Vehicle year of Manufacture

[arfamoe]

I was wondering if you could be of some help to correctly identify the year of my Mg Midget. I have to prove to Canadian Customs that my vehicle is over 15 years old to bring it into the country. Of course one only has to look at it to see that it is over 30years old but we are talking Customs people here folks.
VIN# GAN5UD125207G. i'm sure the year is in there somewhere i just have to find out where.
thanks for any help.

 

[mrsprite]

Hmmmm......it's common knowledge (at least to us, I suppose) that 1980 was the last year for any MG (I believe the Midget died in 1979), so that makes them at least 27 years old.

Anyway, I don't have the web address that will decipher your VIN, but I'm sure someone here does and will post. Since it is customs, they may need something "official", so you might need to buy a heritage certificate that would give the date of manufacture, along with everything else pertinent to that car.

Good luck.....nothing more fun than dealing with beauracracy! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/smile.gif

 

[arfamoe]

Thanks, i'm sure your average border custom official cannot even spell MG net alone know they stopped making them over 20 years ago, i think i really need to prove to them it is not some kind of Kit Car.

 

[Bugeye58]

Isn't there a tag on the left door pillar indicating date of manufacture? There is on both my '72 and '74.
Don't you have ownership documentation stating the year, such as a title, or previous registration? If they'll accept something other than an "official" document, in the wiring diagram section of the Bentley manual, it gives a breakdown of vehicle numbers relative to year of manufacture, as does Terry Horler's book, "The Original Sprite & Midget". According to Horler, yours was built sometime between August ~ December, 1972.
Jeff

 

[JPSmit]

VIN# GAN5UD125207G

Original Sprite & Midget says first 1973 model (GAN5-123731) was July 13 1972. First car built in 1973 was GAN5-129951. Presumably yours is somewhere in the middle. Production info is also in the Moss Motors Catalogue.

PM me if you need me to scan & send any of this.

PS I'm in Waterloo

JP

 

[PHerder]

I was wondering if you could be of some help to correctly identify the year of my Mg Midget. I have to prove to Canadian Customs that my vehicle is over 15 years old to bring it into the country. Of course one only has to look at it to see that it is over 30years old but we are talking Customs people here folks.
VIN# GAN5UD125207G. i'm sure the year is in there somewhere i just have to find out where.
thanks for any help.

IAW my "Original Sprite & Midget The Restorer's Guide",

GAN5-123731 build start date was Jun 1972.

GAN5-129951 build start date was Jan 1973.

Yours falls inbetween those dates so I would guess it is a 1972 build date.

Edit: dang ... beated to the post by 33 seconds!

 

[arfamoe]

Thanks. for the good information. my title says 1973. I will not be crossing the Border with the vehicle so i need to make sure the shipper has everything in hand to get my vehicle across problem free. In my experience with customs and immigration it is far better to have 10 extra pieces of Documentation than not have the one piece they ask for.

 

[regularman]

I had a run in with a customs/border guard once coming from windsor back into michigan. Truly unbelievable. It turned into a screaming/yelling contest and I thought I was going to jail. Have not been back to Canada since.

 

[Bugeye58]

And under "Production Changes" in the same book you'll find one listed at GAN5-123837, in Aug. '72. The next change is at GAN5-127605, in December of the same year. Hence my previous comment. There still should be a tag on the door post.
Jeff

 

[weewillie]

I had a run in with a customs/border guard once coming from windsor back into michigan. Truly unbelievable. It turned into a screaming/yelling contest and I thought I was going to jail. Have not been back to Canada since.

That would be US customs