[Spridgets] VIN number issue

[Gerard]

Bob,

One thing you could do to give some peace of mind is check the the number sequence of the RD door pillar tag. It should begin with the letters “BAE”. This is the factory recorded tag that will appear on the BVMIHT certificate if you ordered one. Then check that against the chassis pate under the carbs. Also look for an engraved number on the body itself, top of the footwell, near where the wiring loom exists the firewall. If you have the original engine number, add that too. All those numbers are typically within 1000 digits of each other, often fail lose or only a couple hundred apart. If those numbers reconcile, you’re probably good, but only a BMIHT certificate will give you confirmation. As has been already suggested, import cars back then were typically dated by when they were sold, not when they were made. As Rick says, there were no US export nor home market ’61’s.

Gerard


> On Mar 24, 2015, at 11:00 AM, spridgets-request at autox.team.net wrote:
> 
> 
> Message: 3
> Date: Mon, 23 Mar 2015 22:24:42 -0400
> From: Rick Fisk <refisk at chartermi.net <mailto:refisk at chartermi.net>>
> To: Bob Spruck <raspruck at gmail.com <mailto:raspruck at gmail.com>>
> Cc: Spridget list <Spridgets at autox.team.net <mailto:Spridgets at autox.team.net>>
> Subject: Re: [Spridgets] VIN number issue
> Message-ID: <8E06BBD4-B242-426D-8374-64696F2B15DE at chartermi.net <mailto:8E06BBD4-B242-426D-8374-64696F2B15DE at chartermi.net>>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
> 
> Well Bob, sounds like something got mixed up somewhere.  First off there were a little less than 49,000 Bugeyes made and there were no '61's, unless you count the CKD Australian and Italian cars.  The last fully assembled Bugeye was built in November 1960.  However, the car in question could have been built earlier and sold and titled in 1961.
> 
> The last car with a 4 digit chassis number would have been built very early in 1959.  My Bugeye was built in May 1959 and has a chassis number of 15,XXX.   
> 
> On a Bugeye the only other place where the true chassis number would appear is in crayon on the underside of the bonnet and under the hardura cover over the rear axle. Probably not still there today.   There is a body number tag on the right side door pillar that can be used by the British Motor Heritage people to give you the factory build record information for the car.  But it costs about $75.  There is also a number tag on the left hand door pillar, but it is not in the factory build records.  
> 
> Rick
> '59 & '61 Sprites 

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