Help Needed in Decoding the Serial (production) Number on VIN Plate for '63 W113

[V66Pony]

After having tooled around happily in my W112 (daily driver), X204 (wife's vehicle), and W204 (sold) for the past decade, I've got the bug (and finally the time and money) to take a foray into an early 1960's model that I can drive and restore.  Having decided the 190SL market has slipped away from my pocketbook, my focus is on a '63 230SL now.  But while I'm a pretty good authority on Mercedes post year 2000, I'm way out of my element when it comes to the W113 class.

I've located a few cars near me (SC, GA, and FL) that seem very reasonable in condition and price.  I've been diligently doing my research and analysis the past few months to learn and to compare/contrast objectively and with certain knowledge.  And, I've started doing examinations and test drives of vehicles that interest me.  I'm getting close to "pulling the trigger" soon, perhaps, but before I do, I need some help from an EXPERT on how to determine the year of production by looking at the VIN Plate.  Or, is that not possible?

I know for a fact the car I saw 2 weeks ago is a manual transmission, left-hand drive W113 230SL (11304210) ... but it's those last 6 tricky digits that have me perplexed, as to their exact meaning.  Several online sources have indicated the build quantity per year was as follows:

1963:       1,465 units
1964:   6,911 units
1965:   6,325 units
1966:   4,945 units
1967:       185 units
Total:   19,831 units

... and I know it's entirely possible, for example that a unit may have been built in 1964 but been gotten designated a 1965 model, but ...

Is it logical to assume that a car whose last 6 VIN serial numbers are 6314 can possibly be a 1963 model or does it have to be (as it seems to me) a 1964 model (just given the sequential serial number and knowing only 1,465 models were built in 1963)? 

I'm looking at a car represented by the seller as being a 1963 model ... with prior GA state registration clearly indicating it is a 1963 model ... bit it sure does seem to me that if those serial numbers for production builds are sequential, that it really is a 1964 model.

Am I crazy?   Can one of you experts help me discern the truth?

I don't want to sink a BIG wad of cash into a car that is portrayed to be something it is not.

Thanks!!

[Mike Hughes]

Welcome to the group!  There is a wealth of technical information available to Full Members on this site.  I urge you to take advantage of this opportunity, it will pay for itself many times over! 

What I can tell you is that a 230SL with the VIN 113042-10-006314 would have been produced during September of 1964, so could have been considered either a 1964 or 1965 model.  This is because prior to 1966 the model year of a vehicle could be designated by the date of first registration regardless of VIN or date of manufacture.  It took a few months in those days for a vehicle to make it to this side of the pond, so there is some likelihood that it would have been first registered in 1965. (My 230 SL was produced in February of 1966 and first registered in August.)  1963 must be a typo of some sort.

[mrfatboy]

Using Pagoda Notes as a guide it would seem vin 6314 230 SL was built around early September 1964.

Hopefully somebody more knowledgable here can confirm one way or another.

You will have to become full member to view.

https://www.sl113.org/wiki/uploads/Restricted/PNv10i1.pdf

[V66Pony]

Thanks, Mike, August or September of 1964 was what I was thinking too.  But when he produced a GA state title certificate w/all the correct info saying 1963, I began to doubt my research.  Is it possible state of GA didn't know any better and took the word that the previous owner represented as truth?  Either way, I'm leery of proceeding on that specific vehicle.

Best regards!

[V66Pony]

Thank you, MRFATBOY -- that jives with my research and original thinking.  Much appreciated!

[smackYYZ]

Ask the seller to provide a copy of the data card.

If he doesn't have one, he can get one from the Classic Centre in California. It will be in German, but there is a box that will be stamped and show the day of delivery.

Like the others said, as a full member you get access to the technical resources here and it has a full breakdown of the boxes on the data card, which will tell you whether it was a US or other market delivery and all the options and colours the car was delivered with.

Good luck!

Mike

[MikeSimon]

Isn't Georgia one of the States that does not require a title for vehicles older than 25(?) years? This may be one of the issues if the P/O has gotten a title for resale or registration.
I can see a slight uncertainty about the car being a 1963 or 1964 if it was produced late in 1963, i.e.: October-December. Then it could be designated a "1964 model" while being manufactured in 1963. But this is not the case here.
My 280SL was first sold in Germany in December of 1970. In the German title (which states year of vehicle by calendar year) it is clearly a 1970, while here in the U.S. it would be considered a 1971 model.