World Manufacturing Code:

The 1st character of the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)
which uniquely identifies the maker of the vehicle. It occupies
the first three characters of the Porsche VIN. The WMI is described
in ISO 3780.
The character 'W' is assigned to a West German vehicle manufacture

Manufacturer:

The 2nd character of the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)
which uniquely identifies the maker of the vehicle. It occupies
the first three characters of the Porsche VIN. The WMI is described
in ISO 3780.

The character 'P' is assigned to the German manufacturer
Dr.Ing.h.c.F. Porsche Aktiengesellschaft 70432 Stuttgart

Model Type:

The 3rd character of the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)
which uniquely identifies the maker of the vehicle. It occupies
the first three characters of the Porsche VIN. The WMI is described
in ISO 3780.

Porsche uses this character to describe its vehicle model type:
'0' (zero) for Sports Cars;
'1' (one) for SUVs

USA/Canada Body Type:

The second section of the VIN consists of five characters (VIN character
positions 4-8) and are used to identify the attributes of the vehicle.

In the USA and Canada, Porsche uses the 4th character in the VIN
to describe the vehicle's body type such as Cabriolet, Targa, Coupe etc.

USA/Canada Engine Type:

The second section of the VIN consists of five characters (VIN character
positions 4-8) and are used to identify the attributes of the vehicle.

In the USA and Canada, Porsche uses the 5th character in the VIN
to describe the vehicle's engine type such as Normally aspirated, Turbo etc.

USA/Canada Restraint System:

The second section of the VIN consists of five characters (VIN character
positions 4-8) and are used to identify the attributes of the vehicle.

In the USA and Canada, Porsche uses the 6th character in the VIN
to describe the vehicle's restraint system such as airbag location etc.

Vehicle Type Designation:

The 7th and 8th character positions in the Porsche VIN are
the first two characters of the vehicle model. For example
for a 996 model 911, the vehicle type designation is '99' and
for a 987 model Boxster it is '98'. The 3rd character of the
vehicle type designation is found in the 12th character of the VIN

USA/Canada Checksum Digit:

In the USA and Canada, the third section of the VIN consist of a
single character at position 9 in the VIN code, which is used as
a calculated check digit. This character may be numeric or the
letter 'X'. The check digit calculation is based on the other 16
character positions in the VIN. This is required to satisfy US and
Canada regulations and its purpose is to provide a means for verifying
the accuracy of the VIN. If the VIN is tampered with and the check
digit is not re-calculated, the VIN checksum will fail providing
indication that the vehicle is suspect.

Manufacture Year:

The fourth section in the VIN consists of eight characters at
positions 10-17 in the VIN. The last five of which are numeric.
ISO 3779 refers to this section as the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

The 10th character position in the VIN and the 1st in the VIS is
used to specify the manufacture year. The European Union does not
require that a year code is implemented although Porsche does use it.
In the USA and Canada however, the year code is compulsory. The year
codes start at 1971 and use characters 1 through 9 up to 1979. From
1980 onwards the characters start at A and continue to Y for year
2000. 2001 restarts again at 1 to 9 until 2009 and then A through Z is
for years 2019 onwards. Note that characters I, O, Q, U, and Z are
not used. Note also, that Porsche did not introduce the 17 digit VIN
code on their vehicles until 1980.

It is important to understand that the manufacture year is in fact the
year the vehicle was released from the factory and not necessarily the
actual year of manufacture. For example, a 997 model 911 assembled
in December of 2006 will likely show a manufacture year of 2007.

Assembly Plant Location:

The fourth section in the VIN consists of eight characters at
positions 10-17 in the VIN. The last five of which are numeric.
ISO 3779 refers to this section as the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

The 11th character position in the VIN and the 2nd in the VIS is
used to specify the Assembly Plant Location where the vehicle was
built. Note that the component parts of the vehicle may have been
manufactured and/or sourced from other locations. This VIN character
position only specifies where the components of the vehicle were
assembled into a completed vehicle.

Porsche has several manufacturing plants and the characters used for
the Assembly Plant Locations are defined as follows:
L = Leipzig
S = Stuttgart
N = Neckarsulm
U = Uusikaupunki (Finland)

Vehicle Type Designation:

The fourth section in the VIN consists of eight characters at
positions 10-17 in the VIN. The last five of which are numeric.
ISO 3779 refers to this section as the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

The 12th character position in the Porsche VIN is the final of
three characters making up the vehicle model. For example
for a 996 model 911, the vehicle type designation is '6' and
for a 987 model Boxster it is '8'. The 1st and 2nd characters of
the vehicle type designation are found in the 7th and 8th
character positions in the VIN

Body/Engine code:

The fourth section in the VIN consists of eight characters at
positions 10-17 in the VIN. The last five of which are numeric.
ISO 3779 refers to this section as the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

Porsche uses the 13th character in the VIN to describe
the vehicle's body and/or engine type. The codes are too
numerous to describe here

Serial Number:

The fourth section in the VIN consists of eight characters at
positions 10-17 in the VIN. The last five of which are numeric.
ISO 3779 refers to this section as the Vehicle Identifier Section (VIS)

Porsche uses the last 4 characters in the VIN to describe
the vehicle's assembly sequence or chassis serial number.