Last built Focus RS

[Clayton]

How did ford number the builds then if 2903 was the last off the production line as its 1598 build numbers away from 4501?

The build numbers allocated to each car were quite random in relation to the vin numbers and build date order. There is only a small amount of the production that do have consecutive vin numbers in line with the build numbers.

Back in the early days the story was said that FMC managed to miss a bag of 2501-3000 build numbers which made the numbers out of the sequence. This isn't quite correct as I have studied the build dates to build numbers and it's more accurate that the numbers that were out of sequence to the build dates were between 2101-3100. The majority of these numbers had a later build date.

[Clayton]

Mine was registered on September the 11th 2003 I wonder when mine was built

The build date for your car (2279) Jamie was 17th August 2003.

[Jgould]

That's cool to know, 24 days later was registered I'll dig the paperwork out n see the sale date

[Derbyshire DUK]

Fascinating thread 🚙

[Ash_FordRST]

The build numbers allocated to each car were quite random in relation to the vin numbers and build date order. There is only a small amount of the production that do have consecutive vin numbers in line with the build numbers.

Back in the early days the story was said that FMC managed to miss a bag of 2501-3000 build numbers which made the numbers out of the sequence. This isn't quite correct as I have studied the build dates to build numbers and it's more accurate that the numbers that were out of sequence to the build dates were between 2101-3100. The majority of these numbers had a later build date.

Thanks Clayton, quite bad by Ford in my eyes. So can i safely say my car #0140 is actually 0140 off the production line?

[RSclassics]

Nice facts of the real build numbers.
Like to follow more details Clayton and mrsimmers

[Big_Will]

LOVE threads like these, well done Clay! What would we all do without ya!

[Clayton]

Love to try and work out proper facts for the build of our cars Will. ;-)

[Clayton]

Thanks Clayton, quite bad by Ford in my eyes. So can i safely say my car #0140 is actually 0140 off the production line?

Not sure at what point the cars had the vin plates fitted or the build plaques or which came first? Were all the cars parked up in a holding compound before being randomly selected to the next sequence of say having the interior fitted?

I have a list of every vin in numerical order, your vin Ash comes in at 896

Dont look at this as a bad thing, 0001 in order of vin is at 1050


This is what makes me smile when Mk2 Focus RS owners request their build numbers. The chap that supplies them works on the vins order which is proven with the Mk1 to not be in order of build date.

[S1 RST]

Mk2 build nrs are just a rip of, fake as hell as they had no such thing as a build nr, except for the RS500 😜
Just someone making esy money, he's doing the same now with fiesta and focus ST's

[Big_Will]

Surprised we have never been able to properly confirm these rumours of random orders etc with someone who worked on them at the time, but I suppose they would all be Germans.

[flyingfocrs]

The problem with build dates is that the cars were built twice.
I'm sure the way it worked was this.
the cars went down the production line at Saarlouis and this is the build date and when the VIN was allocated.
they were then parked outside, put on a transporter and moved to Uberhaven taken off the transporter and parked up again.
then they were put through final assembly were many of the unique RS parts were fitted and at this point they were given the build number.
so there was lots of chances for cars to be shuffled out of build order and skipped over before they finally got the build number.

I'll have to try to find some of my original paperwork as I'm sure it shows assembly then completion with two different dates.

Other factors can affect the vin v build date v build number like as an example my car went through the paint process twice due to a quality control issue on the first paint job.

[Ash_FordRST]

Its all very interesting to me.

Yeah MK2 build numbers are a joke like tbh!

[Ish]

My car 2929 yehhhh

[Clayton]

My car 2929 yehhhh

Ish, 2929 actually shows on the build list as being the second to last built.

[Ish]

Thanks to you mate otherwise wouldn't known

[Clayton]

Thought you would like it Ish. ;-)

[Nick B #4484]

Interesting reading this!
I also heard once, not sure if any truth in it, that after the car had been built and tested, if they found faults with it, it was delayed for repair meaning earlier built cars/ build numbers were delivered later.
Has anyone else heard this?
It will be interesting to know the actual build number of mine Clay 😉

[BartFRS]

Interesting !
I recently found a test car that was on it's way to the scrapyard as Ford didn't want it to be sold.
Managed to buy some mint parts off it and also got the VIN ( WF0BXXGCDB2T42286), build date was 11-07-2002.
It had a few small bits that were different to the production cars, for example:
No silver surround around the gearstick and an empty build plaque.

27604811_1890030724555217_1515976455_o.jpg

[RSclassics]

So, our build number series is an unknown phenomen. As I am noticed on the German Focus RS froum, the MK2 serial number plates were numbered in row after each car has passed from the Focus production into the special RS hall in Saarloius. So, not offical, but also not fake for me. The MK2 RS500 gets his number from Ford without any build information and non dedicated row.

I have also read an interesting article of barcode scanning due the production on Saarloius. The cars receives an unique barcode number on the arches to follow up on whole progress. It is like an identical number! I don't know how this is used for further identification after production leaves.

Just my 5 pence.