bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,963
Club RR Member Number: 71
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Feb 26, 2007 10:38:29 GMT
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Registrations worked up the from one letter one digit and then reversed to one number, one digit until ending up with the last of the dateless registrations three numbers three digits in 1963.
Just for clarity the local memory tag on the plate refers to the last two digits of the three, the first letter is random and means nothing.
EG: In this format, until dating registrations were issued in 1963
PEL 110 & 110 PEL - EL is the local memory tag (Bournemouth)
This format from 1963 - 1983
GSE 30E - SE is the local memory tag (Aberdeen)
This format from 1983 - 2001
D928 BKV - KV is the local memory tag (Coventry)
New Registration Locations From 01 September 2001
AB51 VXL
The first two characters are the "Local Memory Tag"
The first character (A) refers to a region, the second (B) refers to the local DVLA office
In the example the plate shows the car was first registered in Anglia at the Peterborough DVLA office.
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bstardchild
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 14,963
Club RR Member Number: 71
Member is Online
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Feb 26, 2007 10:53:35 GMT
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Not only that but you can tell where the car came from and since 1963, its first year of registration. More recent cars you can pinpoint the age of the car within 6 months. I don't think there are many countries in the world that gives all this info. Car spotters heaven. Of course it's not all rosey......... You can buy number plates from the DVLA and the only condition regarding their use is they cannot be used to make a vehicle appear newer than it actually is. As a result of DVLA doing just that a few years ago there are Pre-1963 "dateless plates" that cannot be transfered ever ;D CAR PLATE REGISTRATION YEARSSUFFIX ie the LAST letter on the number plate EG ABC 123 AJAN-DEC A 1963 B 1964 C 1965 D 1966 JAN-JULY E 1967 AUG-JULY F 1967 G 1968 H 1969 J 1970 K 1971 L 1972 M 1973 N 1974 P 1975 R 1976 S 1977 T 1978 V 1979 W 1980 X 1981 Y 1982 PREFIX ie the FIRST letter on the number plate EG A123 ABC AUG- JULY A 1983 B 1984 C 1985 D 1986 E 1987 F 1988 G 1989 H 1990 J 1991 K 1992 L 1993 M 1994 N 1995 P 1996 R 1997 S 1998 T 1999 MARCH -AUG V 1999 AUG - FEB W 2000 MARCH -AUG X 2000 AUG - FEB Y 2001 MARCH -AUG NEW FORMAT ie with the numbers near the middle of the number plate EG AB 51 XYZ 51 2001 SEPT-FEBRUARY 02 2002 MARCH -AUG 52 2002 SEPT-FEBRUARY 03 2003 MARCH -AUG 53 2003 SEPT-FEBRUARY 04 2004 MARCH -AUG 54 2004 SEPT-FEBRUARY 05 2005 MARCH -AUG 55 2005 SEPT-FEBRUARY 06 2006 MARCH -AUG 56 2006 SEPT-FEBRUARY 07 2007 MARCH -AUG 57 2007 SEPT-FEBRUARY |
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Feb 26, 2007 13:16:14 GMT
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DVLA makes things easy now by allowing you to check some basic info out online, but before that you could pinpoint a registration date by checking a Glass's book - it gave the month and place of issue for each batch of numbers.
What is handy to know is that under the old system they wouldn't repeat a sequence of letters for 2-3 years - for example WEX...M was a 1973 Norfolk issue, but you wouldn't get WEX...N, WEX would have to wait until P or even R before being giving a showing again. (I'm sounding a bit like Voice of the Balls now "Number 42, first appearance for three weeks")
That isn't to say you won't find a car with WEX...N on it, sometimes they use these previously unused batches for imports, re-registrations etc.
Does that make sense? I had this drummed into me when quite young as my mum worked on issuing registrations when it was the responsibility of County Councils in pre-DVLA days. Ah, the time used to fly by - is it any wonder how I ended up?.......
The Glass's book lists batches of numbers which have been used for imports etc.
IIRC sometimes they seem to use an 'emergency' set of letters if there were a lot of sales in one year that overwhelmed the local system - I need to check this at home before saying something too correct-sounding.
It gives me a bit of satisfaction to think that a car has lived in a particular area all its life, somehow it suggests it's been through more caring ownership than just being one of many registered en-masse by a lease company then travelling the country through auction sales or the stock of a large dealer chain. Or is that just me?
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Seth
South East
MorrisOxford TriumphMirald HillmanMinx BorgwardIsabellaCombi
Posts: 15,542
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Feb 26, 2007 14:50:14 GMT
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I feel that way too. It's nice when a car stays local to its registrative*origin. My A35 was on a north London OY plate and I bought it from a chap in West London. My Oxford is on an HX London plate and it was only when I got the Heritage Certificate for it a year or so back that I discovered it was supplied by Stewart and Arden who were one of the big London chains of Morris dealerships. "My" dealership is the Acton one so only about 5 miles form me. I have to try and identify the building from an old ad I have and take it back "home" once its roadworthy again.  BC, top marks for posting all the letter combos! * might be a made up word  |
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Follow your dreams or you might as well be a vegetable. |
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Feb 26, 2007 16:04:34 GMT
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Glad it’s not just me.
Another handy thing the area identifier is good for is highlighting all those pre-registered/management/nearly new models that manufacturers are having trouble shifting. Find something like a Nissan QX on a local plate and you’re doing very well, they’re almost always on plates like BW or UD.
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Kris
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,631
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Feb 26, 2007 18:28:12 GMT
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The Polo has been in Oxford all of it's life AFAIK. Its even got the original dealer on its plates  The original owner lived out over near Brize Norton IIRC and bought the car from Motorworld in Kidlington. I bought it up in Bicester, about 10 miles from where it originally came from |
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Feb 26, 2007 18:34:07 GMT
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The Polo has been in Oxford all of it's life AFAIK. Its even got the original dealer on its plates The original owner lived out over near Brize Norton IIRC and bought the car from Motorworld in Kidlington. I bought it up in Bicester, about 10 miles from where it originally came from Yesss motorworld! Thats what it has on the plates, was racking my brains but couldn't remember. Adam |
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1997 TVR Chimaera
2009 Westfield Megabusa
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Shortcut
Posted a lot
I won't be there when you cross the road, so always use the Green Cross Code.
Posts: 3,037
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Feb 26, 2007 19:34:36 GMT
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Cool Mine comes from NW London originally and that pans out on the numberplate.
Pop quiz. What was the name of the black and white British film in which a spotty nosed oik number plate spotting kid foils the bank robbery by noticing that the gangs lorry actually has non commercial vehicle number plates on it?
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