I'd assume that much of his information was acquired through methods that prohibit redistribution, or have other legal restrictions.
No...
I built up a list by looking at cars I saw in person, in public places, and noting the VIN / color combinations.
And then even more by noting all the details whenever I saw a for-sale listing on places like eBay, craigslist, auto dealer web sites, etc.
This is information that basically anyone could have built up if they were equally fanatical, persistent, and willing to spend a ridiculous amount of time doing something of limited value.
Also, the Roadster VIN sequence is relatively straightforward, so I built a script to generate the VINs (of what I figured were) all possible Roadsters, and did automated web searches on those VINs to find any mention online.
I suppose that means my list is more complete than it would be for someone who doesn't know how to automate things like that.
Also, my list is much more complete in North America because of web sites that let you look up the VIN based on license plate number. So, all those web photos including a license plate ended up in my VIN list.
Special thanks to Carfax for showing how many records they have on file for a VIN. Even if I don't pay to look up the details, I can validate that the VIN is for a real car that got registered by someone in the USA.
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Just curious - why? Do you have a project in mind?
I love that you have all this info though. Would be such a shame if it didn't exist.
No specific project in mind. Still working to update the list, and may just release the whole thing someday. Waiting to see if anyone comes forward and objects to that thought. Send me PM if you think it is a bad idea...
Already, I am starting to get more and more PMs with people asking me specific questions about specific cars. I try to oblige when I can, but hopefully it doesn't become overwhelming.
By the way, when Model S came out, and people started work on "VIN decoder", I thought to myself that I would rather use my time on something else, and so just decided to stop after researching Roadster like this.
Also, I was probably inspired by seeing previous VIN lists on other "exotic" cars like this:
Deciphering the McLaren F1 VINs - Car Forums and Automotive Chat