Does anyone have any knowledge of why a "P" was added to the beginning of the VIN on the early MK2 cars? My car was purchased new by the original owner in 1962 (it is a 1960 Jag) in San Francisco, CA and when I originally acquired the car I never checked the actual VIN against the title to the car. Because the car fell out of the DMV system many years ago, I had to have the numbers verified by a licensed registration person. She submitted the paperwork (about 15 pages) to the CA DMV along with the necessary fees. I was issued a "suspense receipt" by DMV and the woman told me I should receive the new title in about 90 days. Since that was nearly 4 months ago, I contacted DMV and it appears that they are disputing the actual VIN on the car because the title had the "P" prefix. I don't know what the resolution is going to be, but to date, I don't have a title to my car. Any ideas, comments or information will be greatly appreciated.

 

Sorry to hear of your troubles. Truth be told, prior to the current Interpol inspired international VIN scheme, the California DMV really only paid attention to the last 5 digits of the vehicle's chassis number, so errors in recording the full ID number were fairly common. The source document for the initial registration/title was the new car dealer's ROS (report of sale). I would think that having had the VIN physically verified should have turned the trick though.

 

The P is a prefix for power steering, it's that simple. They may not have included it with the VIN, the chassis number would be the 6 digit number, starting with 12xxxx (2.4) 17xxxxx (3.4) or 21xxxxx (3.8) depending on engine size and assuming LHD, the same applies to any suffix BW for Borg Warner automatic, DN for overdrive these would not be included in the chassis number.

 

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the input, but my car never had power steering. I have no clue why the "P" would have been added to the title since it does not appear on the actual car number.

 

Surely this is an error on the title, can you go back to the lady that did the verification and see if she can help, I know the title/DMV can be a real pain in the butt in CA !

There is a guy that helps with registrations at the JEC in the UK, are you a member ? He may be able to point you in the right direction ?

 

When I contacted DMV, they confirmed that the lady verified the VIN that was located in two places on the car and put a note that while the title contained the "P" prefix, the car did not have the "P". Since she is a licensed verifier by the DMV and has been doing this for 30 years, one would think she understood her job and how to verify vehicle numbers. Unfortunately, the people at our DMV aren't the brightest people in the world nor do they care how much grief they cause to the vehicle owners. I have had multiple issues with them over the past 40 years and will just have to figure a way to sort this problem out. Thanks for your advice and understanding.

 

You may have to execute a "Statement of Facts" form indicating that the "P" prefix indicated power steering, etc. How many hoops you have to jump through may well depend on the "grace" of the registration clerk you are dealing with... Good luck!

 

Thanks for the advice. There was a statement of facts provided to DMV and it did include the statement that there was no "P" on the VIN. I just hope someone at DMV realizes that all of the information provided to them is correct and will issue the new title. I am spending much more time dealing with this issue than I should have to.

 

Update. After five long phone calls to the California DMV over the past two weeks, they have finally agreed to send me the necessary paperwork for my car. Jon is correct about the "P" as part of the VIN. Chuck Bush was kind enough to show me the VIN in both locations on his car and they are both preceded by the "P". My assumption about the inclusion of the"P" on the paperwork for my car may have been an error when the car was imported from England. Either the documentation from England identified the car as having power steering or the dealer added the information to the paperwork that would have gone to the DMV. In either case, the problem seems to be resolved (waiting with baited breath). Once I have the title to my car I will feel much more comfortable as I continue with the restoration.

 

Great news Ted fingers crossed the title arrives soon

 

Great news, indeed! Congrats on getting this sorted!