Car Numbers and Factory Prefixes
The car number, or vehicle identification number (VIN), is a key identifier that you will need for registering and insuring your car. It also helps identify your car’s year and the factory where it was built.
If the body data plate is still on your car, finding the car number is straightforward: it is stamped on the plate.
The plate has a printed letter before the car number. The letter makes the car number unique, so always include the letter as part of the car number. It also tells you which factory built the car:
| Prefix | Factory |
|---|---|
| C | Oakland, California |
| E | Elizabeth, New Jersey |
| L | Lansing, Michigan |
| M | Grand Rapids, Michigan (De Vaux) |
| N | New York, New York |
| T | Leaside (Toronto), Ontario, Canada |
M was used by the De Vaux factory at Grand Rapids, from M-1001 in April 1931 to M-7038 in January 1933. The De Vaux 6-75 numbers were one series shared by Grand Rapids (M) and Oakland (C), so each number was used only once. See the De Vaux car numbers.
Frontenac cars built by Dominion Motors at Leaside did not use T; it stayed on Rugby trucks to the end of 1933. Frontenac car numbers begin with a letter for the model instead: E (the 1931 E), G (the 6-70), K (the 6-85), M (the C-400), and P (the C-600). The Frontenac Ace (model 91) uses 91-. So an E or M on a Frontenac does not mean Elizabeth or Grand Rapids.
The Hayes body tag, found on many 1931ā34 cars, is a separate number. See Hayes body numbers.