Up to October 79 the VIN number prefix's looked like this:
 355             Manual, home RH stg, 2 door, pre Oct 1979, petrol
 356             Manual, export RH stg, pre Oct 79 model, petrol
 358             Manual, export LH stg detoxed, 2 door, pre Oct 79, petrol
 Between October 79 and the introduction of the 1985 model year it
 looked something like this:
 LHABV1AA        Manual, RH stg, 2 door, post Oct 79, petrol
 LHABV2AA        Presumably, LH stg, 2 door, post Oct 79, petrol
 - but not confirmed, and presumably LHAMV2AA also exisits
 LHAMV1AA        Manual, RH stg, 4 door, post Oct 79 model, petrol
 BSALLHABV1AA    In Vogue ???
 SALLHABV2AA     ?
 SALLHABV8AA     ?
 SALLHAMV1AA     Manual, 4 door, RH stg, post Oct 79 model, petrol
 SALLHAMV2AA     Manual, LH stg, 4 door, post 1979 model, petrol
 SBALLHARV1AA    Manual, RH stg, 4 door Monteverdi, post Oct 79, petrol
 There is a LH stg Monteverdi number also - probably 2AA
 SALLHAMV3AA     Automatic, RH stg, 4 door, 1984 model, petrol
 SALLHAMV7AA     Manual, RH stg, 4 door, 1984 model, petrol
 From 1985 model year onwards, all prefix's appear to be of the form:
 SALLHAxxxyAnnnnnn
 The nnnnnn component is easy, this is just a unique number and
 appears to run from 0000001 right up to whatever the latest
 vehicle was to start making its way down the line.
 The y component indicates the model year of production, sounds
 simple doesn't it - not quite.  It is a single letter,
 matching the UK registration/index number year of registration
 prefix (used to be a suffix - until they ran out of letters) -
 still with me?  Now to confuse matters further, UK vehicle
 registration years run August 1 to July 31 - Land Rover
 production years don't.  For example, the current registration
 prefix is L which indicates a 94 model year vehicle,
 unfortunately, current build Range Rovers are 95 model year
 and have been since about March, hense have vin number
 prefix of SALLHAMxxxMA even though the M prefix doesn't come
 into effect until August.
 Now for the difficult one, the xxx component - this is the one
 that identifies the build, there are lots of them, the ones I
 have come across follow:
 BV7     Manual, RH stg, 2 door, petrol
 BM3     Automatic (PI), RH stg, 2 door CSK, petrol
 MV3     Automatic, RH stg, 4 door, petrol
 MV4     Automatic, LH stg, 4 door, petrol
 MV7     Manual, RH stg, 4 door, petrol
 ML3     Automatic (PI), home RH stg, 4 door, petrol
 ML7     Manual (PI), RH stg, 4 door, petrol
 ME7     2.4 Manual, RH stg, 4 door, diesel
 MN7     2.5 manual, RH stg, 4 door, diesel
 MF7     Manual, RH stg, 4 door, Tdi diesel
 MF3     Automatic, RH stg, 4 door, Tdi diesel
 For a definative list you need to refer to the Parts Catalogue for the
 era of vehicle you are interested in.  Same goes for the engine
 numbers, though they appear to have been consistently identifed by the
 first three characters in the number.
 I hope this goes part way to answering your questions
 Regards
 Rich
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