I suppose that depends upon the state you live in... All of the characters are on the same line for "chassis" number. They also designate identifiers specific to the car. Such as drive (steering) side, market destination and engine type.
Here in Ohio the VIN ( vehicle identification number ) on the title carries the prefix letter as well as the letters after the numbers. The 69 Alpine GT has a VIN number plate on the radiator support as well as one riveted on the left hand side of the top of the dash at the base of the windshield. The crash pad has an opening to allow seeing the VIN plate. Both tags carry the VIN of B399000904 GT LRX and another example is our RHD car which has OD HRO lettering after the VIN . The tags on 2 of the Harringtons also have SB ( sealed beams ) stamped on the tags to the right of the VIN. I received my insurance cards from Hagerty last week and they show the same mixture of numbers and letters. Keep in mind that 3 out of the six cars insured by Hagerty carry plates and Ohio registration that are good for life which means they're in the system but I'll never receive anything from the state including asking for insurance verification. The other three are good for only 50 years with the same conditions.. We don't have vehicle inspections of any kind so unless you're 9 MPH over the speed limit, driving under the influence, or suspected of hauling illegal drugs the state troopers or local police don't bother to stop you for a vehicle check. We don't have personal property tax so that never comes into play as it does in some states if you want to register your cars. The wife has bought a few cars in California as well as other states and getting an Ohio title is a very simple process.
It was required by the state of California from 1961, why I do not know....
I know of an Imp that was bought in California and brought to Ohio and it had what looked like a sticky tag made using a label maker. We've bought several Alpines in California and none had the extra tags and they had no extra letters or numbers added to the VIN on the titles. The same for cars we've bought in several states on the east coast.
