How determine order of manufacture

[cbw1971]

I have a 1971 280SL and am trying to determine whether there is a valid way to determine order of manufacture and/or order of delivery/pickup.  I have a (contemporaneous) letter from manufacturer (German factory) that indicates the last cars were not produced in the VIN order, that they only know which were among the last 100. 
Yet I have seen people claim order of manufacture by VIN.  Is there a source I am missing? 
thank you.

[BobH]

Hello, there's a full table of production months in the technical manual, but you need to be a full member to access it.  It's well worth becoming a full member for the information and benefits that become available.  Alternatively, if you share your VIN number on here, someone can confirm the month of manufacture for you.  If you don't have a copy of your data card, which may also contain this information, as well as any options ordered, a copy can be bought from MB dealerships

[MikeSimon]

I am not sure what exactly you are alluding to but it seems you are questioning whether the sequence of VIN serial numbers also indicates the production sequence, i.e: later serial number =later production date?
It is a common practice in manufacturing (vehicle or otherwise) where serial numbers are used, to tie the serial numbers to a timeline. The main reason for this is quality control and the need to be able to identify production dates. I am pretty sure that Mercedes Benz followed (follows) that principle. The only reason for a break in this would be a failure to pass final inspection and return to rework, which could lead to an earlier serial number item being finished at a later date. Which could then also be reflected in the delivery date.
Again, really not sure what you are trying to determine. Maybe you can ask the question straight out. When was your car manufactured?

[cbw1971]

Thank you for your responses.
It appears I wasn't sufficiently clear in my question.
I have a document stating that the car was among the last 100 of this model manufactured.
I am trying to verify more precisely (1) the car's place in the manufacturing order, for example, whether it was the 75th, the 50th, the 5th, etc. last car manufactured; and (2) its place in the pickup/delivery order.
Naturally, I have the VIN/chassis, engine/serial and production numbers.  However, a letter from the manufacturer states "THESE CARS WERE NOT MANUFACTURED IN NUMERICAL ORDER."  I have no reason to question the accuracy of the manufacturer's statement.  But others are claiming they know the order of manufacture, so my question is how?
And is there a different way to determine order of pickup?
Thank you.

[Lorsar]

The production info we have was sourced from Daimler-Benz AG, Dept. ZPST-Statistik, 1971

The last 100 cars would have been produced in the same month.  The exact order probably would not follow the vin numbers exactly but there would be no way for you to get the information.  And as for delivery, only way is if you have original documentation.  For example,  my vin number indicates production in March of 1968, but the maintenance book shows it was delivered in September of 1968.

[Pawel66]

is the stamp on the datacard not good as a production date? In this case March 17, 1970.

[mdsalemi]

I don’t know about MB in the 1960s but today the VIN is created “on paper” when the manufacturer has the parts in which to produce the car, and has placed it in the production schedule. This happens sometimes many weeks prior to when production commences.

The astute amongst you will note that I own a 2023 Ford Maverick. I had the VIN on that a month before they actually produced it.

Certain option packages are built sequentially as are certain colors. So today it unlikely that they drive off in sequential number order.

1963-1971? Anyone’s guess…

[cbw1971]

Thank you all. 
Pawel66, it's interesting that my datacard doesn't show the "Ubernahmetag", which I think translates to "takeover day"(?), but I know the exact date of delivery (it was picked up in Germany).  I just don't know for sure that it was the last or what order it was.

I expect the conclusions are correct that we also don't know the order of manufacture, but am attaching photos of the datacard and ? in case there is more interpretation available. 

I have all the original information and documents.

[MikeSimon]

I have a document stating that the car was among the last 100 of this model manufactured.
 
Thank you.

Let's cut through the chase. IF your car was among the last 100 manufactured, the serial number part of the VIN (last 5 digits) should be higher than 23784. The last W113 280SL produced in February 1971 was 23885. From that you can calculate yourself where your car was in the production sequence. As far as I am concerned, based on my knowledge and experience in the vehicle industry from the late 70s to the late 90s, the chassis numbers are in sequence. No matter what any bureaucrat afraid of making a committing statement in fear of any liability challenge wants to tell you.

