Can you identify a VIS externally?

Had a chap come up to me today and said he had had a VIS, I said that this is a VIS, he said I know. It got me thinking is there something different about a VIS? How would you know it's a VIS not a 20V? Turned out he'd had a turbo as well and said it's lucky we've got that fella with all the bits for them (Joe), which I had to agree!

Wheels are different on a VIS

no external differences between 20v VIS and normal 20v.
Normal 20v was manuractured till 1998 (about June as far as I remember). 20v VIS since that time to 2000.

One visual and easy to find difference is this in the photo.

So if it didn't have a private plate you could probably guess from the registration number...

Yes late 99 S'reg n/a models left the factory with the unique 15 inch blade rims, another tell is they have a battery gauge instead of oil temp.

Most bits

So given he didn't have x-ray eyes and couldn't see the cover or the or battery gauge, it's a 98, it must be the wheels. Learn something new every day!

Lucky guess?
Seriously though, my VIS on a T plate was visually identical externally to an earlier NA before I added LE bits. (Black sills, wheels etc)

My VIS totally confuses people as it has Brembo front callipers on 16vt wheels, oh and a drivers venturi duct for the oil cooler

How about self-colour sills?

How do you run those wheels? Wheel spacers?

That would be another give away yes.

20mm front and rear is perfect.

And the "plus" style grille..... Or is that just mine being a later model...?

.... yes yes, of course a plus grill, and colour coded sills with blade rims and a volt metre... what else have the Romans done for us.....


... my bad, wrong forum

Straight roads. Is that why they didn't give the turbo a turning circle?

Picking up the Roman theme, VIs would have been the 6, the IVs the 4, not to be confused with the IBS which the coop regularly becomes.