British Registration Plates--The theory!
22 posts
• Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Post by: GrUmPyBoDgEr » Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:04 am
As a follow on to the question raised in the topic "Plus 2S end of production" & also in other earlier topics
"What do the registration letters & numbers in GB mean?"
Well I'll start the ball rolling with what I know & hope that other more knowledgeable posters will be able to add more & correct the mistakes I may make.
Most importantly the number allocated to a British registered vehicle stays with that vehicle for life; that is with the exception of the "cherished number plate"
The "cherished plate" is a series of existing numbers & letters which may be offered for sale to people prepared to pay the price for "the privilege" & it has turned into a money making enterprise not only run by specialist dealers but also by the DVLA, the issuing authority in GB.
Initially British registration letters & numbers were white characters on black background.
There was a letter or up to 3 letters followed by a series of numbers & the usual total number of characters was 6
The letters used were actually allocated to the then recognised counties & those allocated series of letters were applied by some written rules that I'm not conversant with.
However the number PYD 686 (an old motorbike of mine) was a Somerset registration.
As you can see there is no relationship between the letters & the county; whereas in Germany the letters are more easily deciphered e.g. M = Munich & FFB = Furstenfeldbr?ck.
Here the larger towns are honoured with fewer letters & smaller towns lumbered with more as can be seen by the examples given.
However here the registration number is not "for life". If a vehicle changes owners & the owners live in different registration areas the vehicle needs to be re-registered.
e.g. I sell my car from Dachau with the number DAH-66 JP to someone in Munich.
That car will get a Munich number e.g. M-2457 DJ and the ex number DAH-66 JP goes back into the pot for re-use within the Dachau area.
In France, as I understand it, it is the numbers that define the area in which the vehicle is registered & I think that 75 = Paris & 92 = the Calais area.
In GB prior to 1963 not much interest was shown in the age of an owners vehicle but in order to give the Automobile manufacturers a sales boost the Government introduced a suffix letter to the registration number.
This additional letter informed everyone about the age of the vehicle
e.g. BOB 625B was newly registered in 1964 ( "A" being the 1st suffix letter issued in 1963)
The whole alphabet with the exclusion of "O" "I" "Q" (I think that's all) due to possible confusion with the similar numbers 0 & 1
The system was a success in increasing car sales because Sheeple began to need the latest registration number on the car standing in the driveway of their house.
They call it "Street Cred' these days.
Once "Z" had been achieved at the end of the registration number the system was changed so that the "Letter" was now added to the front of the registration with the other letters & numbers swapping places; e.g. A 321 LOT.
So the snob value number plate system was extended yet another 20 or so years
Obviously this system had a limited duration until the letter Z was reached.
At this point, when the British car industry was at the point of collapse, the government announced a new vehicle registration system under the disguise of once again being able to recognise which part of the country the vehicle was registered.
A new set of letter codes was introduced in order to do this & the reason given was that certain counties had, due to government re-organisation, completely disappeared from the Maps of the country.
Once again these letters bore/bear no immediately identifiable relationship to the area of first registration.
But! Now new registrations were introduced twice a year!
This, the government said, was to reduce the glut of new registrations in January of the new year & sometime in the middle of Summer another registration year number was issued.
The new January registration numbers started with 01 e.g. KS 01 HVA & the Summer registrations with 50 e.g. KS 50 HVA.
The new system not only extended the "newly registered" vehicle system for another ~50 years but also provided the opportunity for Sheeple to have the "latest number" twice a year & possibly prevent a total collapse of the British Car industry!
With regard to "cherished numbers" I'm not too sure of how that works with the exception of knowing that some people pay massive amounts of money to get some of them & it is a completely legal system.
What confuses me now is that "Kit Car" builders can now buy period numbers whereas at one time they had to have numbers with a "Q" suffix.
I've left a few holes so may the discussion commence?
Cheers
John
P.S. To our friends across "the Pond" & on t'other side of t'World everything as clear as mud now?
_________________
"What do the registration letters & numbers in GB mean?"
Well I'll start the ball rolling with what I know & hope that other more knowledgeable posters will be able to add more & correct the mistakes I may make.
Most importantly the number allocated to a British registered vehicle stays with that vehicle for life; that is with the exception of the "cherished number plate"
The "cherished plate" is a series of existing numbers & letters which may be offered for sale to people prepared to pay the price for "the privilege" & it has turned into a money making enterprise not only run by specialist dealers but also by the DVLA, the issuing authority in GB.
Initially British registration letters & numbers were white characters on black background.
There was a letter or up to 3 letters followed by a series of numbers & the usual total number of characters was 6
The letters used were actually allocated to the then recognised counties & those allocated series of letters were applied by some written rules that I'm not conversant with.
However the number PYD 686 (an old motorbike of mine) was a Somerset registration.
As you can see there is no relationship between the letters & the county; whereas in Germany the letters are more easily deciphered e.g. M = Munich & FFB = Furstenfeldbr?ck.
Here the larger towns are honoured with fewer letters & smaller towns lumbered with more as can be seen by the examples given.
