Those who bear the book’s epithet are constantly looking for cars. You will find them at events and on the street. In most cases they are armed with a small writing pad and a camera. They will come up to the car with great respect and turn their head very strangely for someone looking at a car. Beside the fact that they will pick up the specific model options, they are looking for the car’s Serial Number, which is visible on multiple places on the car:
Nearly every car since the late sixties displays a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)-plate on the steering column. There are some exceptions to this:
Enzos do not have it in general, there are some US-Enzos bearing the VIN similar to the Scaglietti and the 599 behind the lower front window.
The FXX-, the 612 Scaglietti- and 599 Fiorano-Series have it as a plate under the front window on the left side. In addition the Fioranos carry a Serial Number plate on the engine.
Close to the above mentioned time frame until the early years of the Millenium an 8-digit-number (Serial Number plus three letters) was etched into nearly every window of the car as well. Most models, except the Modena, the 550 Maranello and the 456-Series, do not have it on the rear window. When the numbers reached the 100.000-mark, the factory added a letter at the start of the number. A replaced 10…., B replaced 11…. and C replaced 12…. Obviously, the factory stopped etching with the start of Serial-Number 130000 at the latest. Even some of the late 120000-numbered cars do not have it.
Many cars have a so called “Championship Plate” that has been available by the Factory as an option since the glamorous victory-series of Michael Schumacher in the Formula 1 World Championship. Here you will find the Serial Number as well. Depending on the model, the plate is usually placed on the lower dashboard, on the left or on the right.
More difficult to spot are the “real” Serial Number plates, the so called Telaio, that are located in various places on the different models. Modena and F355 have it close to the bearing of the right door. Maranello, Scaglietti and F50 show it under the front hood, Testarossa, 308, 328 and Mondial hide it under the rear hood. In vintage cars you mostly find it in the engine bay.
Also parts of the chassis are stamped with the Serial Number (all vintage cars, F50 under the front hood, 308, 328, Mondial, 348 and 355 close to the engine and Modena- and F430-Challenge cars under the passenger’s seat that is normally removed).
In October 1984 the US Federal Motor Vehicle Theft Law Enforcement Act became effective. Every car had to be allocated a 17-digit Vehicle-Identification-Number.