Mavens, I found a car I really like. But there is something unusual in the VIN #. It has an X in the 8th position. Carfax says the VIN is invalid and cant generate a report. I asked carfax about it and they state that its either a race car, prototype, or a one off car. This is from a standard 360 spider vin btw. Anyone have experience with this? I have checked several vins of cars I like, and this is the only one of this nature I have come across. Thanks!
I have done some research, and narrowed it down to one or more of the following possibilities: A. Its a reusable space vehicle trying to win prize money from NASA, DARPA, or AnsariX. B. Its a Typo. Did you call and have them verify, take an image or the like? C. It was ordered by someone retiring soon. D. Wiki says its the Vehicle Attributes or Descriptor Section "The 4th to 9th positions in the VIN are the Vehicle Descriptor Section or VDS. This is used, according to local regulations, to identify the vehicle type, and may include information on the automobile platform used, the model, and the body style. Each manufacturer has a unique system for using this field. Most manufacturers since the 1980s have used the 8th digit to identify the engine type whenever there is more than one engine choice for the vehicle. Example: for the 2007 Chevrolet Corvette U= 6.0L V8, E= 7.0L V8." -So it sounds like you have a "special" engine. Hmmm...
The owner took a picture of the VIN and emailed it to me. Its the correct VIN, not a typo. I like this car but I have never run across a VIN like this in 10 cars I have looked at. This is the exact response that Carfax sent me: Thank you for your email. I have reviewed the VIN and link that you provided below. It does seem that this is coming up as an invalid VIN. From what I can tell looking at the VIN, the 'X' in position 8 is what is making this invalid. Here is what I found out about the 8th digit of the Ferrari VINs: 8th DIGIT A Left-Hand Drive, North America or Middle East (2000-2007) B Left-Hand Drive, Europe C Right-Hand Drive, UK D Right-Hand Drive, Australia E Left-Hand Drive, China J / JAP / JPN Left-Hand Drive, Japan JAP: approx. 1980 - 1994 (with "AP" as the 9th and 10th digit) JPN: approx. 1994 - 2000 (with "PN" as the 9th and 10th digit) J: approx. 1997 - present (with "00" as the 9th and 10th digit) L Left-Hand Drive, Latin and Central America S Left-Hand Drive, Switzerland or Sweden T Left-Hand Drive, Middle East (<2000 and >2007) X Other (one-offs, prototypes and race versions) So the 'X' in position 8 of the VIN means "other (one offs, prototypes and race versions). That would be why this is not decoding properly. CARFAX currently has no records for this VIN. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.
The "X" denotes that the car was used for multiple crash testing at the factory. Ferrari repairs these crash mules to like new before allocating them to dealers. So nothing to worry about. Go for it!
You guys are funny! Is this the best you can do? Seriously though, why the X on what looks to be a perfectly normal street car?
The car is currently located in the US? What year is it? Anything unique with color perhaps? Was the car repainted? I would think carfax is right with their understanding of the "X" so I am sure there is a story behind the cars history.... That isn't a bad thing though-
I presume you meant that as a joke.... The Ferrari factory is absolutely no help at all, even with rare and priceless vehicles, unless of course you have an open check book. You might trip over a sympathetic soul at Ferrari North America, but at best I've only received answers tangential answers to my simple questions.
In all seriousness, I'd ask for the paper trail back to the original owner. Getting a copy of the window sticker and the manual delivery page that shows the delivering dealership and the owner to whom the car was sold might be illuminating.
You know, there are a lot of these cars on the market. Why not pass on this one and get one with a proper VIN?
Its a US car, a 2003, standard ext/int colors. Its a really unusual VIN number for sure. I like the color combo (TDF Blue/Crema) and its close to home. I will ask for all the records. If they cant be produced, I would pass. I worry about resale at some point. If I am asking the questions, you know someone else will as well. Searching for the right car is an "experience". You see the pics on the net and eBay, but its really easy to be fooled. You can be sure that whatever car I choose gets a PPI from a reputable shop. I can tell you I want a 2002 or new 360 Spider with 6SPM. Silver (argento) and TDF Blue are the colors I like, maybe Grigio Titiano. If you know of one....kindly pass it along. I am in the Northeast. Cheers!
Go to red headed and check out their Ferrari VIN verfication and the VIN explanations. http://www.red-headed.com/index2.html
For sure the 8th digit identifies the market for which the car was intended and the letter X indicates "one-off, prototype & competizione". If the factory, or New Jersey won't help I would suggest contacting the "Classiche Dept". Among others, there is a representative, John Amette, at Ferrari of Orange County, Ca. [Ph 714-6627600]
