Can anyone tell me what are numbers etched into the the main passenger and main driver side windows? Should they be the same for both sides ? Many Thanks
The tattoos are the chassis number of the car, That is the last five numbers of the VIN, and a group of three lettres. For instance, my april 1989 GTB VIN is ZFFWA19B0081085; her tattoos are "81085XHD". Of course these are the same on the two Windows and windscreen also. Early production 328s didn't have these identity tatoos. Rgds
Mine is a mid 89 car. ALL the glass, other then the rear window, has the sandblasted etched numbers as mentioned above. In my original books I also have two of the original stencils used by the company that originally put them on. I think it was called Indenticar or something similar, so they could be used again if the glass was ever replaced.
The numbers are not on all cars by any means. In the US you see them very rarely and were done at the request in some cases by insurance companies. neofers cars have them so I suppose in his case it may have been some French requirement.
great thanks for the info .... my car has them , but they are not matching ...means passenger side glass was once replaced i guess .
As always nerofer are right ! And I think as Rifledriver this is done at the request by insurance companies. But not only in France. There is a lot of 328 like that in Europe. But it is not always the VIN. As my #62285 there are also cars for which the number engraved is the first registration. May be only in France ? Marco, what are "yours" numbers ?
Brian, I would say perhaps an "european" requirement, as my GTS, sold new on March 30th, 1989, in Germany, have these also: the car Is ZFFWA20B000080515, and the windows/glasses are tattoed: "80515KPP". Rgds
I have had a look in the books of my GTB and, as said by "Rosey" above, the system is indeed from "Identicar", and I have a copy of the original stencil shaded on a paper, in case you need to change a piece of glass and have it etched into the new one. What I can say is that the tattoing of the glass was accepted as an additional and official "safety measure" by the insurers in France, that is, something that reduced notably the probability of theft and resale, so gave a reduction in the premium for the risk of theft. Today, we also use the presence/absence of the tattos as a quick way to see if a windscreen has been changed, because usually owners do not ask for engraving the numbers again on the new windscreen... Rgds
Well...I am such a nitpicker that I must say that the question has indeed already crossed my mind! But frankly I have a basketload of chassis numbers, engine numbers, transmission numbers, etc...each with small mysteries in their logic that need to be solved. For instance, for the time being I am trying to solve the change in numerotation for the 3,2 engines and find if there is a logic or not in it? A jump into engine numbers occured between chassis 75500 / 75700: 75503, GTS UK, has engine #3299 Then: 75708 has # 10433 75707 has # 10477 75995, a "Mondial", has # 1099. 76049, a "Mondial", has # 10839. So there seems to be a consecutive numbering for the 3,2 engine from #1 to 3300, then another one from 10433 to 19xxx... BUT no engine number between 3299 and 10433? Why? is there a logic to it? Then we have the thread about tool kits that Piezo has opened... The thread about the luggage that Alberto is steering... So there is probably a logic to these three letters system in the tattoos, but I have not spent much time onto it yet... And I am not driving the two 328s as much as I should, by the way... Rgds
Might the out of sequence engine installations have something to do with exterior color, for example, if a chassis is held up for painting in a less common color might it end up with a later engine number?
Apparently not, Jon. There is a complete gap between engine #3300 and #10430, meaning there is no known engine with a serial number in that bracket. In other words: you have a complete consecutive run of serial numbers from engine # 1 to # 3300; and another complete consecutive run from # 10430 until 19xxx, that is the end of production for the 3,2 engine. No known serial number for an engine between 3300 and 10430 up to this day, to the best of my knowledge. We know that the change occurs "at about chassis number 75600"...why, I can't figure it out. Is it just a change in the numbering protocole? Was is a change in the engine that justified a new numbering sequence (none that I am aware of...) Engine numbers are more or less following the chassis numbers, taking into account that the 3,2 engine was also used on "Mondials", by this it means that usually the numbers are ascending with the numbers of chassis numbers; that cars that have two close chassis numbers have usually two engines in a close grouping of numbers, with one or two exception in the serie here and there ("older" engines in some later chassis). For an example of the close grouping: 81085, my own Rosso Corsa french GTB has engine #17330 81108, a UK, RHD, GTB, Rosso Corsa, has engine #17312 81170, a UK, RHD, GTS, Blu Chiaro/Crema, has engine #17404 Chassis numbers are close, engine numbers are close also. These cars are full of small mysteries waiting to be solved... Rgds
If you look at various numbering systems Ferrari has used in different applications over the years you see that from time to time. One that drives me crazy is the numbering of TSB's. The system has changed 3 or 4 times with zero benefit but it has caused great confusion in the keeping and accessing TSB's because there are sudden shifts in the way they get cataloged. The changes make no sense and come without explanation or warning. It is as though through time different people are given responsibility of a program and need to leave their mark in much the same way animals do.
And it could well be the explanation, Brian, I do agree: perhaps there is simply no logic to be found, because there was simply no logic other than a guy coming and deciding that the numbering has to change now... I remember an anecdote about the serie of désignations for the Hewland racing gearboxes in the seventies: one day, Hewland produced a new gearbox, designated "DG200". So one journalist asked: "but what does this "DG" means?" and the guy from Hewland answered: "it means Different Gearbox"... so much for the logic! Rgds
And I grew up thinking numbers were infinite so we would never run out and never have to use the same one twice. I guess simple concepts are too simple for some.
quite obviously ... and as the late Albert Einstein put it: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
I have also noticed the tattoos have different fonts as well. Some of the numbers and letters are quite thin and small, later ones tend to be a bit larger and thicker in style.
Slightly off-topic: what etchings should appear on original glass? Saint-Gobain Sekurit? Specific numbers? Euro versus US? All glass? Rear "glass"?
they aren't any Italian or Euro requirements: it's jus an anti-theft system called "Identicar": it was a deterrent to stole the car, as you had to change all the glasses after stoling it, as car's VIN number was impressed on the glasses. If I remember correctly there is on all my cars: I will check. I think it was standard or a forced option like the A/C, but maybe it was just an option, I'm not 100% sure. Identicar system started in 1978, but i don't know since which year Ferrari offered it. There is on my 77780 ciao Identicar | I.Car
Euro cars have Saint-Gobain glasses; the tattoo with the chassis number is on all glasses, except (from memory) the rear quarter window (I'm not 100% sure on that) and the rear glass. Rgds
correction: I havent them on the 208 turbo (1983) 45069 and 48913. Probably there isn't also on 34465. I saw them on all 328 and "turbo 328" GTB-GTS turbo 87-89, but not on the 308 series car I have: just 328 series. ciao
My two cars have tatto on the rear quarter window. One with the first registration. I need to check but I am pretty sure have already saw 328 with engraved rear glass. At that time, it was done by several dealer. So according to the person who did it, it could be done on this or that window or not.
