing cabinets... thousands of them... :-)

I bet they are still in an archive somewhere in Swansea. I wonder if we can get at them using the freedom of information act?

[1midz0wwbl268]

Is that why you get registrations that are on the club records but have no trace on DVLA computor, because they were never entered  having been off the road so long, what do the DVLA do in these cases, send someone down to the vaults torch in hand to find the relivent card?

[Big Vern]

I'm guessing as a welder, excel is not something you've used extensively :-)

9000 lines out of 32500 !   I would use a different sheet for each model type then pull it all together in a front search type page.

The ball ache is entering all the data. Think I'd addall the known data first then start adding data checks, BTW how do you get on with that RE the data protection act?

[Adrian Southgate]

No personal details are included in this database. The data I am entering is all available via the experian autocheck, mycarcheck and DVLA websites and the only critical data is the VIN which is a generated number used as an index. It only becomes useful when compiled and I don't intend to let a copy out of my sight until I can protect it properly.

Its purely for me to produce stats for DT at the moment. Data entry is a PITA but if it stops me getting a RSI shooting at americans on Far Cry 3...

I'm doing them all on one sheet (cue humour) at the moment as it was easier to generate 9000 lines of sequential numbers. 

[Big Vern]

Yeh thinking about it one sheet is better and just use conditional format to give each model a different colour