Need Assistance with Car Fax Report

[California]

Hi Everyone,
been draming of a Cobra for the longest time now. I'm in the final process of buying a Superformance Cobra, from someone. I would like to run a CarFax report on the vehicle, to make sure there are no leins, claims or accidents associated with it. The car has very little mileage and seems to be perfect in everyway. But I'll only know when I see her in person!
Well, I've tried to run a report on her with the VIN# SPO1_ _ _,(only 7 digits), nothing comes up. CarFax says "CARFAX Check Results

The Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) you entered, SPO1_ _ _, is invalid. Please check the number for accuracy and try again below.


The letters "I", "O" and "Q" never appear in a VIN.
The VIN must be exactly 17 characters in length.
The CARFAX database contains information for cars manufactured from 1981 through the present."

Was wondering is this normal, or are there additional numbers on the VIN# which were not indicated to me.
Also is there any other pertinent registration information that I should know about.
Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for your help.
Nick