[cbw1971]

Interesting interpretation. 
If I were the factory (or representing them), I sure wouldn't suggest they avoid liability by making a direct misstatement...and then have it signed on behalf of the company by two executives.
Cutting to the chase is good if you can get to the accurate conclusion!

Does anyone know a way to determine order of leaving factory?

[Garry]

I think Mike has stated the correct interpretation to your question and clearly your car is in the last 100 cars produced given its vin 23797 is between the last 100 vin’s of 23784 and 23885.


I don’t think you would get any other explanation from any Mercedes guru that your car is number 87 from the last Pagoda off the production line. The question of order of leaving the factory would probably depend where it was on the truck as it went out the gate.😂

Whether it is in the last 100, 200 or even 50 is all a bit of a moot point.  If it was in the last five or ten then maybe it would have some historic interest.

[Bonnyboy]

From what I heard several years back, leaving the factory is not something that was recorded by the factory.  My data card has the Production date stamped on it. so that is date it was complete.   The date it was picked up would have been recorded by the dealers as that was when it was removed from the factory parking lot.     What with special order cars, cars for different dealers and for different countries, a car could sit for days waiting for other vehicles to be produced to make up the numbers to fill a transport truck that was headed for a specific destination.   

My car was special ordered in the summer, completed mid December and registered that same month as a 1969 where a car a couple serial numbers earlier than mine was registered as a 1970.  I'm assuming my owner was chomping at the bit to get his car where the "other" car was just headed to be placed in inventory at a dealer so no real urgent rush. 

Good luck

[cbw1971]

This is all helpful.  Thanks all.
I think Garry's right that the manufacture order conundrum isn't entirely resolvable based on all the information available.

My car was picked up at the Stuttgart factory by my family member May 24, 1971, who believed it may have been the last to leave.  However, it appears that that also must remain a mystery.

[Garry]

My car is a also Tourist Delivery ordered in Sydney Australia for the customer to pick up in Germany, use for a while and hand back to the factory for shipping.


Whilst the new owner would have been given a production date, so they could book flights etc., its possible the vehicle was sitting in a storage area waiting for the new owner to pick up. In my case, it was then used for a month around Europe and then delivered by the owner back to the factory to be batched with the next delivery’s to Australia so the only date other than the rubber stamped date from the production line on the data card, would therefore be the signed acceptance order for the new owner on picking up at the factory. The actual invoice for the vehicle is produced by the dealer back in Sydney.

Your car appears to fit into this category.

[neelyrc]

As I have discussed on the forum in the past, I ordered my car in late 1968. After processing in the MB system, formal confirmation of order dated 18 December, 1968, was issued and the delivery date was set as 12 February, 1969.  The car was delivered to me on that date at the factory.  According to the table in our technical manual the car was produced in January which fits logically into the schedule.

Regarding date stamps on data cards. My view is that they must be taken with a grain of salt. The original data cards delivered with my car were not date stamped and this apparently was standard procedure.  A few years ago when data cards were still issued gratis by the Classic Center I ordered one seeking a more precise build date.  The card I received was date stamped 24 February, 1969, 12 days after the actual delivery date of the car.  I am obviously speculating but I think that the date stamping of the cards entered into the microfilm file was an administrative procedure possibly done in batches and while close to actual they are not exact.

@cbw1971: Do you have a Classic Center date stamped data card.  Do you have information as to how the factory delivery date was set?  Was this date a convenience date based on your family members availability to collect the car?  Was it the earliest date MB could offer based on the order date? Was the order placed before or after the end of w113 production in February.  Considering the late May delivery date, I would think it might possibly be one of the last or possibly even the last to leave the factory. I think it is unknowable whether it was built out of numerical order significantly enough to have been the last produced.