UPDATING THE VIN … AGAIN

    You’ve probably heard me say, I was late to this party. Actually, this is my second trip to the party, growing up around Ferraris, then graduating from college and working in the field of accounting. I never really left the Ferrari Market Letter, but was strictly in an administrative position.  Now I’m the Roush in charge. LOL.

    The last time we updated how to decode your Ferrari’s 17-digit VIN was in 2011. I had become responsible for editing classified ads and was being tripped up by a change in the sequence of digits for a California.

    Recently I received a list of VINs for one of the newer Special Edition models and once again found myself confused by a digit. This was due to a particular VIN having a digit for a market we rarely, if ever, get a VIN for.

    When I questioned the donor of the list, he was gracious enough to provide me with an update on the composition of the VIN for models California forward, including the 488 Pista.

    I’d like to share the updated information with you.

    EVERY Ferrari 17-digit VIN starts with “ZFF.”

    The following codes for the remainder of the 17-digit VIN may not be 100 percent accurate – corrections and additions will be greatly appreciated!

    The FOURTH and FIFTH DIGITS refer to the model:

        65 = California

        66 = Scuderia Spider 16M

        67 = 458 Italia

        68 = 458 Spider

        69 = 599 XX

        70 = 599 GTO

        71 = 458 Challenge

        72 = SA Aperta

        73 = FF

        74 = F12berlinetta

        75 = 458 Speciale

        76 = LaFerrari

        77 = California T

        78 = 458 Speciale Aperta

        79 = 488 GTB

        80 = 488 Spider

        81 = F12tdf

        82 = GTC4Lusso

        83 = 812 Superfast

        84 = FXX K

        85 = F60 America

        86 = LaFerrari Aperta

        87 = 488 Challenge

        88 = J50

        89 = Portofino

        90 = 488 Pista

        91 = 488 Pista Spider

    There used to be more unassigned numbers. Most likely those labeled as “unknown” were assigned to other proposed or prototype Ferraris that never made it into production. It is interesting to speculate on what they might have been.

    Additionally, and you don’t have to be a numbers freak like myself to wonder what’s going to happen after 99. What ‘was’ 01, the 308 GT4, will become … your guess is as good as mine!

    The SIXTH DIGIT identifies the engine type. The website http://www.red-headed.com/vin.html is a wealth of information for this section, even providing the engine type, and yes, we track engine numbers even for the newest models in our database.

    Information has been updated from 2011 as such, because the system uses letters of the alphabet and thus has to be repeated.

    First cycle: Engine introduction before approximately 1986.

    Second cycle: Engine introduction between approximately 1986 and 2001.

    Third cycle: Engine introduction between approximately 2001 and 2015.

    Fourth cycle: Engine introduction after approximately 2015.

        L = California                              F136IB DCT (F1)

        M = California                             F136IB Manual gearbox, only used on a few cars.

        N = 458 Italia, 458 Spider, 458 Challenge    F136FB

        P = 599 XX                                 F140CF

        R = 599 GTO, SA Aperta              F140CE

        S = FF                                        F140EB

        T = California 30                         F136IH

        U = F12berlinetta                        F140FC

        V = 458 Speciale (A)                   F136FL

        W = GTC4Lusso                          F140ED V12

        X = California T                          F154BB

        Y = GTC4Lusso T                        F154BD V8

        Z = LaFerrari, LaFerrari Aperta        F140FE

        A = 488 GTB, 488 Spider            F154CB

        B = F12tdf, F60 America             F140FG

        C = 812 Superfast                      F140GA

        D = FXX K                                 ?

        E = 488 Challenge                     ?

        F = Portofino                             ?

    The SEVENTH DIGIT identifies the safety system. With fewer than 23 letters available (again, “I,” “O,” and “Q” were not used because of their similarity to the numbers “1” and “0”) it has become necessary to use the same letter more than once.

    Again, there was a first cycle for models introduced before approximately 2004 and a second cycle for models introduced after 2004.

    The second cycle is presented here:

        A = Airbags for driver and passenger, 3-point manual seats belts with pretensioners and load limiter for front and rear, plus LATCH* system for rear seats.

