Chassis numbers
Solihull changed how it numbered a Land Rover five times: six or seven digits behind an L or R in 1948, eight digits with the year first from 1950, nine digits from 1956, an eight-digit number with a suffix letter from the Series IIA of 1962 to 1979, and the 17-character VIN from 1980. Each marque below has its schemes, the first number of every sequence by specification and market as the factory manuals list them, worked examples and the sources.
Four schemes in ten years: L/R-prefixed numbers in 1948–49, eight digits with the year first from 1950, and nine digits from 1956.
One scheme, 1958–61: nine digits, the model and market in the second and third digits, the year in the fourth.
1962–71: eight digits plus a suffix letter — three digits for the model and market, a serial from 00001, and a letter for design changes instead of a year.
1971–79 in the eight-digit-plus-suffix scheme (a new 9xx block); from the 1980 model year a VIN, first 14 then 17 characters (SALLB…).
Numbered within the IIA scheme: the 109 Forward Control in the 28x–30x blocks, the 110-inch IIB in its own 325–339 block.
1972–78: the Series III scheme with its own block, 956–965 — 12-volt vehicles 956–960, 24-volt FFR 961–965.
1983–2016: VIN only — SAL LD, then class, body, engine, transmission, a model-year letter, the plant and a six-digit serial that runs on across the years.
A Land Rover VIN with the Australian plant letter and the Isuzu engine code, plus an Army Registration Number recorded in the Army's ledgers.