I had to explain the difference between the chassis and assembly numbers the other day so thought it would be useful to note the different type of numbers and identification plates found on the 360. The numbered sections below correspond to the numbers in this diagram:
1. Chassis Number. This is stamped into the floor pan behind the driver seat (lift the carpet to access).
2. Chassis Number. This one is on a plate affixed to the steering wheel cowl. The number has some interesting information buried in the letters and numbers….
- The first digit is “Z” denoting country of manufacture as Italy.
- The second and third digits, “F”, denote the badge and manufacturer as Ferrari.
- The fourth digit denotes the engine type, “Y” for the 360’s F131 engine.
- The fifth digit denotes the safety equipment fitted (here “T” means air bags and manual seat belts with pre-tensioners are fitted).
- The sixth and seven numbers denote the model type (this car is “53” for 360 Spider, the Modena is “51” and Stradale “57”).
- The eight digit is the market the car was originally manufactured for (“C” here means UK RHD).
- The ninth digit is a USA marker (this car is a UK car so it has a “0”, it would be “1” if it were a USA car)
- The tenth digit denotes model year for USA cars only.
- The eleventh digit denotes the factory the car was made in (Ferrari only have one factory so all cars are “0”).
- The last six digits are the unique chassis number for the car. Up until number 75000 only odd chassis numbers were issued by Ferrari, where after both odd and even numbers were used.
3. Engine Number. This is stamped into the engine block next to the oil filter (and is quite difficult to get a photo of).
4. Assembly Number. This is on a plate on the rear frame of the car, between the rear panel/grill and exhaust silencer. The assembly number is crucial when determining what part will correctly fit your car.
5. Chassis Number. This plate is fixed to the front wing behind the drivers door. It also contains the maximum rated weight (1730 kg) as well as the split between front and rear (780 kg & 950 kg respectively). The engine type is also shown – F131 (131 bhp per litre power to displacement ratio).
6. ECE Approval. This plate is found inside the front hood and displays the ECE regulations issued by the Economic Commission for Europe which apply to different parts fitted to the car (non euro spec cars wont have this plate fitted). The top line shows the different chassis designations and which of the regulations listed apply to that chassis. The chassis designations are:
- F131 ABM = 360 Modena 6 Speed Manual
- F131 ABE = 360 Modena F1
- F131 ADM = 360 Spider 6 Speed Manual
- F131 ADE = 360 Spider F1
The E3 and E1 markings denote that the part was approved in Italy and Germany respectively.
The different approvals shown on this plate are as follows:
- 11R: Latches and door retention components
- 12R: Protection of driver against steering wheel in event of impact
- 14R: Safety-belt anchorages
- 17R: Seats, their anchorages and any head restraints
- 18R: Protection of motor vehicles against unauthorized use
- 21R: Interior fittings of passenger cars
- 64R: Temporary-use spare tyre
- 94R: Protection of occupants against frontal collision
7. Headlight Approval. Also found inside the front hood.
Aldous Voice 
When I start my 1999 modena with 22,000 miles….I get a few minutes of very light whitish smoke..almost looks like cold air condensation…but its smoke….as it idles, it seems to get lighter…I removed a qt of oil thinking maybe I overfilled it when I had that oil dipstick issue. Smoke still there. Any thoughts?
White smoke/steam doesn’t sound like oil burning. Does it stop when hot? How do you know its definitely smoke?
Its hard to say for sure over the internet!
Hello…and thanks again!
It looks like smoke…but when its in my garage, it does not fill up the air…I see the muffler tips have like condensation that appears then quiclky evaporates..
After it gets hotter as it idles, it gets less and less…Its just that I never noticed this until after I changed the oil…I was very careful (i thought). The funny thing is it does not seem to linger in the air like thick smoke…. i did your suggestion about disconnecting the two plugs to the exhaust valves…could that have an effect? The car runs great! By the way…does the dealer sell the ignition key fob with alarm button and original owners manual/ or do you have a better idea/ or is there a better place to go…
Reading your post i also have had a similar experience. The car will sometimes white smoke at start up. in fact on one occasion there was clouds of it. Def not condensation. I too disconnected the plugs to the exhausts and thats when the smoking started. I then re connected the plugs and the smoking reduced/almost stopped. This could be coincidence.
I spoke to Vic at migliore cars and he was not overly worried and said it could be a spot of oil in the Plenum covers – he has seen it before and said that a intake manifold strip down/clean and gasket replace normally sorts it. This was an over the phone diagnosis, but it made sense.
What might be worth doing is get someone to video the car at startup and post it up in a forum or send it to an indie for their view.
Let me know if you find anything out.