However here the registration number is not "for life". If a vehicle changes owners & the owners live in different registration areas the vehicle needs to be re-registered.
e.g. I sell my car from Dachau with the number DAH-66 JP to someone in Munich.
That car will get a Munich number e.g. M-2457 DJ and the ex number DAH-66 JP goes back into the pot for re-use within the Dachau area.
In France, as I understand it, it is the numbers that define the area in which the vehicle is registered & I think that 75 = Paris & 92 = the Calais area.
In GB prior to 1963 not much interest was shown in the age of an owners vehicle but in order to give the Automobile manufacturers a sales boost the Government introduced a suffix letter to the registration number.
This additional letter informed everyone about the age of the vehicle
e.g. BOB 625B was newly registered in 1964 ( "A" being the 1st suffix letter issued in 1963)
The whole alphabet with the exclusion of "O" "I" "Q" (I think that's all) due to possible confusion with the similar numbers 0 & 1
The system was a success in increasing car sales because Sheeple began to need the latest registration number on the car standing in the driveway of their house.
They call it "Street Cred' these days.
Once "Z" had been achieved at the end of the registration number the system was changed so that the "Letter" was now added to the front of the registration with the other letters & numbers swapping places; e.g. A 321 LOT.
So the snob value number plate system was extended yet another 20 or so years
Obviously this system had a limited duration until the letter Z was reached.
At this point, when the British car industry was at the point of collapse, the government announced a new vehicle registration system under the disguise of once again being able to recognise which part of the country the vehicle was registered.
A new set of letter codes was introduced in order to do this & the reason given was that certain counties had, due to government re-organisation, completely disappeared from the Maps of the country.
Once again these letters bore/bear no immediately identifiable relationship to the area of first registration.
But! Now new registrations were introduced twice a year!
This, the government said, was to reduce the glut of new registrations in January of the new year & sometime in the middle of Summer another registration year number was issued.
The new January registration numbers started with 01 e.g. KS 01 HVA & the Summer registrations with 50 e.g. KS 50 HVA.
The new system not only extended the "newly registered" vehicle system for another ~50 years but also provided the opportunity for Sheeple to have the "latest number" twice a year & possibly prevent a total collapse of the British Car industry!
With regard to "cherished numbers" I'm not too sure of how that works with the exception of knowing that some people pay massive amounts of money to get some of them & it is a completely legal system.
What confuses me now is that "Kit Car" builders can now buy period numbers whereas at one time they had to have numbers with a "Q" suffix.
I've left a few holes so may the discussion commence?
Cheers
John
P.S. To our friends across "the Pond" & on t'other side of t'World everything as clear as mud now?
_________________
Last edited by GrUmPyBoDgEr on Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:46 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Beware of the Illuminati
Editor: On Sunday morning, February 8th 2015, Derek "John" Pelly AKA GrumpyBodger passed away genuinely peacefully at Weston Hospicecare, Weston Super Mare. He will be missed.
Editor: On Sunday morning, February 8th 2015, Derek "John" Pelly AKA GrumpyBodger passed away genuinely peacefully at Weston Hospicecare, Weston Super Mare. He will be missed.
-
GrUmPyBoDgEr - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 3062
- Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Post by: elanman999 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 11:51 am
John,
You say "a British registered vehicle stays with that vehicle for life; that is with the exception of the "cherished number plate""
This is true now but it was not the case up until about 1980. Before then if a car was re-chassised and the DVLA found out it would have been re-registered with a new plate. Now we can apply to have an age related plate. That is why you can have an Elan on a J plate (built in 1971) that has a first registration date of say 1977. This is also why Graham Arnold pushed to have the chassis on an Elan known as a "sub-frame" just to get over this problem. With the coming of the Q plate it would have meant that any car re-chassised would have to go to a Q.
When I re-chassised my +2 in 1978 I was careful that I took the car to a "sympathetic" garage for the first MOT after the re-build, one that would not look too closely for the chassis number.
Cheers
John
You say "a British registered vehicle stays with that vehicle for life; that is with the exception of the "cherished number plate""
This is true now but it was not the case up until about 1980. Before then if a car was re-chassised and the DVLA found out it would have been re-registered with a new plate. Now we can apply to have an age related plate. That is why you can have an Elan on a J plate (built in 1971) that has a first registration date of say 1977. This is also why Graham Arnold pushed to have the chassis on an Elan known as a "sub-frame" just to get over this problem. With the coming of the Q plate it would have meant that any car re-chassised would have to go to a Q.
When I re-chassised my +2 in 1978 I was careful that I took the car to a "sympathetic" garage for the first MOT after the re-build, one that would not look too closely for the chassis number.
Cheers
John
- elanman999
- Third Gear
- Posts: 487
- Joined: 12 Nov 2005
Post by: GrUmPyBoDgEr » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:02 pm
Thanks for that addition John!
My posting was just an attempt to provide a bit of clarification and not to be definitive.
I'm sure a few more good posts such as yours will iron out all of the lumps.
One thing's for sure, the British management of vehicle registration is without doubt "quirky"
Cheers
John
My posting was just an attempt to provide a bit of clarification and not to be definitive.
I'm sure a few more good posts such as yours will iron out all of the lumps.