        B = Airbag for driver, advanced airbags for passenger, 3-point manual seats belts with pretensioners and load limiter for front and rear, plus LATCH* system for rear seats (MY 2009-11: advanced airbags for driver and passenger).

        C = Airbag for driver, advanced airbags for passenger, 3-point manual seats belts with pretensioners and load limiter, plus tether anchorage on passenger seat (MY 2009-11: advanced airbags for driver and passenger, plus side-airbags).

        D = [on some versions of the 599 GTO, SA Aperta and GTB Fiorano].

        E = unknown / not used.

        F = Airbags for driver and passenger, 3-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiter, plus tether anchorage on passenger seat (MY 2011 and later: advanced airbags plus side-airbags).

        G = unknown / not used.

        H = Dual stage airbags and side-airbags, 3-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiter, no passenger airbag ON/OFF switch.

        J = Advanced airbags and side-airbags, 3-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiter for front and rear, plus two lower anchorages for each rear seat, no passenger airbag ON/OFF switch.

        K = Advanced airbags and side-airbags, 3-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiter for front and rear, plus LATCH* system for rear seats, no passenger airbag ON/OFF switch.

        L = Dual stage airbags and side-airbags, 3-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiter, upper tether anchorage system on passenger seat and roll-over protection system.

        M = Dual stage airbags and side-airbags, 3-point safety belts with pretensioners and load limiter and roll-over protection system.

        N = [on GTC4Lusso].

        P = [on Portofino].

        X = [on racecars and prototypes].

    *LATCH = Lower Anchorage and Tether for Children system.

    The EIGHTH DIGIT identifies the primary market for which the car was manufactured, as follows:

        A = LHD North America

        B = LHD European

        C = RHD UK

        D = RHD Oceana (was Australia)

        E = LHD East Asia

        J = LHD Japan (also JAP or JPN)

        L = LHD South America or South Korea

        S = LHD Sweden or Switzerland (OMITTED FROM NEWEST LIST)

        T = LHD Middle East

        X = Other (oneoffs, prototypes & race cars) NOW REFERRED TO AS RACE CARS

    The NINTH DIGIT is the “USA Check Digit” and is calculated using all of the other digits in the VIN. It is used only on cars intended for the North American market. On Ferraris for other markets this digit is always a zero except for Japan where it may be an A or a P.

    The TENTH DIGIT designates the model year and is used only on Ferraris manufactured for the North American and some Middle East markets.  On cars for other markets this will always be a zero except for Japan where it sometimes will be a “P” or “N.” Once number 9 was used it became necessary to reuse the alphabet. Simple enough. Again, “I,” “O” and “Q” are not used, and neither was “U” or “Z.”

                                       A = 2010

        1 = 2001                     B = 2011

        2 = 2002                     C = 2012

        3 = 2003                     D = 2013

        4 = 2004                     E = 2014

        5 = 2005                     F = 2015

        6 = 2006                     G = 2016

        7 = 2007                     H = 2017

        8 = 2008                     J = 2018

        9 = 2009                     K = 2019

    The ELEVENTH DIGIT designates the assembly plant that produced that particular vehicle. Since Ferrari has only one plant in Maranello, there is no need for any designation, so this digit is always a zero.

    The TWELFTH through SEVENTEENTH DIGITS are considered the production sequence number, or what we used to call the serial number.

    This 17-digit system was only required in the U.S. as of January 1980. Certain digits denoting particulars for model year 2010 forward were switched, but this article only addresses models 2010 forward, so I won’t address the order prior to that time. If you are interested, we have back issues (in particular #2602 and #2909, my update in 2011, #3615).

 

    A quick of comment about the year codes. The 17-digit VIN was started in 1980 with the code “A”. The 2010 code is also “A”.

    The way the codes have been used so far have some consistency.

    Years 1985, 1995, 2005, and 2015 have codes “F”, “S”, “5” and “F”. Following this pattern a 2025 will have a “S” and 2035 should be “5”.

    Learning the year codes requires knowledge of several years and then you can add or subtract the alphabet to read the model year. Jim Weed