history and reference Latest VIN contest

[gastephens]

Driver door decal, duh!

[mmichalik]

On 6/2/2016 at 1:35 PM, gastephens said:

2002 Automatic Transmission

Jan-76 to Jun-76

VIN 2391108 to 2393292

We are looking for an automatic with a VIN closest to 2393292 ....

 

I just checked my 76 Automatic and my VIN is 2393192.  Could it be one of the last 100 made?  It also has a manufacturers date of July 76

Edited June 6, 2016 by mmichalik

[gastephens]

 

I just checked my 76 Automatic and my VIN is 2393192.  Could it be one of the last 100 made?

Wow, looks like it. Does your door sticker say 06/76? I would contact bmw to see what day it was made.

[mmichalik]

10 minutes ago, gastephens said:

Wow, looks like it. Does your door sticker say 06/76? I would contact bmw to see what day it was made.

 

It's actualy 07/76.  I've attached a pic:

[gastephens]

7/76 is so late it's after the last automatic car was supposedly manufactured. What more can you tell us about the car? Color, options, location, history?

Sent using Tapatalk.

[Conserv]

28 minutes ago, mmichalik said:

 

It's actualy 07/76.  I've attached a pic:

 

Yes, please, send your VIN to BMW Archives (info.grouparchiv@bmwgroup.com) and request their data on your car.  No cost, usually returns a response in one business day.

 

Thanks and regards,

 

Steve

 

[bobthomas]

Some dealers discounted the '76s, especially those with automatics, pretty strongly because so many folks wanted to wait for a 320i.  I'll check the VIN of mine soon & report back if it's significant.

[mmichalik]

1 hour ago, gastephens said:

7/76 is so late it's after the last automatic car was supposedly manufactured. What more can you tell us about the car? Color, options, location, history?

Sent using Tapatalk.

 

Well, the original color is Polaris blue but I was going to change it to a 2015 BMW LeMans blue.  Might not now after this though.

 

It has a mechanical sunroof but no a/c and is a California car, not a 49 states car.

 

It has the original engine in it still, although I've rebuilt the head on it and the last owner put tii pistons in it (supposedly).

 

If my generic research of the car, which has been based on the findings underneath the rear seat, is correct, it started life in northern California around Monterey.  From there, it had a brief life in Los Angeles and then San Diego.  I'm the 3rd or 4th owner of the car.

 

And just an FYI, I have already sent an email to BMW archives tonight. If and when I get anything back, I will send it along.

[darrinm1]

7 hours ago, mmichalik said:

 

Well, the original color is Polaris blue but I was going to change it to a 2015 BMW LeMans blue.  Might not now after this though.

 

It has a mechanical sunroof but no a/c and is a California car, not a 49 states car.

 

It has the original engine in it still, although I've rebuilt the head on it and the last owner put tii pistons in it (supposedly).

 

If my generic research of the car, which has been based on the findings underneath the rear seat, is correct, it started life in northern California around Monterey.  From there, it had a brief life in Los Angeles and then San Diego.  I'm the 3rd or 4th owner of the car.

 

And just an FYI, I have already sent an email to BMW archives tonight. If and when I get anything back, I will send it along.

Pretty cool. After all theses years our cars have so many hidden stories that we may never know. Even the newest cars. I know the previous two owners of car, but not the original owner.

picture?

[02Les]

10 hours ago, gastephens said:

7/76 is so late it's after the last automatic car was supposedly manufactured.

1976 Autos (& manuals) were produced through July 1976, according to info I have.

 

FYI:

2393280 Polaris was on Ebay in 2005, located Brooklyn, NY.

2745581 Fjord was on Ebay in 2013, located in Orlando, FL.

Edited June 6, 2016 by 02Les

[mmichalik]

So, I heard back from BMW Archives this morning.  Here's the response:

 

Dear Mr Michalik,

Thank you for your email.

The BMW 2002 Automatic US VIN 2393192 was manufactured on July 19th, 1976 and delivered on September 13th, 1976 to BMW of North America. The original colour was Polaris metallic, paint code 060.