One thing's for sure, the British management of vehicle registration is without doubt "quirky"
Cheers
John
Beware of the Illuminati
Editor: On Sunday morning, February 8th 2015, Derek "John" Pelly AKA GrumpyBodger passed away genuinely peacefully at Weston Hospicecare, Weston Super Mare. He will be missed.
Editor: On Sunday morning, February 8th 2015, Derek "John" Pelly AKA GrumpyBodger passed away genuinely peacefully at Weston Hospicecare, Weston Super Mare. He will be missed.
-
GrUmPyBoDgEr - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 3062
- Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Post by: bcmc33 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:22 pm
elanman999 wrote:When I re-chassised my +2 in 1978 I was careful that I took the car to a "sympathetic" garage for the first MOT after the re-build, one that would not look too closely for the chassis number.
Please excuse the ignorance - I was not aware that the original chassis (sub frame) had a number. Did it have any reference to the VIN?
Brian Clarke
(1972 Sprint 5 EFI)
Growing old is mandatory..........Growing up is optional
(1972 Sprint 5 EFI)
Growing old is mandatory..........Growing up is optional
-
bcmc33 - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 1825
- Joined: 10 Apr 2006
Post by: ardee_selby » Tue Aug 30, 2011 12:24 pm
"a money making enterprise...run by...the DVLA, the issuing authority in GB"
DVLA does a good selling job and, having hooked folks, they can then fine them up to ?1000 & risk an MOT failure. But a lot of plates don't "work" if they comply with the "rules".
A mugs game all round IMO...
http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/plates.htm
But... BO11 LUX - http://www.carreg.co.uk/number_plates/get_news/591
DVLA does a good selling job and, having hooked folks, they can then fine them up to ?1000 & risk an MOT failure. But a lot of plates don't "work" if they comply with the "rules".
A mugs game all round IMO...
http://www.ukspeedtraps.co.uk/plates.htm
But... BO11 LUX - http://www.carreg.co.uk/number_plates/get_news/591
- ardee_selby
- Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 2197
- Joined: 30 Sep 2003
Post by: trw99 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:08 pm
John
Z was not used under the old letter system because of confusion with Northern Irish plates, which were entirely different to the mainland!
County letters were as follows:
AA Salisbury; AB Worcester; AC Coventry; AD Gloucester; AE Bristol; AF Truro; AG Hull; AH Norwich; AJ Middlesbrough; AK Sheffield; AL Nottingham; AM Swindon; AN Reading (not MAN); AO Carlisle; AP Brighton; AR Chelmsford; AS Inverness; AT Hull; AU Nottingham; AV Cambridge; AW Shrewsbury; AX Cardiff; AY Leicester
BA Newcastle; BB Newcastle; BC Leicester; BD Northampton; BE Grimsby; BF Stoke; BG Liverpool; BH Luton; BJ Ipswich; BK Portsmouth; BL Reading; BM Luton; BN Bolton; BO Cardiff; BP Portsmouth; BR Durham; BS Kirkwall; BT York; BU Manchester; BV Preston; BW Oxford; BX Haverfordwest; BY London NW
CA Chester; CB Bolton; CC Bangor; CD Brighton; CE Cambridge; CF Reading; CG Salisbury; CH Nottingham; CJ Hereford; CK Preston; CL Norwich; CM Liverpool; CN Newcastle; CO Plymouth; CP Huddersfield; CR Portsmouth; CS Ayr; CT Boston; CU Newcastle; CV Truro; CW Preston; CX Huddersfield; CY Swansea (not SCY)
DA Birmingham; DB Manchester; DC Middlesbrough; DD Gloucester; DE Haverfordwest; DF Gloucester; DG Gloucester; DH Dudley; DJ Warrington; DK Bolton; DL Newport IOW; DM Chester; DN York; DO Boston; DP Reading; DR Plymouth; DS Glasgow; DT Sheffield; DU Coventry; DV Exeter; DW Cardiff; DX Ipswich; DY Hastings
EA Dudley; EB Cambridge; EC Kendal; ED Warrington; EE Grimsby; EF Middlesbrough; EG Peterborough; EH Stoke; EJ Aberystwyth; EK Warrington; EL Bournemouth; EM Liverpool; EN Bolton; EO Barrow; EP Swansea; ER Cambridge; ES Dundee; ET Sheffield; EU Bristol; EV Chelmsford; EW Peterborough; EX Norwich; EY Bangor
FA Stoke; FB Bristol; FC Oxford; FD Dudley; FE Lincoln; FF Aberystwyth; FG Brighton; FH Gloucester; FJ Exeter; FK Dudley; FL Peterborough; FM Chester; FN Canterbury; FO Hereford; FP Leicester; FR Preston; FS Edinburgh; FT Newcastle; FU Grimsby; FV Preston; FW Lincoln; FX Bournemouth; FY Liverpool
GA Glasgow; GB Glasgow; GC London SW; GD Glasgow; GE Glasgow; GF London SW; GG Glasgow; GH London SW; GJ London SW; GK London SW; GL Truro; GM Reading; GN London SW; GO London SW; GP London SW; GR Durham; GS Luton; GT London SW; GU London; GV Ipswich; GW London SE; GX London; GY London
