Decoding a Capri VIN (Vehicle Identification Number)

flagau.gif (979 bytes)  Australian-market Capris

The VIN is the 11-character designation that follows the 6-character ADR 43/01 manufacturer prefix (which for Ford Australia is 6FPAAA) on the Vehicle Identification Plate fixed to the horizontal return of the bulkhead below the RHS rear edge of the engine bonnet (hood), near the hinge assembly.

VehicleID_Plate.gif (5773 bytes) Sample VIN: UL 01 LR 83339
ch1: Product Source (for Capri, always U = Japan)
ch2: Assembly Plant (for Capri, always L = Broadmeadows)
ch3-4: Body type (Unclear, but the pattern appears to be 01 = Standard; 03 = Turbo; AU = XR2/Barchetta/Clubsprint)
ch5-6: Year & month manufactured (eg. LR = 1990, Oct - see table below)
ch7-11: Serial No.

The VIN also doubles as the chassis number (stamped on top of the LHF suspension tower housing) and the original engine number (stamped on a flat surface on the forward side of the engine adjacent to the clutch housing).

To work out the build date of your Australian-market Capri, read down the first column in the table below to find the year according to the 5th character (J, K, L, M, N, P or R); then read across that row to find the month matching the 6th character.

Year code

Month code

 

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

1988 - J

B

R

A

G

C

K

D

E

L

Y

S

T

1989 - K

J

U

M

P

B

R

A

G

C

K

D

E

1990 - L

L

Y

S

T

J

U

M

P

B

R

A

G

1991 - M

C

K

D

E

L

Y

S

T

J

U

M

P

1992 - N

B

R

A

G

C

K

D

E

L

Y

S

T

1993 - P

J

U

M

P

B

R

A

G

C

K

D

E

1994 - R

L

Y

S

T

J

U

M

P

B

R

A

G

Note: Sometimes the build date from the VIN differs from the "Built" date stamped as MM/YY on the Vehicle Identification Plate. If anyone knows why this is so, please let me know.
Also, on rare occasions a car has an aberrant VIN that doesn't fit the above pattern at all. (Original VIN, not a "police" VIN such as is created when the original cannot be clearly identified.) One possibility is that these are pre-production cars from 1988 or early 1989 (see "Production Statistics"). If your car has an original VIN that doesn't match the spec above, I'd like to hear about it.


flagau.gif (979 bytes)  USA-market Capris

For cars exported to the USA, the VIN is of the pattern in the table below (courtesy of Rex N Miller).

VIN Decoder

(Sample VIN: 6MPCT0364P86001)

6 M P C T 03 6 4 P 8 600001
                    Serial number
Assembly plant: Broadmeadows
Vehicle model year:
K = 1989, L = 1990,
M = 1991, N = 1992,
P = 1993, R = 1994
VIN check digit
Engine type: Z = 1.6L 4-cylinder
6 = 1.6L 4-cylinder turbo
Body type: 01 = Capri 2-door convertible
03 = Capri 2-door convertible XR2
Model or line: T = Import
Restraint system: C = Active belts + driver air bag
L = Active belts + pass/driver air bags
Type: P = Capri (Australia)
Make: M = Mercury
Country of origin: 6 = Australia

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Created 5 May 2003 : Last updated 18 July 2010.