F1 project #'s, example 643, meaning? F1 ID tag, MAT. What does it mean?

Hi all two questions for the F1 gurus in here.

1- I know Ferrari has been using project numbers for their F1 cars for a long time in some way. Does anyone know what they mean? In particular for the 643? I assume the six, the four and the three must mean something?

2- Also, I noticed on some ID tags in the cockpits that they say MAT. on them, any idea what that means as well?

Thanks!

 

Not really, the 89 car was 640, the 90 was 641 than 641/2, the 91 was 642 than 643.....

 

That I knew, curious as to what it all meant...

 

It's just a design/project number, like the california (2009) is F149 or the Chevy Vega was the XP-887. Ferrari's website refers to the car as F1-89.

Mat is an abbreviation for serial number in italian, matricola.

 

Oh I know it is just a project number, was just curious if it had some meaning or what not...I mean someone had to pick the numbers right?

The 643 is actually the F1-91, but since they used two different cars in 1992 (642 and 643), the 643 would technically be considered the F1-91/2 or F1-91B or F1-91 Late Version. But as we all know this car is usually simply called the 643.

Thanks!

 

Although all racing Ferraris have project numbers, only rarely are they used much in public, as was the case with the 640 thru 643 in the 1989-1991 timeframe. (The 639, an unraced prototype of the 640, has also been mentioned.)

I think the only other such project numbers to have been widely used were the 553 and 555 raced in 1954-1955, better known as the "squalo" and "supersqualo". Am I correct in this?

 

BTW, the 2015 F1 car is the project 666.

Uh oh.

 

LOLO, is that for real!!? If so, everyone else is screwed!!!