HA Dudley; HB Cardiff; HC Hastings; HD Huddersfield; HE Sheffield; HF Liverpool; HG Preston; HH Carlisle; HJ Chelmsford; HK Chelmsford; HL Sheffield; HM London Central; HN Middlesbrough; HO Salisbury; HP Coventry; HR Swindon; HS Glasgow; HT Bristol; HU Bristol; HV London Central; HW Bristol; HX London Central; HY Bristol
JA Manchester; JB Reading; JC Bangor; JD London Central; JE Cambridge; JF Leicester; JG Canterbury; JH Reading; JJ Canterbury; JK Hastings; JL Boston; JM Reading; JN Chelmsford; JO Oxford; JP Warrington; JR Newcastle; JS Stornoway; JT Bournemouth; JU Leicester; JV Grimsby; JW Birmingham; JX Huddersfield; JY Plymouth
KA Liverpool; KB Liverpool; KC Liverpool; KD Liverpool; KE Maidstone; KF Liverpool; KG Cardiff; KH Hull; KJ Maidstone; KK Maidstone; KL Maidstone; KM Maidstone; KN Maidstone; KO Maidstone; KP Maidstone; KR Maidstone; KS Selkirk; KT Canterbury; KU Sheffield; KV Coventry; KW Sheffield; KX Luton; KY Sheffield
LA London NW; LB London NW; LC London NW; LD London NW; LE London NW; LF London NW; LG Chester; LH London NW; LJ Bournemouth; LK London NW; LL London NW; LM London NW; LN London NW; LO London NW; LP London NW; LR London NW; LS Stirling; LT London NW; LU London NW; LV Liverpool; LW London NW; LX London NW; LY London NW
MA Chester; MB Chester; MC London NE; MD London NE; ME London NE; MF London NE; MG London NE; MH London NE; MJ Luton; MK London NE; ML London NE; MM London NE; MO Reading; MP London NE; MR Swindon; MS Stirling; MT London NE; MU London NE; MV London SE; MW Swindon; MX London SE; MY London SE
NA Manchester; NB Manchester; NC Manchester; ND Manchester; NE Manchester; NF Manchester; NG Norwich; NH Northampton; NJ Brighton; NK Luton; NL Newcastle; NM Luton; NN Nottingham; NO Chelmsford; NP Worcester; NR Leicester; NS Glasgow; NT Shrewsbury; NU Nottingham; NV Northampton; NW Leeds; NX Dudley; NY Cardiff
OA Birmingham; OB Birmingham; OC Birmingham; OD Exeter; OE Birmingham; OF Birmingham; OG Birmingham; OH Birmingham; OJ Birmingham; OK Birmingham; OL Birmingham; OM Birmingham; ON Birmingham; OO Chelmsford; OP Birmingham; OR Portsmouth; OS Stranraer; OT Portsmouth; OU Bristol; OV Birmingham; OW Portsmouth; OX Birmingham; OY London NW
PA Guildford; PB Guildford; PC Guildford; PD Guildford; PE Guildford; PF Guildford; PG Guildford; PH Guildford; PJ Guildford; PK Guildford; PL Guildford; PM Guildford; PN Brighton; PO Portsmouth; PP Luton; PR Bournemouth; PS Lerwick; PT Newcastle; PU Chelmsford; PV Ipswich; PW Norwich; PX Portsmouth; PY Middlesbrough
RA Nottingham; RB Nottingham; RC Nottingham; RD Reading; RE Stoke; RF Stoke; RG Newcastle; RH Hull; RJ Manchester; RK London NW RL Truro; RM Carlisle; RN Preston; RO Luton; RP Northampton; RR Nottingham; RS Aberdeen; RT Ipswich; RU Bournemouth; RV Portsmouth; RW Coventry; RX Reading; RY Leicester
SA Aberdeen; SB Oban; SC Edinburgh; SD Ayr; SE Keith; SF Edinburgh; SG Edinburgh; SH Selkirk; SJ Ayr; SK Wick; SL Dundee; SM Dumfries; SN Dundee; SO Aberdeen; SP Dundee; SR Dundee; SS Aberdeen; ST Inverness; SU Glasgow; SW Dumfries; SX Edinburgh
TA Exeter; TB Warrington; TC Bristol; TD Bolton; TE Bolton; TF Reading; TG Cardiff; TH Swansea; TJ Liverpool; TK Plymouth; TL Lincoln; TM Luton; TN Newcastle; TO Nottingham; TP Portsmouth; TR Portsmouth; TS Dundee; TT Exeter; TU Chester; TV Nottingham; TW Chelmsford; TX Cardiff; TY Newcastle
UA Leeds; UB Leeds; UC London Central; UD Oxford; UE Dudley; UF Brighton; UG Leeds; UH Cardiff; UJ Shrewsbury; UK Birmingham; UL London Central; UM Leeds; UN Barnstaple; UO Barnstaple; UP Newcastle; UR Luton; US Glasgow; UT Leicester; UU London Central; UV London Central; UW London Central; UX Shrewsbury; UY Worcester
VA Cambridge; VB Canterbury; VC Coventry; VD Luton; VE Peterborough; VF Norwich; VG Norwich; VH Huddersfield; VJ Hereford; VK Newcastle; VL Lincoln; VM Manchester; VN Middlesbrough; VO Nottingham; VP Birmingham; VR Manchester; VS Luton; VT Stoke; VU Manchester; VV Northampton; VW Chelmsford; VX Chelmsford; VY York
WA Sheffield; WB Sheffield; WC Chelmsford; WD Dudley; WE Sheffield; WF Sheffield; WG Sheffield; WH Bolton; WJ Sheffield; WK Coventry; WL Oxford; WM Liverpool; WN Swansea; WO Cardiff; WP Worcester; WR Leeds; WS Bristol; WT Leeds; WU Leeds; WV Brighton; WW Leeds; WX Leeds; WY Leeds
YA Taunton; YB Taunton; YC Taunton; YD Taunton; YE London Central; YF London Central; YG Leeds; YH London Central; YJ Brighton; YK London Central; YL London Central; YM London Central; YN London Central; YO London Central; YP London Central; YR London Central; YS Glasgow; YT London Central; YU London Central; YV London Central; YW London Central; YX London Central; YY London Central
Tim
Z was not used under the old letter system because of confusion with Northern Irish plates, which were entirely different to the mainland!
