Commission Plate

Well lets review what I think I know about the vehicle itself. Based on the Commission Plate, this Spitfire was born as a Laurel Green 1969 Mark III Spitfire, with Tan Interior? That's sorta an odd combination but again I'm no expert, far from it.

Lets break down the Commission Number, FDU4XXX3 L (XXX used for now to protect original owners and restorer of the car):


FD = Spitfire MKIII
U = USA Model
4XXX3 = the 4X,XX3th MKIII made of 65,320 produced
L = Left Hand Drive


Paint 55 = Laurel Green
Trim 13 = Light Tan/Biscuit


Based on information available at: http://members.cox.net/spitlist/

The first listed 1969 MKIII is 31305
The last listed 1969 MKIII is 51940

Based on a 5 day work-week with no holidays (If they made Spitfires all day, why would they WANT a vacation?), 261 weekdays were available in 1969. Based on the spitlist numbers, a calculated 79 cars per workday were produced in 1969.

With these very very crude calculations, my spitfire was completed around Mid-August 1969. The reference on the Commission Plate to April 1st 1969 Safety Standards supports a born on date past April 1st (April Fools Day date for meeting U.S. Federal Safety Standards I find highly amusing). As the title is for a 1969 model year so was likely sold before the end of 1969, dealers would often title cars in the year they were sold, not the year made or the model year. If this is all true, the car was made, shipped to the US and sold in about 4 months!

Restored once...

Often a sign of bad things to come. From the first time I saw the car, I was sure there were modifications and potential issues.

From the look of the car, the IDEAL Commission Plate codes would look like:

FDU4XXX3 L
Paint 32 Trim 11

Paint
32 = Signal Red
( I Hope it is Signal Red)

Trim
11 = Black