GTV6 (tipo 116) VIN numbers, CEE and USA

[JHertzman@domain.elided]

In AD7-659 Paulo Ascensao in Macau lists the serial numbers of his three 
GTV6s, all beginning with ZAR 116C00*0300 plus four final numbers (1083, 
1230, and 3802) and adds "It seems that our "murrican" friends had a bad 
habit of messing with the car numbers..", referring to Richard Bies' GTV6 
GTV6 ZARAA6690B1001100, with a claimed build-date in 2/81.

There are two different VIN systems, one "VIN CEE" and the other "VIN USA"; 
the AA6690B1 part of Richard's part number is the USA-specific part, which 
overlays that many digits in the CEE VIN number.

At Alfa's end the USA GTV6s were tipo 116.69 while the rest of the world's 
GTV6s were tipo 116C from '80 to '82 and 116CA from 1983 on. The USA cars 
started with ZAR116690*00001001 while the non-USA cars started with 
ZAR116C00*00001001. For USA government purposes the USA VIN numbers started 
with ZARAA6690B1001001.

For people who want to say, as Paul does of Richard's car, "it seems that one 
should be earlier and the others later cars than yours", there are two 1001s 
and, presumably, two 1083s, two 1230s. two 3802s. and two 1100s, one each for 
the 116C cars and for the 116.69 cars. There is no way to tell, short of the 
factory records, whether a 116.69 car number 1083 is earlier or later than a 
116C car number 1083.

At least that is the way I understand it, merging three different sources of 
information- an ARI (USA) bulletin, the numbers in d'Amico & Tabucchi, and 
the build-sheet of one of our cars which has both VIN-CEE and VIN-USA data.

John H.
Raleigh, N.C.

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