County letters were as follows:
AA Salisbury; AB Worcester; AC Coventry; AD Gloucester; AE Bristol; AF Truro; AG Hull; AH Norwich; AJ Middlesbrough; AK Sheffield; AL Nottingham; AM Swindon; AN Reading (not MAN); AO Carlisle; AP Brighton; AR Chelmsford; AS Inverness; AT Hull; AU Nottingham; AV Cambridge; AW Shrewsbury; AX Cardiff; AY Leicester
BA Newcastle; BB Newcastle; BC Leicester; BD Northampton; BE Grimsby; BF Stoke; BG Liverpool; BH Luton; BJ Ipswich; BK Portsmouth; BL Reading; BM Luton; BN Bolton; BO Cardiff; BP Portsmouth; BR Durham; BS Kirkwall; BT York; BU Manchester; BV Preston; BW Oxford; BX Haverfordwest; BY London NW
CA Chester; CB Bolton; CC Bangor; CD Brighton; CE Cambridge; CF Reading; CG Salisbury; CH Nottingham; CJ Hereford; CK Preston; CL Norwich; CM Liverpool; CN Newcastle; CO Plymouth; CP Huddersfield; CR Portsmouth; CS Ayr; CT Boston; CU Newcastle; CV Truro; CW Preston; CX Huddersfield; CY Swansea (not SCY)
DA Birmingham; DB Manchester; DC Middlesbrough; DD Gloucester; DE Haverfordwest; DF Gloucester; DG Gloucester; DH Dudley; DJ Warrington; DK Bolton; DL Newport IOW; DM Chester; DN York; DO Boston; DP Reading; DR Plymouth; DS Glasgow; DT Sheffield; DU Coventry; DV Exeter; DW Cardiff; DX Ipswich; DY Hastings
EA Dudley; EB Cambridge; EC Kendal; ED Warrington; EE Grimsby; EF Middlesbrough; EG Peterborough; EH Stoke; EJ Aberystwyth; EK Warrington; EL Bournemouth; EM Liverpool; EN Bolton; EO Barrow; EP Swansea; ER Cambridge; ES Dundee; ET Sheffield; EU Bristol; EV Chelmsford; EW Peterborough; EX Norwich; EY Bangor
FA Stoke; FB Bristol; FC Oxford; FD Dudley; FE Lincoln; FF Aberystwyth; FG Brighton; FH Gloucester; FJ Exeter; FK Dudley; FL Peterborough; FM Chester; FN Canterbury; FO Hereford; FP Leicester; FR Preston; FS Edinburgh; FT Newcastle; FU Grimsby; FV Preston; FW Lincoln; FX Bournemouth; FY Liverpool
GA Glasgow; GB Glasgow; GC London SW; GD Glasgow; GE Glasgow; GF London SW; GG Glasgow; GH London SW; GJ London SW; GK London SW; GL Truro; GM Reading; GN London SW; GO London SW; GP London SW; GR Durham; GS Luton; GT London SW; GU London; GV Ipswich; GW London SE; GX London; GY London
HA Dudley; HB Cardiff; HC Hastings; HD Huddersfield; HE Sheffield; HF Liverpool; HG Preston; HH Carlisle; HJ Chelmsford; HK Chelmsford; HL Sheffield; HM London Central; HN Middlesbrough; HO Salisbury; HP Coventry; HR Swindon; HS Glasgow; HT Bristol; HU Bristol; HV London Central; HW Bristol; HX London Central; HY Bristol
JA Manchester; JB Reading; JC Bangor; JD London Central; JE Cambridge; JF Leicester; JG Canterbury; JH Reading; JJ Canterbury; JK Hastings; JL Boston; JM Reading; JN Chelmsford; JO Oxford; JP Warrington; JR Newcastle; JS Stornoway; JT Bournemouth; JU Leicester; JV Grimsby; JW Birmingham; JX Huddersfield; JY Plymouth
KA Liverpool; KB Liverpool; KC Liverpool; KD Liverpool; KE Maidstone; KF Liverpool; KG Cardiff; KH Hull; KJ Maidstone; KK Maidstone; KL Maidstone; KM Maidstone; KN Maidstone; KO Maidstone; KP Maidstone; KR Maidstone; KS Selkirk; KT Canterbury; KU Sheffield; KV Coventry; KW Sheffield; KX Luton; KY Sheffield
LA London NW; LB London NW; LC London NW; LD London NW; LE London NW; LF London NW; LG Chester; LH London NW; LJ Bournemouth; LK London NW; LL London NW; LM London NW; LN London NW; LO London NW; LP London NW; LR London NW; LS Stirling; LT London NW; LU London NW; LV Liverpool; LW London NW; LX London NW; LY London NW
