Lotus Elan and Lotus Elan Plus 2 Forums

Remember it's the actual build date not the registration date which counts. I always thought my car was a Feb 1973 model but when I got the build information from Lotus it said built November 1972, so black and white plates went on and it's saved me a bit in tax over the years with "historic vehicle status". 1972 got in the first time round so I didn't have to wait for the government to restart it

Check the chassis number, if it starts 71 or 72 then you don't have to worry ..

Carl

I don't mind having a yellow rear plate myself as the car is yellow anyway.


Anything to make a small car more visible at night...


I do have a set of black & whites stored somewhere, but would take some finding.

Problem is, if you have a yellow number plate you should have a white one in the front? If other driver can't see a bright yellow car then you really do have problems ..
Carl

Bill do you know you've fitted the spotlights on the wrong end

When Bill says...

billwill wrote:Anything to make a small car more visible at night...

He means ANYTHING!!

Grizzly wrote:Bill do you know you've fitted the spotlights on the wrong end

Does the standard Elan have different (or none) reversing lights? I never thought about it.

As far as I recall those have always been there.

pereirac wrote:Problem is, if you have a yellow number plate you should have a white one in the front? If other driver can't see a bright yellow car then you really do have problems ..
Carl

I seem to remember checking that and found no requirement that the front & rear plates had to be matched.

Wow this is amazing, Ministry guy finally gets back to our MOT tester and he's said the cut off 1st Jan 1973 for non reflective plates.

If you take your car in for an MOT today this is what the rules say.......

https://mot-testing.i-env.net/documents ... 000301.htm

I'm sure in due course it will change on the system but it seems some one hasn't got the memo.

I still think DVLA have cocked up? Probably got a work experience school leaver on the job?
Honestly why do it? Maybe they thought hey, why don't we help out all those late +2 owners who have trouble mouting the reflective front plate?

Crazy, the DVLA online comments says that it is somehow linked with the tax exemption yet their own leaflet INF104 states Jan73!
I guess it's the usual right hand/left hand syndrome? Be interesting to see what the police might say at the side of the road?

The MOT testing document seems 'inconsistent'..
One one hand it says

Vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1973 may have registration plates displaying white, grey or silver characters on a black background.

But under informations (on the same page) it says,

On vehicles first registered on or after 1 January 1973, check: ? the colour of the characters and background

with the reason for rejection being

a. a front registration plate does not have black characters on a white background

No wonder the poor testers are confused.. Is it the build date or the registration date??

The the InsideDVLA website says

Vehicles that can display black and silver plates
Since April 2015 vehicles manufactured before 1 January 1975 can display the older style plates. You must:
have applied to DVLA, and be registered within the ?historic vehicles? tax class.

.

Cars from 1973 onwards never had old style number plates before but it now seems that any car registered as 'historic' it now can..