Where is the Chassis Serial Number plate located, and how does it differ from the VIN?

Looks like the plate should be right rear of the engine bay area.
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Plate is on steering column and I think stamped in frame around engine bay - this is a euro car so no US id plates - there are pictures in previous threads and in the handbook

Also from previous threads it appears some states like a full made up vin whilst others are happy with just the five digit chassis no - vin are an eighties invention - in which state are you trying to register ?

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O.K, here I go again...just turned 64 in January, so please forgive the old man...
There is NO SUCH THING as a "VIN" in the true sense of the word (= a 17 digit position "Vehicle International Number") for a '79 Ferrari. Period.
There is a 5 digit chassis number, and that's all. Stamped on a plate above the control column, and on the chassis bar in the engine bay, and starting with "F106AB xxxxxx" as my friend Robert Retzlaff says on its website (Robert, hope you wouldn't mind me calling you a friend?)

The "Vehicle International Number", or "17 digit VIN" as you would call it it the U.S, was NOT adopted by Ferrari until the very last batch of carburated 308 GTBs, and only a dozen or so "Right Hand Drive" cars for the U.K market got it: these dozen cars are the only carburatted (or is it: "carbed"?) 308s with a true 17 digit position VIN.

No "17 digit vehicle International Number" on a carbed 308 GTB, period.
One of your best man regarding the matter of a US registration would be Alan, aka @BigTex here...

Rgds

 

That “F106” etc format is what is stamped on the upper chassis rail to the right of the engine, so your documentation will match the car. How can anyone have an issue with that?

 

The 17 digit VIN was a creation of the US government. It went into effect January 1 1981. Many people in jobs dealing with this are too young to remember a day when it did not exist and get confused.

 

my VIN is F106AB21561

 

It's almost always "something + the 5-digit chassis serial number", and the "something" can be nothing, F106..., or almost anything. My ex-US 1978 308GTS had VIN 308GTS25375.

 

I believe it varies greatly by state, so a "US" title is not a thing. Having lived in 3 different states while owning pre-'80 cars, I found there were many variations as to what was acceptable, depending both on the state and on who was working in the courthouse that day when I took the paperwork for my new purchases to be re-titled. At present, living in Iowa, I have several older cars with chassis numbers as short as 6 numbers titled. Over the years I have had to go through an inspection process with a state inspector to verify that the paperwork matched the markings on the car, but that has been a fairly painless process, though sometimes slow to get an appointment.

 

Like all other interactions with government it largely depends on the intelligence and motivations of the specific individual you are working with. They can and do register every car made, they just have to want to.

 

My state (Ohio) gave me some grief when I tried to get a title 24 years ago. The car came from New Hampshire which, at least at that time, did not have titles for older cars. Also the bill of sale had GT4XXXXX which made them insist that the "4" was part of the serial number. I had to go back with photos of the data plate and steering column number and information pertaining to NH's title law to plead my case. Most importantly I insisted on dealing specifically with the most senior supervisor. 15 minutes later I walked out with a title. The first thing he did was check his reference book on other states title law, an easy pass. Photo documents and a couple magazine road tests showing GT4 was the model and all was well with the state.

One has to remember that people that you deal with at the title department more than likely were not even born yet when the VIN law was enacted, they have never seen any other system. Many states used to use the date the vehicle was first sold as the "year" regardless of when it was manufactured. I have a Triumph TR4a and the "year" is a very common title related problem of the forums. Sometimes they were not sold for 2 years after manufacture and the title reflects a date that may even be a year or two after the model was discontinued.

Despite the effort to standardize the serial number/title system the states each seem to have their own system quirks. For instance Ohio will not title a trailer that weighs less than 4000# empty. Kentucky does not require license plates on small trailers or registration numbers on un-powered boats. Until very recently Ohio required plates on the front, KY and IN did not. Being within 20 miles of either state and 3 states were part of the metro area confusion was a problem especially when dealing with a new officer just out of the academy ready to exercise his/her newfound muscle.

 

Sometimes it is just better to leave and come back hoping to get a different employee more motivated to do their job.

 

Yes, or try a different office. A friend of mine went to a small rural office and flew through a title problem that prevented getting a title from the office in his city. My biggest problem was not having a title in hand from the PO's state. The supervisor knew to check his reference book, the ordinary clerks where dead set on on a routine exchange with no deviations.

 

LOLOL!

Rifledriver is correct as always, and thanks also to Nerofer....

The line of reasoning here is correct, in that I required a Police Inspection Report, and it's easy to point out the frame stamping which actually contains TWO Stars!
So F106AB*22127* is "almost long enough" to match our Federal DOT standards but not quite!!!!!

I always try to use the existing Title in fact you surrender it to get your new one.

The Texas Tax Office Handbook would have led them to Title it as "308GTB*22127"...or as posted above they were trying to make it "308GT4*22641" so that may be a nationwide guidance..spottily accepted...eventually after three days and my Police form and going with the Frame Stamping, the computer would STILL not accept the decision, as in Texas a 5 digit VIN is a Farm Implement Trailer! Lamborghini joke in there, somewhere..

So swiping my credit card the Teller accepted my paperwork and called to a Supervisor. She arrived and said: "Hit OVERIDE honey, and sell that poor man some license plates!!!!" I laughed so hard and left with my plates!

And later in the grocery store in a City of ten million people a stranger asked: "Did you get you Ferrari sorted out?" Confused I asked "who are you?"
It was the Officer from Police Auto Theft out of uniform!!! That can't be a bad thing for the Police to know you're the guy in the Yellow Ferrari!

So, to the OP, they really should accept the German Title format, or consult their Handbook, or use the 5 DIGITS that Enzo decreed, and call you a Farm Implement Trailer!!

Or hit OVERIDE!!


My second and third cars were a cakewalk at Texas DOT already could see the first one.

 

Montana sounds kind of sketchy to me, but congrats on living there!!!

 

This seems like a lot of fuss over very little. My California car, delivered to me as new in October 1978 through Modern Classic Motors has always been 24813 and nothing else. What am I missing here?

 

What you are missing here is a younger generation of government employees who don't give a ****.

3/4 of them should be fired and the other 1/4 required to get off their asses and do their job.

It really is that simple. When you bought your car in 78 this is how it all worked. It was SOP. Now it isn't.