I think my car was also built last year. I was surprised when I saw the last 5 digits of the vin number myself. I have the auto so don't need to worry about the 1st gear problem though. I too would also like to know the exact build date but don't know how to find this out apart from contacting a dealer I suppose.

They have probably been sitting in an airfield or warehouse somewhere in the country waiting to be sold for some time.