MGB Vin # Question

I'm in the Process If getting my 3rd MGB. The vin is GHN3/L/13863. I'm buying it as a 1964 model but is it really a 1963. I have been trying to find the #'s Can anyone tell me for sure.

According to Clausager, GHN3 13863 was built in 1963. That doesn't settle out what the car's official year is, though. The "L" meant LHD.

The Moss catalog shows that production of the 1964s began in August 1963 at GHN4/L/19586/. Therefore, your car was built in 1963 and is a 1963 model.

Of course, how it got titled when it arrived in North America may have depended on the State and the rules in place. It may well have been sold in 1964 and the title made out accordingly.

Alot of MGBs where titled in this country by the year in which they where sold new(mine included). I just went to the motor vehicle dept and they looked up the VIN in a reference book and issued a new title with the correct year. Thus, the situation must be fairly common for older vehicles.

I bought my first B in 1974 and it was titled as such. However the build year according to the VIN# was 1973...

According to Clausager, GHN3 13863 was built in June 1963.

My last 2 Bs have been built the year befor they were titled..

Thanks alot for the info. I found a deal I can't pass up but I wanted to make sure I have the right year don't want any problems from the insurance company. I found the car with only 50,144 original miles. $1700

snoski Wrote:

British Motor Heritage can tell you the 'official' month that it was built

A car built in June 1963 should probably be a 1963, but, as others have said, it was common practice to re title an unsold car as the year it was sold. Insurance companies won't go be calender year but model year in most cases, but with classic cars there is usually more leeway given, especially if you go with classic insurance from someplace like Hagerty as they understand the situation. You have a early MGB there in any case!

I called the title office they said it will be no problem to have it corrected.

I'm not sure what the "official" word from the factory was, but looking at the attached table from "Original MGB" leads me to believe that in the early '60s they had not yet taken up the North American practice of sell the "new" cars 4 months before the year ended. YOMV.