MA Chester; MB Chester; MC London NE; MD London NE; ME London NE; MF London NE; MG London NE; MH London NE; MJ Luton; MK London NE; ML London NE; MM London NE; MO Reading; MP London NE; MR Swindon; MS Stirling; MT London NE; MU London NE; MV London SE; MW Swindon; MX London SE; MY London SE
NA Manchester; NB Manchester; NC Manchester; ND Manchester; NE Manchester; NF Manchester; NG Norwich; NH Northampton; NJ Brighton; NK Luton; NL Newcastle; NM Luton; NN Nottingham; NO Chelmsford; NP Worcester; NR Leicester; NS Glasgow; NT Shrewsbury; NU Nottingham; NV Northampton; NW Leeds; NX Dudley; NY Cardiff
OA Birmingham; OB Birmingham; OC Birmingham; OD Exeter; OE Birmingham; OF Birmingham; OG Birmingham; OH Birmingham; OJ Birmingham; OK Birmingham; OL Birmingham; OM Birmingham; ON Birmingham; OO Chelmsford; OP Birmingham; OR Portsmouth; OS Stranraer; OT Portsmouth; OU Bristol; OV Birmingham; OW Portsmouth; OX Birmingham; OY London NW
PA Guildford; PB Guildford; PC Guildford; PD Guildford; PE Guildford; PF Guildford; PG Guildford; PH Guildford; PJ Guildford; PK Guildford; PL Guildford; PM Guildford; PN Brighton; PO Portsmouth; PP Luton; PR Bournemouth; PS Lerwick; PT Newcastle; PU Chelmsford; PV Ipswich; PW Norwich; PX Portsmouth; PY Middlesbrough
RA Nottingham; RB Nottingham; RC Nottingham; RD Reading; RE Stoke; RF Stoke; RG Newcastle; RH Hull; RJ Manchester; RK London NW RL Truro; RM Carlisle; RN Preston; RO Luton; RP Northampton; RR Nottingham; RS Aberdeen; RT Ipswich; RU Bournemouth; RV Portsmouth; RW Coventry; RX Reading; RY Leicester
SA Aberdeen; SB Oban; SC Edinburgh; SD Ayr; SE Keith; SF Edinburgh; SG Edinburgh; SH Selkirk; SJ Ayr; SK Wick; SL Dundee; SM Dumfries; SN Dundee; SO Aberdeen; SP Dundee; SR Dundee; SS Aberdeen; ST Inverness; SU Glasgow; SW Dumfries; SX Edinburgh
TA Exeter; TB Warrington; TC Bristol; TD Bolton; TE Bolton; TF Reading; TG Cardiff; TH Swansea; TJ Liverpool; TK Plymouth; TL Lincoln; TM Luton; TN Newcastle; TO Nottingham; TP Portsmouth; TR Portsmouth; TS Dundee; TT Exeter; TU Chester; TV Nottingham; TW Chelmsford; TX Cardiff; TY Newcastle
UA Leeds; UB Leeds; UC London Central; UD Oxford; UE Dudley; UF Brighton; UG Leeds; UH Cardiff; UJ Shrewsbury; UK Birmingham; UL London Central; UM Leeds; UN Barnstaple; UO Barnstaple; UP Newcastle; UR Luton; US Glasgow; UT Leicester; UU London Central; UV London Central; UW London Central; UX Shrewsbury; UY Worcester
VA Cambridge; VB Canterbury; VC Coventry; VD Luton; VE Peterborough; VF Norwich; VG Norwich; VH Huddersfield; VJ Hereford; VK Newcastle; VL Lincoln; VM Manchester; VN Middlesbrough; VO Nottingham; VP Birmingham; VR Manchester; VS Luton; VT Stoke; VU Manchester; VV Northampton; VW Chelmsford; VX Chelmsford; VY York
WA Sheffield; WB Sheffield; WC Chelmsford; WD Dudley; WE Sheffield; WF Sheffield; WG Sheffield; WH Bolton; WJ Sheffield; WK Coventry; WL Oxford; WM Liverpool; WN Swansea; WO Cardiff; WP Worcester; WR Leeds; WS Bristol; WT Leeds; WU Leeds; WV Brighton; WW Leeds; WX Leeds; WY Leeds
YA Taunton; YB Taunton; YC Taunton; YD Taunton; YE London Central; YF London Central; YG Leeds; YH London Central; YJ Brighton; YK London Central; YL London Central; YM London Central; YN London Central; YO London Central; YP London Central; YR London Central; YS Glasgow; YT London Central; YU London Central; YV London Central; YW London Central; YX London Central; YY London Central
Tim
Visit www.lotuselansprint.com
-
trw99 - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 3269
- Joined: 31 Dec 2003
Post by: Elanintheforest » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:24 pm
Cor, that must have taken a long time to type!
