Milano production? (Platinum phantoms)

["John Hertzman" <johnhertzman@domain.elided>]

In AD8-0008 Carson Damm writes that his 1987 Platinum H1025850, build date
December 1986, does not fit the numbers given in d'Amico & Tabucchi, and that
Elvira Ruocco says his car does not exist; he wonders if the factory could
have transposed the two and the five, stamping 25850 on car 52850, which would
fit the published numbers. An optional transposition with the same result
would be if the error was on the factory's paper rather than on the car tag.

 My own 1987 Platinum is H1026474, 625 cars newer than his, (but a month
older: build date 11/86) and also doesn't fit but would be yet another
doesn't-fit number, 62474, if the numbers were switched in the way he
suggests.

 The published 1987 beginning number immediately follows the published 1986
ending number, which further complicates any simple explanation. I have never
asked Elvira Ruocco about my car, as I bought it new and the two things she
can tell, color and first owner of record, were not in question.

 The two 1988 Platinums of the recent correspondence are Tim Timko's,
J1225087, and Bob Cess' J1225046, another close pairing which also does not
correspond to the d'Amico & Tabucchi listings.

 I already knew that my wife's 164 does match d'Amico & Tabucchi's 164
numbers, so I wondered if there might have been some change in the system of
numbering US cars between 1988 and 1991. The only evidence I have seems
otherwise; my 1984 GTV6 numbers do match d'Amico & Tabucchi's, leaving the
Milanos as the exception between earlier and later proper numbers.

 So, we are back to square one. I might blame d'Amico & Tabucchi if the only
discrepancy was between the cars and the published numbers, but Elvira
Ruocco's testimony that Carson Damm's car doesn't exist indicates that the
discrepancy is between the cars and the factory records, letting d'Amico &
Tabucchi off the hook.

 Enjoy yours, if it is real-

 John H.

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