5 digit Vin ? 67 912

[Wyvern]

Looking at and have the opportunity to purchase a really clean 67

Trying to identify it is confusing me as it has a 5 digit vin

13438
On the door tag
On the plate
Stamped in the trunk
and on registration paperwork.

I cant find reference to this anywhere.

Engine # is 836388 and That I identify as a '66 German / Sweden market build

And then there is the paint code 97 1001 also not listed anywhere .

[jess p]

Interesting vin. The engine number does show it was an import model to Germany and Sweden. Even more interesting is the plate you see when you pop the front hood. Next to the word, heizinrichtung is a number. The word means heater type. I have 3 912’s and on on my plates they are all blank. A quick check to the 912 registry does not give any leads on the vin number. Another site I often use reveals it’s neither a Porsche 912 nor a 356 number. I’m just wondering if it’s this vin due to an import to Sweden. You could call Porsche and they could do a history search. If the title matches the numbers found on the car there is no problem. Looking at the door jam, trunk and front plate look legit to me. I’d buy the car!

[Ed T]

It looks right, and there are a lot on anomalous things the Porsche factory did. If you want to make the experts scratch their heads for you, post this on the 912 BBS, at
https://www.912bbs.org/forum/forums/912-help.34/ You have to create a password, but the people are friendly, and devoted to the 912!

Ed T
1969 Bergundy Red 912 Karmen Coupe

[Wyvern]

Thank you for the info .
I have discovered that the one marking indicates a high capacity heater for Germany and Sweden.
One Porsche contact says 5 digits were used for prototypes and factory test mules.
Another very knowledgeable Porsche contact says the re-body tubs were assigned 5 digit vins.

I am picking it up Sunday

[djpateman]

This particular VIN series is for replacement bodies. So it depends on what the legal VIN for the car is; it may be different. It is possible to get the Kardex for this and determine the VIN of the car the body was replacing. These are kind of unusual, but there are several around and known to me. Dave

[Wyvern]

Thanks Dave . A Kardex would help and answer questions for sure .
Is a re-body a horrible thing . does it eventually make it a "salvage" .
I like the car, and i am getting it . Does this drop the value considerably?

[ejboyd5]

Unlike cars built on a traditional chassis or frame, if one replaces the body of a 912 you are essentially creating a new car onto which you are adding drivetrain and suspension components. It will be very interesting to see what the Kardex reveals for this vehicle.

[WFBowen]

Here’s a photo of an early prototype. Note the 5-digit serial number.

[mood]

The chassis data plate says "Heizeinrichtung Typ 356B T6 ~ S50" like the 13415 car. The undercoating around stamped number near the gas tank looks like G model era cars, but that could have been done during restoration. I can't wait to see more pictures after you pick it up.