Brian, the number stamped on the original chassis was......the chassis number!! VIN numbers weren't standardised until about 1980. It's the number on the chassis plate as well. The Lotus Replacement chassis also had a unique ID, starting with LR.
I replaced my chassis in 1978, and had to take the car to a regional police station for them to inspect. Once inspected, I was given a document which said that the change was legitimate, and the number was updated on the log book...no change of registration number.
One last thing on the date code for registration numbers. For a while, up to the early 80s I think, a car coming into the country would be allocated a current registration number. So a 1966 Elan coming back to the UK in 1973 could have an 'L' or 'M' registration. This changed so that cars coming in were allocated age-related numbers.
Mark
Brian, the number stamped on the original chassis was......the chassis number!! VIN numbers weren't standardised until about 1980. It's the number on the chassis plate as well. The Lotus Replacement chassis also had a unique ID, starting with LR.
I replaced my chassis in 1978, and had to take the car to a regional police station for them to inspect. Once inspected, I was given a document which said that the change was legitimate, and the number was updated on the log book...no change of registration number.
One last thing on the date code for registration numbers. For a while, up to the early 80s I think, a car coming into the country would be allocated a current registration number. So a 1966 Elan coming back to the UK in 1973 could have an 'L' or 'M' registration. This changed so that cars coming in were allocated age-related numbers.
Mark
-
Elanintheforest - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 2938
- Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Post by: peterako » Tue Aug 30, 2011 1:43 pm
"Z" numbers were also used in the Republic of Ireland till the early 80's.
And....are still available for cars over 30 years old when imported. (ZV)
Which is nice otherwise the car would get a 'modern' number which looks...well...wrong....
You must have marathon trained fingers to have typed that list out!!
Peter
And....are still available for cars over 30 years old when imported. (ZV)
Which is nice otherwise the car would get a 'modern' number which looks...well...wrong....
You must have marathon trained fingers to have typed that list out!!
Peter
I is an Inginear....please excuse my speeling!
'73 +2S 130/5
Scimitar GTE for the lazy days, 3008, Some bicycles, Wife, Kids, Cats, Dogs....chickens....cluck cluck...one duck...the others flew away!
'73 +2S 130/5
Scimitar GTE for the lazy days, 3008, Some bicycles, Wife, Kids, Cats, Dogs....chickens....cluck cluck...one duck...the others flew away!
-
peterako - Fourth Gear
- Posts: 699
- Joined: 02 Mar 2006
Post by: mikealdren » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:01 pm
Hi John,
Just a minor point but the age related plates didn't use the letter 'U ' either too similar to 'V' perhaps? I think part of the reason for their introduction in 1963 was that some areas were running out of numbers (rather than stimulating sales) but I may well be wrong, it was a long time ago.
The age related letter was originally changed in January but this caused a glut of registrations so it was changed to August (can't remember when). We then has the same problem with reduced car registrations in the summer so the system was changed to two letters per year (in the late 1990s?)
The very earliest plates started with A1 in London and this early system pre-dated the 'county' system.
Mike
Just a minor point but the age related plates didn't use the letter 'U ' either too similar to 'V' perhaps? I think part of the reason for their introduction in 1963 was that some areas were running out of numbers (rather than stimulating sales) but I may well be wrong, it was a long time ago.
The age related letter was originally changed in January but this caused a glut of registrations so it was changed to August (can't remember when). We then has the same problem with reduced car registrations in the summer so the system was changed to two letters per year (in the late 1990s?)
The very earliest plates started with A1 in London and this early system pre-dated the 'county' system.
Mike
Last edited by mikealdren on Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
- mikealdren
- Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 1224
- Joined: 26 Aug 2006
Post by: elj221c » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:04 pm
GrUmPyBoDgEr wrote:This, the government said, was to reduce the glut of new registrations in January of the new year & sometime in the middle of Summer another registration year number was issued.
The new January registration numbers started with 01 e.g. KS 01 HVA & the Summer registrations with 50 e.g. KS 50 HVA.