We hope this information is helpful for you.

Yours sincerely,

Julia Oberndörfer

Kind of cool!

[Nesset127]

My car is a 76' Fjord manual, If I remember correctly it's a somewhat late build. I'll have to look at the VIN number when I get home this evening. 

[Conserv]

3 hours ago, mmichalik said:

So, I heard back from BMW Archives this morning.  Here's the response:

 

Dear Mr Michalik,

Thank you for your email.

The BMW 2002 Automatic US VIN 2393192 was manufactured on July 19th, 1976 and delivered on September 13th, 1976 to BMW of North America. The original colour was Polaris metallic, paint code 060.

We hope this information is helpful for you.

Yours sincerely,

Julia Oberndörfer

Kind of cool!

 

Yes, cool!

 

Both:

 

(A.) manufactured late: July 19th; and 

 

(B.) delivered very late: September 13th!

 

The delivery date is solely a delivery of legal title date, not a physical delivery of the car date.  Certainly under the BMW-Hoffman Motors arrangement, delivery of title always preceded shipment of the car.  Risk of loss and potential for profit after that date shifted to the sole importer.  And every U.S. car imported under BMW NA (begins early 1975) appeared to adhere to the same policy, e.g., my '76 was manufactured on April 23rd and legal title passed on April 26.  And, depending probably on ship schedules, the delivery dates tend to fall 1 to 10 days after the manufacturing date.  But your car's title delivery date falls nearly two months after manufacture.  This implies the car sat at the factory for this entire time...unless some exception was made to the title-delivery-before-shipping rule.

 

For BMW NA-imported cars, BMW actually knows the delivering retail dealer and the date of the car's delivery to the first owner.  But this information is NOT in a BMW Archives-accessible place.  A BMW dealer employee who knows what he/she is doing can access this information.  The larger-than-life c.d. (cdiesel) was able to do this trick for my '76 and that database, indeed, had the correct dealer's name and delivery date.

 

So from early 1975 onward, the retail dealer and initial delivery date are known.  Someone just has to figure how everyone can access that information.  I note also -- and it may be related -- that BMW parts knew the key codes for my '76 but not my '73.  I wouldn't be surprised if the retention of key code data also coincides with the shift from Hoffman Motors to BMW NA as the sole U.S. importer.

 

Regards,

 

Steve

 

Edited June 6, 2016 by Conserv

[gastephens]

My BMW info said "manufactured on June 10th, 1976 and delivered on June 11th, 1976  to BMW of North America ".

 

Congrats to mmichalik , so far your July 19th is the latest manufacture date.

[visionaut]

1 hour ago, Conserv said:

And every U.S. car imported under BMW NA (begins early 1975) appeared to adhere to the same policy, e.g., my '76 was manufactured on April 23rd and legal title passed on April 26.  And, depending probably on ship schedules, the delivery dates tend to fall 1 to 10 days after the manufacturing date.  But your car's title delivery date falls nearly two months after manufacture.  This implies the car sat at the factory for this entire time...unless some exception was made to the title-delivery-before-shipping rule.

 

Steve - as you can see in my own earlier posting, my '76 also had an extended period between Build and Delivery to BMW NA...  I think the 1(!) to 10 days is more the exception... and likely reflects a car custom-ordered (?), or back-ordered.  Unless only the Automatics had that long delay.

 

I'm intrigued myself at the build RATES for these last 02s.  My car is 699 from last, and it was produced May 11, and delivered in August.  michalik's 02 is 100 from last, built July 19 and delivered in Sept.  So in '76 BMW was building 600 Automatic cars in ~9 weeks.

 

FWIW, my 02 is also from that batch that had no VIN tag on the fender.  Curious as to it's presence/not from the others with late cars cited here.

 

Tom

 

ps: I figured/hoped Les would weigh in.  His VIN DB likely had the 'winner' identified all along... ;-p

Edited June 6, 2016 by visionaut