E65 B7 Production Number by VIN?

[alpina_blue]

Hey guys, without a production number plaque on the US-spec E65 B7, I’ve often wondered where mine fell out of the approximately 800 brought to North America. I read a comment on a current Bring a Trailer B7 auction where the seller claimed this could be determined by the last 3 of the VIN. A quick scan of the VIN’s on previous E65 B7 sales on that site seemed to show this checking out – none over 800, all ‘07’s were lower numbers than ‘08’s, etc. My 2007 is 003, so I’d be interested to know if it’s actually the 3rd one brought here. Can anyone confirm?

[Bob]

That fact only works for the non-US cars which have the second ALPINA VIN stamped below the struck out BMW one. These VINs begin WAPxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

US cars are logged in the Archive by the last 4 digits of the BMW VIN but I don’t know how the BMW VINs are structured to determine the genuine build sequence off the production line.

HTH’s

[v8 ego]

US-spec E65 B7s had the last 7 digits of the VIN DT89000 - DT89802 making 803 cars in total, all short wheel base.

DT89000 and DT89001 were manufactured in March 2006 and would have been likely to be pilot builds or press cars for the US market as the next one, DT89002 was built (by BMW) on the 14th of November 2006 with your car, assuming it's DT89003 being produced on the 10th of November 2006. 002 is a bit of an anomaly as most of the time as the VIN numbers increase, the built dates get later.

The last car, DT89802 was built by BMW on the 29th of January 2008.

Of course, the year the car was made seems to bear no relation to the year specified in the US market in adverts.

I hope that helps.

[Bob]

US-spec E65 B7s had the last 7 digits of the VIN DT89800 - DT89802 making 803 cars in total, all short wheel base.

Presume that start number is a typo.

That’s really interesting James, so you can still determine the sequence based on the BMW VIN for the E65 cars.

Does that work for the F and G series cars too?

[alpina_blue]

Thanks for the info, James - I do in fact have DT89003, although I never thought it would be such an early production number. Very cool! I wonder if it would be possible to obtain a letter from Alpina/BMW confirming this as I've seen people do with their vintage cars?

[v8 ego]

US-spec E65 B7s had the last 7 digits of the VIN DT89800 - DT89802 making 803 cars in total, all short wheel base.

Presume that start number is a typo.

That’s really interesting James, so you can still determine the sequence based on the BMW VIN for the E65 cars.

Does that work for the F and G series cars too?

Yes it was a typo Bob, well spotted

So it applies for the US-spec F series cars and some G series cars as follows:

F01 B7 SWB pre-LCI - C446800 to C447079 (280 produced)
F02 B7 LWB pre-LCI - C447800 to C448139 (340 produced)
F01 B7 SWB x-Drive pre-LCI - C447400 to C447552 (153 produced)
F02 B7 LWB x-Drive pre-LCI - C449000 to C449206 ​(207 produced)

F01 B7 SWB LCI - DS15300 to DS15449 (150 produced)
F02 B7 LWB LCI - DS15900 to DS16095 and D136500 to D136599 and D785150 to D785162 (309 produced)
F01 B7 SWB x-Drive LCI - DS16300 to D16401 (102 produced)
F02 B7 LWB x-Drive LCI - DS17300 to DS17528 ​(229 produced)

I haven't finished the G12 cars but they were sequential VINs up the 2020 model year and then everything was lumped together to sequential numbers started CExxxxx (now up to CJxxxxx) but they could be adjacent numbers but be a 5 series then a 7, then a 6 etc.

[v8 ego]

Thanks for the info, James - I do in fact have DT89003, although I never thought it would be such an early production number. Very cool! I wonder if it would be possible to obtain a letter from Alpina/BMW confirming this as I've seen people do with their vintage cars?

You're welcome. I believe you can get a certificate of provenance from Alpina but I don't know how I'm afraid.

[PhillV8S]

This is the info you need for the certificate of delivery. Not cheap but nice to have. I would make sure this available for US first though.
https://www.alpina-automobiles.com/en/s ... a-classic/

[Norrie]

I have a letter of authenticity for my E65 B7, very kindly provided by ALPINA. I did not pay for it, but I do understand they impose a charge. My reason for getting it was I anticipated at some time I might need to show it to a Policeman or MOT inspector.

To date I have not had to show it to the Police, however in 2015 a Main BMW dealer did an MOT and refused to acknowledge the ALPINA vin. Needless to say I now use an MOT station that actually do understand and I have the correct details on it.

