Enter the 17-character VIN of your TVR to see the factory basics. Free, with no registration.
Look on the dashboard, the driver's door frame or in the registration document.
Type all 17 characters. The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN.
See the factory basics for free, and order a full report for the history behind the VIN.
Enter a 17-character VIN and the TVR decoder reads what is built into the code itself: the manufacturer, the model year and the country of manufacture. Our data covers 19 TVR models, from the 1600, 2500 and 280 through the Chimaera, Griffith and Cerbera to the Sagaris, Tuscan and Tuscan Challenge, with model years from 1972 to 2006.
The decoder does not show accidents, mileage, theft records or previous owners, because none of that is stored in a VIN. That information comes from a paid vehicle history report, while the decoder itself is free and needs no registration.
We do not currently have any WMI codes mapped to TVR. The WMI is the first three characters of the VIN, and normally it identifies the manufacturer and the country. Our list is not complete, so a TVR VIN that starts with other characters is not a problem in itself. It simply means we have no brand code on file to show you, and no country information to attach to it.
The tenth character gives the model year. For a TVR from the range we cover, a T means 1996, a Y means 2000 and a 4 means 2004, while a 6 means 2006. The letters I, O and Q are never used in a VIN, so you will not see them in any position. Characters 4 to 8 describe the vehicle, character 9 is a check digit, character 11 marks the plant and characters 12 to 17 are the serial number.
The 17-character format is the standard for cars built since 1981. Our TVR data starts in 1972, so an early car may not carry a VIN the decoder can read. The check digit is required in North America, but many European VINs fill that position differently, so a check digit that looks odd to you tells you nothing on its own.
Every VIN has six parts. This is what each of them means.
| Part | Characters | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| WMI | 1 to 3 | World manufacturer identifier: who built the vehicle and where |
| VDS | 4 to 8 | Vehicle descriptor: model, body type and engine, as set by the manufacturer |
| Check digit | 9 | Control value that helps confirm the VIN is valid |
| Model year | 10 | Code for the model year |
| Plant | 11 | Code for the assembly plant |
| Serial | 12 to 17 | Production sequence number of this vehicle |
On the driver's side, visible through the windshield.
On a sticker on the door frame or the edge of the door.
Printed in the vehicle registration or title.
Stamped on the firewall or the frame on many models.
A VIN is built from six parts, and each one says something about the vehicle. Our guides explain how to read it and what it can and cannot tell you.
Enter the 17-character VIN and see the factory basics in seconds.
Look on the registration document first, then on the car itself, where the VIN is shown on a plate or stamped into the body or chassis. Check that the number on the car matches the one in the papers character by character.
The first three characters are the WMI, which normally identifies the manufacturer and country. We have no WMI codes mapped to TVR at the moment, so the decoder may not name the maker from those characters. That does not make your VIN wrong.
Read the tenth character. A T stands for 1996, Y for 2000, 4 for 2004 and 6 for 2006, for example. Our TVR data spans 1972 to 2006, but only cars with a 17-character VIN, generally those built since 1981, can be decoded.
It cannot show accidents, mileage, theft, previous owners or the condition of the car. It also does not tell you which of the Convertible, Coupe or Sedan body styles in our data your car has.
Compare the VIN on the car with the one in the documents, and make sure the tenth character fits the year the seller gives. Ask for service records and inspect the car in person, ideally with someone who knows the model you are looking at.