Body numbers and vehicle id numbers

[sweeny]

I have an Euro-delivery, early-production 280SE 3.5 cab, vehicle ID #111 027 12 000152, delivered 1/28/1970 to a German dealer.

I'd like to find out where it stands in cabriolet production order.

The conventional wisdom is that MB did not distinguish between coupes and cabs in the vehicle id numbers, so all we can tell from the #152 in that number is that it was the 152nd coupe or cab made.

But when I got a "Zertifikat" from MB-Classic it had a new piece of info, a "Body Number," which I'd never seen anywhere before. It's #111 027 12 90 020.

Does anyone know if we can uncode that body number to mean the 20th cab produced?

Thanks for any info.

[lamtha]

as far as i know fmom the 111 and 112 that i have,the 3 digits after 111 are different from coupe to cabrio.now,the ID number in the engine bay [on top of inner fender]should match the certificate fax that you get from MB,if it doesn't check the weldings at the bottom of the fire wall or other suspicious places.if you don't know bring the car to an expert body shop that know 111s.
regards.Peter

[sweeny]

Thanks for the response.

In the vehicle idenification number the the second group of three numbers indicates coupe (026) or cabriolet (027). There is no problem with my vehicle identification number; it matches the info from the Classic Center certificate.

We know that the last six digits indicates the order of coupe and cabriolet production, ie, when it came off the lines compared to other coupes and cabs.

It's the body number -- the new info I got from the Classic Center that isn't shown anywhere else to the best of my knowledge -- that I'm asking about.

My question is: Since the body number seems to be referring to a cab (the "027" in the code), can we infer anything from the last digits about the order of production among cabs?

Thank for looking and any info anyone can provide.

Sweeny

[Don350SDL]

Since the body number seems to be referring to a cab (the "027" in the code), can we infer anything from the last digits about the order of production among cabs?

The short answer is no.

Way back then, the body itself was produced separately from the chassis, and the two were mated later in the production process. There was no 'just in time' system, bodies were made at different rates/times The official VIN is the Chassis number.

The Body number may or may not be the 20th one built. Body 24 could have been built before Body 20, and the bodies likely have been assembled kind of randomly in time. It's possible bodies 1 thru 19 were used for engineering, and yours is the first - and it's just as possible that yours is the 83rd to come off the line. For example.

The only conclusion you can make is that your car was made early, because it has a low VIN. You cannot conclude it was vehicle #20 of the Coupes.

Unfortunately, MB doesn't have records that can help you figure out exactly when your car was built, and what number it was coming off the line.

Don