How do you identify an E9 without a VIN?

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E9Aus

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Hi Guys,

I came across an E9 in a million pieces at the start of its restoration in a local body shop here in Melbourne yesterday and went hunting for the VIN to try and identify it. It seems the body shop had removed all ID plates (that I could see) for safe keeping to replace at the end of the resto.

They were cagey about me taking photos etc and showing me the ID plate as the car belongs to one of their customers and it was basically none of my business. As a result I couldn't climb under the car or really look closely. Engine was removed as well, it was basically the shell.

The only identifying number I could find was stamped into the body where the left hand door hinges meet the frame.

Does anyone know if this number can be used to identify an E9? I'm keen to find out a little more about it, purely for interests sake.

Cheers all. Happy Father's day around the world! (alas I did not wake this morning to find a new CSL parked in my driveway)
 
If it was stamped on a plate and is 2 or 3 digits that's the color code.

other spots are top of steering column, engine block by firewall, and passenger side stamped into body near cabin air intake

E9Aus said:
Hi Guys,

I came across an E9 in a million pieces at the start of its restoration in a local body shop here in Melbourne yesterday and went hunting for the VIN to try and identify it. It seems the body shop had removed all ID plates (that I could see) for safe keeping to replace at the end of the resto.

They were cagey about me taking photos etc and showing me the ID plate as the car belongs to one of their customers and it was basically none of my business. As a result I couldn't climb under the car or really look closely. Engine was removed as well, it was basically the shell.

The only identifying number I could find was stamped into the body where the left hand door hinges meet the frame.

Does anyone know if this number can be used to identify an E9? I'm keen to find out a little more about it, purely for interests sake.

Cheers all. Happy Father's day around the world! (alas I did not wake this morning to find a new CSL parked in my driveway)
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Hey thanks for the reply!

There are no ID plates left on the car at the moment unfortunately. Neither VIN plate or color plate.

The only number I can find is stamped into the body just above the hinge attachments on the left hand door side. Unfortunately it is only a 5 digit number, not a 7 digit VIN.

Any ideas? If that stamped number is the VIN, would it be the start or the end of the VIN? Looking at the VIN register for E9's it doesn't seem to line up with any of the VIN starting numbers of 2 or 4.

The mystery continues. Any thoughts? Cheers.
 
The VIN is stamped directly onto the firewall (not on a plate) up by the cabin air intake (so in front of the windshield but behind the engine) in addition to being on several plates.
 
How about the engine block itself? Doesn't have to be the original block but if it is you should have the number.
 
Karman had a process of stamping the last 4 or 5 digits of a serial number onto body panels during assembly. ( doors, hood, etc.) This was done so that after painting, the right parts got put back to the right chasis.

With that number, and determining what year by specifics; bumpers, driveline, etc. it may be possible to determine the vin number.

It's more of a way to determine if the panel is original to the car. But after all these years anything is possible.

:)
 
Did they only do this on CSL? I can't find any on mine and have never seen them. My former 230SL had three matching numbers on hood, trunk, boot lid, hardtop, etc. which the MB guys look for.
 
Mystery Bat!

OK here's the deal guys!

I dropped in to see my old 2002 mechanic on Saturday. On the way back to my car I passed a bodyworks shop next door to him and what do you know there was a half restored Bugatti just sitting there inside the front door.

I looked inside this small workshop and my jaw dropped:
* 3 x Aston Martin Zagato's (one with a full sized polystyrene buck sitting next to it for fabrication)
* 2 x 1950's Maserati's
* 1 beaten up "Magnum" style Ferrari
* 1 completely trashed corvette they were building a fiberglass body kit for
* The Bugatti
Turns out these guys do very high end restorations and fabricate just about any car from scratch - amazing work!

But right down the back I spotted a familiar silhouette. I asked the old guy about it and he said "Yeah, it's one of those Batmobiles, but it's well f****d mate". (I am in Australia after all!). The car was stripped down to the shell and surprise surprise it was like total swiss cheese! No parts or engines were lying around to look closer unfortunately.

