Absolutely over the top, Bill. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to each of you involved in this research.

I am one that could not get my Eminger invoice from them. I have yet to order the deluxe Marti report. Soon, very soon, I'll get to that.

Greg

Michael, thanks for commenting about that. For the benefit of others who are researching a SSP from California, here is a link to that website:

http://www.autorepair.ca.gov/pubwebq...PubTstQry.aspx

I decided to search for images on Google under the phrase "1982 CHP". I found an interesting picture hosted on the Internet Movie Cars Database website from the 1989 move "Homer & Eddie", which you can visit here:

http://www.imcdb.org/vehicle_117507-...tang-1982.html


Under the comments section, someone incorrectly posted that the 1982 SSP was a "Severe Service Package" car. I joined there to address the incorrect information. EDIT: It turns out that ford_guy is the IMCDb site Adminsitrator! :)

That is an awesome picture!

The following information was posted in the CHP hatchback thread on FEP, but it certainly belongs here, too. For years, it has been reported that the CHP purchased 406 Mustangs in 1982. Mustang Kid posted up some documentation, as shown here...

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...8&postcount=10


...which says that the CHP ordered 400 1982 Mustang SSP coupes, and in another document confirms the total number of 1982 Mustangs (coupes and hatchbacks) to be 404 units. Additional research is being done on the 1982 cars, so watch for updates.

:)

HOLD ONTO YOUR HATS!
 

Through the VIN Project, we have developed a nice relationship with Kevin Marti, of Marti Auto Works. The picture files we have collected for the project have helped Kevin learn about how certain cars were coded, and his Marti Reports and Eminger Invoices have been a HUGE resource for our efforts. Kevin has been great to work with!

Not only have we been getting Marti Reports on SSPs, but also "cars of interest" like the 1982 CHP hatchbacks. Several months ago, Kevin provided us a Deluxe Marti Report on 224464, which is the only known surviving CHP hatchback.

http://images12.fotki.com/v155/photo.../870600-vi.jpg


Recently, I had Kevin run reports on 224461, 224462, and 224463. The reports for all three cars had information that was in conflict with the Deluxe Report he ran earlier on 224464. I questioned Kevin about it, and he dug deeper. I requested that he look for an Eminger Invoice on one of the four cars, and he found one for 224463. This original Ford document confirms that the four CHP hatchbacks were equipped with the SSP option!


http://images61.fotki.com/v444/photo...2244631-vi.jpg

http://images16.fotki.com/v301/photo...2244632-vi.jpg


Here are the four newly added pages to our VIN Project -

224461
224462
224463
224464


How amazing is that? We now have definitive proof that the four CHP hatchbacks in 1982 were SSPs, which are in addition to an unknown quantity of 1982 SSP notchbacks.

You may wonder why I worded the previous sentence that way. Well, I had requested that Kevin run reports on the "1st" and "400th" cars in the consecutive VIN batch from 1982. The first car (1FABP10F6CF213038) came back as expected. However, Kevin was not able to run a report on the 400th car (1FABP10F9CF213437) because the order was cancelled! In turns out that according to the Marti-owned Ford paperwork, the last six cars in that batch of 400 were cancelled.

In support of the idea that some of the 1982 SSP coupes were never built, look at the unit number shown on the above hatchback - E870600. Now look at the CHP paperwork provided by Mustang Kid's dad saying that the 1982 coupes had Unit Numbers E870201 - E870600:

http://www.specialservicemustang.net...2chpdoc-04.jpg


It appears that a coupe's unit number was used on a SSP hatchback. Interesting! I wonder if the six coupes were cancelled because the CHP ordered the four hatchbacks (whose VINs are after the coupes)?

At this point, I think we can say with 100% certainty that we cannot determine exactly how many 1982 SSP Mustangs (coupes and the four confirmed hatchbacks) were built by Ford. I guess we need to update our SSP History page to include the new information. :D

Definitive. :2thumbs:

Great work, Bill, and another reason why this project is so important. I can't wait until the next "discovery".

Kudos to Kevin Marti for working with us, too.

Great work Bill! It just goes to show that sometimes you have to dig a little to find the correct information. If you hadn't taken on the vin project, everyone would still be unknowingly spreading the incorrect information. :2thumbs:

Thanks guys! What is amazing to me is the accidental events leading up to this discovery about the six SSPs being cancelled. Everyone believed that 213437 (the 400th car in the batch of VINs) was the last SSP built that year. Ordering the reports on the first and last cars in that batch was a last minute decision which led up to the discovery. So we are VERY fortunate indeed to have this relationship established with Kevin Marti. His time does not come freely, but the moderate expense has paid off immensely!

Thanks for your hard work and dedication to the VIN Project, Bill. That's big news!