Wheels: Decoding Vehicle Identification Numbers

No matter what you’re driving one thing you have in common with your fellow motorists is a VIN, or vehicle identification number. VINs have been around in one form or another since car manufacturers cared to mark their buggies though, in the early days, a simple serial number was typical.

Around 1954, American automakers started using sequential numbers to identify their vehicles though each manufacturer used their own system. Most early VINs were stamped on the frame and some used the engine serial number which caused issues when an engine was swapped or changed. Other producers placed their vehicle data plate on an easily removable component like the door side of a door jam or affixed to an inner glove box lid which could lead to confusion when simple body repairs were made.