Early 66 Cuda/ Valiant badging in 1966
The order numbers came from order blanks - pieces of paper. They were filled out internally by Chrysler for sales bank cars & by dealerships all over the country ordering cars for lot stock & for clients.
So, the numbers could be high or low throughout the year because there were 1000s of order blanks that could be filled out & submitted at any time during the model year.