These are probably the most interesting dates for us Elan owners:-
Letter suffix. .i.e. elj221C
A 1st Feb 1963 - 31st Dec 1963
B 1st Jan 1964 - 31st Dec 1964
C 1st Jan 1965 - 31st Dec 1965
D 1st Jan 1966 - 31st Dec 1966
E 1st Jan 1967 - 31st Jul 1967
F 1st Aug 1967 - 31st Jul 1968
G 1st Aug 1968 - 31st Jul 1969
H 1st Aug 1969 - 31st Jul 1970
J 1st Aug 1970 - 31st Jul 1971
K 1st Aug 1971 - 31st Jul 1972
L 1st Aug 1972 - 31st Jul 1973
M 1st Aug 1973 - 31st Jul 1974
N 1st Aug 1974 - 31st Jul 1975
P 1st Aug 1975 - 31st Jul 1976
R 1st Aug 1976 - 31st Jul 1977
S 1st Aug 1977 - 31st Jul 1978
T 1st Aug 1978 - 31st Jul 1979
V 1st Aug 1979 - 31st Jul 1980
W 1st Aug 1980 - 31st Jul 1981
X 1st Aug 1981 - 31st Jul 1982
Y 1st Aug 1982 - 31st Jul 1983
Actually, the latest system started in 2001 with March and September registrations which were a carry over from March '99 towards the end of the prefix letters.
Info from http://www.comparenumberplates.co.uk/pr ... tion-dates
Roy
'65 S2
'65 S2
-
elj221c - Fourth Gear
- Posts: 722
- Joined: 12 Sep 2003
Post by: trw99 » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:18 pm
You're all correct, my fingers are bloody stumps and the key board is about to expire due to half a pint of blood having seeped in there over the last half hour or so. Thank you for your concern but I do this for the greater good of the Elan communityyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy aghh!
In fact, it is an old list I garnered from somewhere. The old annual AA Handbooks (remember those?) had the list in them for years. It is quite handy to have because, if you know where your Elan was first registered, there is a good chance you can make an educated guess as to which Lotus dealer handled the original sale. Of course you need the correct list of dealers who were authorised at that time, such as you might find for Sprints on my web site!
Then, if you are extremely lucky, the dealer may still be around in one shape or form and, if you are even more fortunate, they just might have records of their new car sales. Bell & Colvill are good at this, for example.
Back to the plasters.
Tim
In fact, it is an old list I garnered from somewhere. The old annual AA Handbooks (remember those?) had the list in them for years. It is quite handy to have because, if you know where your Elan was first registered, there is a good chance you can make an educated guess as to which Lotus dealer handled the original sale. Of course you need the correct list of dealers who were authorised at that time, such as you might find for Sprints on my web site!
Then, if you are extremely lucky, the dealer may still be around in one shape or form and, if you are even more fortunate, they just might have records of their new car sales. Bell & Colvill are good at this, for example.
Back to the plasters.
Tim
Visit www.lotuselansprint.com
-
trw99 - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 3269
- Joined: 31 Dec 2003
Post by: RogerFrench » Tue Aug 30, 2011 2:25 pm
The French system has changed recently, too. The old system, where the last 2 numbers showed the Department where the car is registered has been replaced. I don't live there any more and do not understand the new system.
-
RogerFrench - Fourth Gear
- Posts: 637
- Joined: 01 Dec 2009
Post by: GrUmPyBoDgEr » Tue Aug 30, 2011 3:08 pm
Well guys that's certainly thrown some light onto the British vehicle registration numbering system.
Oh & Tim, own up!
That was a cut & paste exercise wasn't it
If not; well bless you then & get well soon
Well so far lots of great information on the quirky British logic & I do wonder how much truth there was in the statement (which I in fact do remember) about certain areas "running out of numbers"?
I think I will stick to my "push up the sales" plot
Cheers
John
Oh & Tim, own up!
That was a cut & paste exercise wasn't it
If not; well bless you then & get well soon
Well so far lots of great information on the quirky British logic & I do wonder how much truth there was in the statement (which I in fact do remember) about certain areas "running out of numbers"?
I think I will stick to my "push up the sales" plot
Cheers
John
Beware of the Illuminati
Editor: On Sunday morning, February 8th 2015, Derek "John" Pelly AKA GrumpyBodger passed away genuinely peacefully at Weston Hospicecare, Weston Super Mare. He will be missed.
Editor: On Sunday morning, February 8th 2015, Derek "John" Pelly AKA GrumpyBodger passed away genuinely peacefully at Weston Hospicecare, Weston Super Mare. He will be missed.
-
GrUmPyBoDgEr - Coveted Fifth Gear
- Posts: 3062
- Joined: 29 Oct 2004
Post by: lotusbaz » Tue Aug 30, 2011 4:17 pm
Hi John,
Just something to add to the discussion.
There are still some counties that offer an archive service where you can obtain a copy of the of the original registration record which gives details of the exact day of registration and sometimes the name of the original owner or at least the garage which first registered the car.
Can be useful if anyone likes to have a full history of their car, or if anyone is trying to get an original number for their vehicle.
Best Regards, Baz
______________
Elan 26/4388
Elite 501
Just something to add to the discussion.
There are still some counties that offer an archive service where you can obtain a copy of the of the original registration record which gives details of the exact day of registration and sometimes the name of the original owner or at least the garage which first registered the car.
Can be useful if anyone likes to have a full history of their car, or if anyone is trying to get an original number for their vehicle.
Best Regards, Baz
______________
Elan 26/4388
Elite 501
- lotusbaz
- First Gear
- Posts: 47
- Joined: 09 Jun 2011
22 posts
• Page 1 of 2 • 1, 2
Total Online:
Users browsing this forum: alan.barker and 19 guests
Site map
SitemapIndex
RSS Feed