I looked everywhere for a VIN # but they all had been removed and tucked away. The body stamp in the door frame is clear but I couldn't find any other numbers, it had no engine and not being my car I wasn't really in a position to crawl under or in it. That's where my questions to you guys started.

It belongs to a wealthy local and really isn't any of my business but I was just being nosey as I love the adventure and potential to add a new Batmobile to the register if it is unknown. It was undergoing a full resto.

So there you go. I have the 5 digit number from the body but nothing else, even the firewall isn't original as the car had been converted to RHD years ago so no numbers there either.[FONT=&quot]
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Sounds like a counterfeiter's operation to me. They add the VIN number at the end to match the identity desired. This is what happens when a CS sells for 10k$ and a Bat for 150k$ being almost the same car except for the VIN.

Did they have mean looking dogs guarding the shop?
 
I'm positive they are legit. The car is owned by a very well known wealthy family here and the body shop are very high profile, featured n many classic car magazine articles of late for their amazing Aston Martin customs.

Check out their Aston Martin DBSZ Custom they designed and made for Brooklands Melbourne at this link: http://www.brooklandscc.com/dbsz

No dodgy guys or guard dogs, just really cool cars in state of major repair.

These guys form classic cars from bare metal, and they are amazing at it. The polystyrene Aston Martin Zagato buck they had was provided by the factory in the 90's apparently.

Any more ideas how I'm going to identify this thing?
 
Fair enough, I was being my usual caustic self. If there are no guard dogs they are legit.
Yet removing the VIN means somebody is hiding something. How is your tax code? Do you have high inheritance taxes?

Oh, actually there is way to find a VIN number, you can ask Gianni to call them. +61 3 9584 4909 , ask for Paul Sabine.
 
E9Aus said:
Any more ideas how I'm going to identify this thing?
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"Someone else's"?

"nunya"?

(hey don't get upset.....after reading that "the firewall was removed to convert to rhd," I went and looked at my rhd car (E3) and my 74 coupe in the trailer, and was tempted to simply post the attached)
 

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Mystery Bat

E9Aus,

The 5-digit Karmann number could give a hint of the VIN. If you have it, I could maybe help you. Also if you have the original color of the car, this would give a hint of which BAT VIN range the car belongs to. It's like a detective work, but most is possible.

Most of the Bats are currently known, but there are still some Bats to identify. Pls feel free to post me a PM if you don't want to share info in public.

Cheers
Henric
 
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End of the Aussie Batmobile Saga

Well the saga has ended. I went and visited the car again and received permission from the shop to check out the VIN. They didn't mind at all and in fact were quite interested to find out what I could learn about it if I was so inclined.

The VIN definitely confirms it as a genuine Bat, if not in a sorry state. It's also in the first 50 to be made in fact! While typically it's no guarantee of originality, there were remains of the original racing stripes on parts of the panels too. Also as a correction from my earlier post, the firewall was not changed, only cut and welded in certain areas to convert from LHD to RHD a long time ago. That's how I was confident of the VIN. It's now in the process of being put back right....er left.

I did a bit of web research on the VIN and low and behold it is not listed on the E9 Driven registry but I'm not sure if that means anything or whether it its considered a "known whereabouts" or not. I also found a few posts on the same VIN on another site relating back to 2003 when it was last sold but the web trail went cold on it since that date.

Anyway, there you go, the adventure ends there. It's kinda nice to know there's one sitting in a garage only half a mile from my house, it's a sort of comforting feeling!

Thanks to all those that offered advice on finding out more about it, very much appreciated!
 
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not so fast! Could you give us the VIN so we can register it as "Seen InAd / Other" that way we document its existance.
STan
 
Sorry Stan, until I have the owners' permission to publish the VIN I'm afraid that wouldn't be right for me to do. As mentioned, the car is not on the market (for now). I'm not being secretive, just respecting their privacy.

I'll ask for permission via the repair shop and see if I can get the all clear. At this point in time all they gave me permission on was to research the car myself.

Stan said:
not so fast! Could you give us the VIN so we can register it as "Seen InAd / Other" that way we document its existance.
STan
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