308 Assembly Sequence Numbers

Can you be more specific re: build numbers. I think we knew the numbers are related to the build, but how? Model year, GTS vs. GTB, USA vs. Euro or none...just an arbitrary number?

 

Just a kind of hypotetical explanation : Ferrari chassis ( the bare framework ) used to be welded by a contractor close to Maranello factory. These frames were likely ordered in batches and were not sequenced with the final number until the car was leaving the production line. Could you imagine piles of metal frames in the incoming area with different versions ( EU, USA, Japan, Australia , GB ): the warehouse keepers had at least to figure out way to identify each of the frames and to prepare them prior to enter the production. Why not stamping digits on a easy frame spot and reconciliate against the incoming material list ? Each car was accompained in the shop through the assembly process by an individual hand written document ( have copy of the fiche of my car ) including engine type and #, gerbox type and #, assembly# , the actual chassis # and the bodywork color specification. We have to consider also that some cars were partially assembled or painted at Scaglietti and Pininfarina plants so that the identification of the frame was necessary before the assignment of the final chassis number .

 

OK. Rocco, thanks for the explanation.

The number stamped on the ignition coil mounting plate on my July 1976 308GTB is.......111A. The VIN is 19803.

Interesting problem posed by this. I thought that there were only 100 fibre glass cars imported into the US. Yet, this is indicating more than that. I have much documentation pointing out that my car was the last fibre glass car imported to the US.

So, should it not have been build number 100A rather than 111A?????

Mark

 

these last two posts are facinating.

Morcal, would you mind starting a thread and post pics of your documents, i know i would love to see them. my old 78GTS was *23785*, my 77GTB is *20433*, and my Dino is *09362*

 

1984 308 GTS QV #525 S/N #49789

 

OK, here we have something out of sequence. My May 1984 308 GTS QV s/n #51887 is LATER than yours, but my "build/assy number" (as we're presuming it is) is EARLIER than yours at #287.

So now what?!?

 

hah

I have no idea.

It don't make no sense.

 

Hello Mark, I thought there were 200 usa spec fiberglass cars and the rest were euro spec? I have a 77 308 gtb fiberglass euro spec car # 20861 with build # 456. I also have a customer with usa spec 19799 with build #99 (going from memory), I have several other customers with early gtb's and I will check there #'s when they come in for service.

Rocco

 

The early 308 plot thickens......

I have an original copy of the Ferrari Market Newsletter: Volume 18 Number 11 dated 22 may 1993. Some quotes from it:

"...fairly reliable statistic of only 100 USA models having been built". And,
"files for the 100+/- Ferrari 308 GTB's with fiberglass bodywork built to meet United States safety and emission requirements."

Also interesting: "It appears there were 20 cars built in May 1976, then another batch of 40 cars in June,; and a final batch of 40 cars in July. Each batch of cars had consecutive serial numbers."

I also found a quote in the book 'Original Ferrari V8' : "In late 1976, without prior notification, US models started to be delivered with steel bodies".

It does seem that there was a fair amount of looseness with build numbers and even serial numbers. I wonder if they threw a few other cars in to production between the "batches" and just incremented the build numbers regardless of the type of car. If that is the case, then my build number of 111A does not necessarily signify very much other than the car must have been close to the end of the fiberglass run.

Interesting.

Mark

 

Can you confirm this being a European car (ZFFLA13B000049789)?

 

Mine is a Euro with vin #ZFFLA13B000055127. The 'L' is the fourth digit.

 

not to tangent the good Doc's thread but i can add something of value here.

20805 is credited in the above mentioned book as the first steel 308gtb. but the gtb register shows some 20 or so serial numbers before that. mine is 20433 and its steel and i have seen one in the 19xxx that is a steel 77 also. wierd thing is, it had a decamber build date ( mine is november ) and had 1977 usa emissions steel placcards. mine has 1976 steel emissions placcards.

makes ya think!

 

Sometimes it is confusing to follow Ferrari production by serial number as it seems that cars were NOT built in the order given by them. Some sources say s/n 19999 was the first steel bodied US/LHD. As "the first" does not necessarily mean "lowest s/n", other 19xxx serial numbers may have followed later!

20803 or 20805 seems to have been the last GRP for US-market, so the transition gap seems quite big. It may have taken them some time to properly set the steel bodies for production, so they may have built one every now and then in the beginning, gradually increasing to cover all US-production and finally all 308 production.

Mark, what kind of documentation do you have for 20803 being the last GRP for US? As far as I know, on some (hand written?) documentation, it is difficult to determine if the s/n listed was 20803 or 20805.

PS. in ZFFLA13B the "L" stands for 308 QV euro-engine and the "B" stands for European market.

 

Did anyone stop off at a long-time dealership and ask?

 

With all the Ferrari Wizards here, I thought we would have an answer to this question by now.

 

Euro 308QV, build date is 10/83, Serial Number 48345, Stamped number is '395'.

It looked as though my flap had been torn off. My car is and has always been Rossa Corsa, but there is black paint over the numbers. I was afraid to chip at the black paint.

 

My Euro VIN# is ZFFLA13B000048345. Built 10/83, titled forever as an '84.

 

After I sent him the info on my car, it appears he took some liberties with the Production Year and mileage. I contacted him several times to let him know that various pieces of info he posted on my car is wrong, but he refused to change it. Bummer.

 

I don't understand this guy. He creates a web site, then doesn't want to keep up with it. He refuses to add cars and refuses to correct errors he made. Is there a way we can take it over from him as an FChat registry? What a shame...he has a bunch of info and it would be great to see it grow.

 

I agree. Not to highjack the thread, but if you click on the GTS section, then 1984, find "48345". He has the starting mileage @ "14,000" or there-abouts. I've got all of the original title records with milage of 1865. I told him this and he said "...the info he found on the car was different.." WTF?

Now...back to the original topic at hand...what do those damn stamped numbers signify?

 

Ferrari has about always maintained ledger sheets showing how many cars have been built so far. I think at this point we show clear pattern* that your car was 395th 308 GTS QV EU/LHD that rolled out of factory since the introduction of the model.

Have you checked the original color with the factory? Many many cars were resprayed as new cars with correct stickers and stuff attached to them as the demand for red cars regularly exhausted the stock. These resprays were often excecuted very carefully, as the owner wasn't supposed to know he received a repainted car.

*see http://koti.welho.com/kpietil4/308.htm