[Bob]

So it applies for the US-spec F series cars and some G series cars as follows:

F01 B7 SWB pre-LCI - C446800 to C447079 (280 produced)
F02 B7 LWB pre-LCI - C447800 to C448139 (340 produced)
F01 B7 SWB x-Drive pre-LCI - C447400 to C447552 (153 produced)
F02 B7 LWB x-Drive pre-LCI - C449000 to C449206 ​(207 produced)

F01 B7 SWB LCI - DS15300 to DS15449 (150 produced)
F02 B7 LWB LCI - DS15900 to DS16095 and D136500 to D136599 and D785150 to D785162 (309 produced)
F01 B7 SWB x-Drive LCI - DS16300 to D16401 (102 produced)
F02 B7 LWB x-Drive LCI - DS17300 to DS17528 ​(229 produced)

I haven't finished the G12 cars but they were sequential VINs up the 2020 model year and then everything was lumped together to sequential numbers started CExxxxx (now up to CJxxxxx) but they could be adjacent numbers but be a 5 series then a 7, then a 6 etc.

Thanks James. Looking at the F06 B6 GC's in North America it doesn't look quite so clear, but there are only partial VINs so maybe it still works too.

[v8 ego]

Thanks James. Looking at the F06 B6 GC's in North America it doesn't look quite so clear, but there are only partial VINs so maybe it still works too.

No worries. The US F06 B6 GC are as follows:

D371590 to D371599
D899900 to D899999
D986000 to D986199
GK18100 to GK18399
G745460 to G745659
G945850 to G945946

The above are in chronological order. 907 produced in total.

[ade and liz flint]

in 2015 a Main BMW dealer did an MOT and refused to acknowledge the ALPINA vin. Needless to say I now use an MOT station that actually do understand and I have the correct details on it.

VOSA rules around mot's change and are updated regularly, Norrie, and at various times the dual VIN's created an issue as mot test stations were obliged to use the visible windscreen and under-bonnet details, which of course do not fully match on an Alpina. This was the first check a tester made, an MOT failure and the test would then be refused.

That was a definite VOSA mot rule in around 2014/15, I forget which but assume the earlier as IIRC I didn't have an Alpina in 2015 as I was awaiting a Porsche delivery. The tester I used at the time understood the issue well as he ran and owned a group 2 rally car with dual vins, so it impacted him directly.

A few email and phone calls ensued between me and Alpina UK who were aware of this exact issue and had recently requested VOSA did not include the dual VIN as a failure for mot tests, for clear and obvious reasons. As for my car at that time, well something slipped and obscured my screen VIN (not a fail at the time ) and there was an unusual piece of gaffa tape obscuring a part of the suspension turret which oddly obscured the BMW VIN, so it was tested and passed as mot testers are not allowed to alter the cars in any way once presented for a test. It was odd as when I left home the screen VIN obstruction and Gaffa tape weren't evident. Lucky though

MOT testers are regularly inspected and rogue cars pass through. A top notch inspector wouldn't take any risk of losing his testing license, and a BMW dealer would likely fire any tester that ignored the VOSA rules. Pete's auto repairs, however, as a one man band may take a risk as £50 is money he can well use.

[nealpina]

US-spec E65 B7s had the last 7 digits of the VIN DT89800 - DT89802 making 803 cars in total, all short wheel base.

Presume that start number is a typo.

That’s really interesting James, so you can still determine the sequence based on the BMW VIN for the E65 cars.

Does that work for the F and G series cars too?

Yes it was a typo Bob, well spotted

So it applies for the US-spec F series cars and some G series cars as follows:

F01 B7 SWB pre-LCI - C446800 to C447079 (280 produced)
F02 B7 LWB pre-LCI - C447800 to C448139 (340 produced)
F01 B7 SWB x-Drive pre-LCI - C447400 to C447552 (153 produced)
F02 B7 LWB x-Drive pre-LCI - C449000 to C449206 ​(207 produced)

F01 B7 SWB LCI - DS15300 to DS15449 (150 produced)
F02 B7 LWB LCI - DS15900 to DS16095 and D136500 to D136599 and D785150 to D785162 (309 produced)
F01 B7 SWB x-Drive LCI - DS16300 to D16401 (102 produced)
F02 B7 LWB x-Drive LCI - DS17300 to DS17528 ​(229 produced)

I haven't finished the G12 cars but they were sequential VINs up the 2020 model year and then everything was lumped together to sequential numbers started CExxxxx (now up to CJxxxxx) but they could be adjacent numbers but be a 5 series then a 7, then a 6 etc.

Part of the fun with the VINs. That the car production/build line number corresponds to the last few digits of the VIN (not VIN + 1)