Re: identification

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2009/11/17 12:13:01

Briggs numbers were on a small metal tag screwed to the cowl near the heater box and had the same format as the vehicle number on the patent plate. In the very few cases where letters were part of the vehicle number, for example the DeLuxe versions of the 1941 160 convertible and convertible sedan, the letters DE were used in the vehicle number - can't say if I've ever noted if they were also in the Briggs number.

Of course vehicle numbers decode quite easily into year, chassis, body style and sequential production number.

Chassis sold naked for custom coachwork were numbered differently. Also some 1940 cars lacked the thief-proof numbers for reasons not entirely clear. The thief-proof numbers started in 1929 and ended in 1956.

Some commercial chassis, for example Henneys, may have different numbering systems.

If some VERY UNCOMMON cases, for example a one-off custom by Derham, the Packard patent plate (VN tag) was sometimes removed completely and replaced by a Derham VN tag.