Reproduction Number Plates for the Grey Lady

[angelfj]

The state where I live does not require a number plate in the front of the car; only the rear. So, I thought that it would be fun to buy a "fake" but authentic looking English number plate and fix it to the front bumper. Since I know squat about your number plates, what would have been correct for a new 1959 TR3A. Since I actually lived in Wiltshire in the early nineties, let's assume that the car was purchased in October, 1959 in Marlborough, Wilts. Is that enough information? How would I go about making up some numbers and letters that would have been correct at that time. What about the physical appearance, size, colour, etc?

 

Cheers

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Frank,

 

see this link

 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/johnstonrh/a30a35/regnos/index.htm

 

and open the zip file within it, in the section "When Was it Issued" . . . . you'll have to scroll down a long way to Wiltshire, eventually you'll get there and you can see the letter/number issues for 1959.

 

If you want a traditional plate organising and despatching to your choice, no problem, just ask.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Don Elliott]

Frank - I ordered a UK plate for the front of my 1958 TR3A because, like you in Pennsylvania, we in Quebec have no plate for the front. So I ordered a plate from a company in Bristol and this is what "TRusty" has been wearing as a "decoration" on the front bumper for 20 years.

 

When I spoke to the supplier and explained that it was just a decoration plate, he understood and I didn't have to go through any hassles with the British Motor Vehicle Office.

 

The real plate I have is on the rear is for the Province of Quebec and it reads "QSC-500". Since I was thinking that some day, I might be in UK or in France where the correct number plate must be on the front, I had a British black and silver plate made with "QSC-500" as well.

[angelfj]

Hi Frank,

 

see this link

 

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/johnstonrh/a30a35/regnos/index.htm

 

and open the zip file within it, in the section "When Was it Issued" . . . . you'll have to scroll down a long way to Wiltshire, eventually you'll get there and you can see the letter/number issues for 1959.

 

If you want a traditional plate organising and despatching to your choice, no problem, just ask.

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

 

 

Whoa! Ok I downloaded and unzipped the file and imported it to excel. Can't say I totally understand it. For Sept 1959 I come up with UMRxxU. Does that look right?

 

Cheers

[ianhoward]

Whoa! Ok I downloaded and unzipped the file and imported it to excel. Can't say I totally understand it. For Sept 1959 I come up with UMRxxU. Does that look right?

 

Cheers

 

 

Hi Frank

 

As I understand it (and as you have found) 'MR' is the two letter abbreviation for Wilshire. Upon registration and the commencent of the year 'A' was prefixed to the 'MR' and so through the alphabet through the year with three numbers added (with a space) to make a six character number plate. Again, as I understand it numbers were from '100' through to '999' for each prefix letter for each registration area and depending on how many vehicles were registered in the area - I do not believe that numbers of less than '100' were used at this time (I am not old enough to remember!!!) - it was always three letter and three number at this time. I was not until 1963 that and additional seventh suffix 'year letter' started to appear.

So a very early 1959 registration would take the form 'AMR 111'.

 

To all you older (wiser, more knowledgable) chaps, I apologise in advance if any of the above is 'not quite right'!. That's how my father explained it to me anyway!!!

 

Brgds

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Frank,

 

Oct 1959 numbers for Wiltshire would nominally have been either UMV, VMV or UWV - and followed by 1, 2 or 3 numbers. However, a garage might possibly have had earlier 1959 numbers as yet unallocated, so reading down the columns anything from SWV in Jan 1959 downwards until you reach Oct 1959.

 

The complete registration number might have been, for example, anything between UMV 1 and UMV 999.

 

Plenty of room for creativity !!

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[Trevor S]

Frank, you may like to look at the attached link:

http://www.classicplatesonline.co.uk/

They make up UK classic plates but the website also shows you the various options fairly clearly. I believe for 1959 era the plates would have had raised white letters on a black background. I ordered that style from these people for my 1954 TR2 and was pleased with the result. My car was made in October also. Mine has an "R" as the first letter, followed by CD for Brighton. This gives you a rough idea of where the prefix letter would have got to by about October.

[Alec Pringle]

Hi Frank,

 

in 1959 you could have had pressed aluminium number plates, aluminium 'silver' raised characters, or bakelite 'white' raised characters were being replaced by plastic.

 

http://www.number-plates.com/

 

Cheers,

 

Alec

[angelfj]

Hi Frank

 

As I understand it (and as you have found) 'MR' is the two letter abbreviation for Wilshire. Upon registration and the commencent of the year 'A' was prefixed to the 'MR' and so through the alphabet through the year with three numbers added (with a space) to make a six character number plate. Again, as I understand it numbers were from '100' through to '999' for each prefix letter for each registration area and depending on how many vehicles were registered in the area - I do not believe that numbers of less than '100' were used at this time (I am not old enough to remember!!!) - it was always three letter and three number at this time. I was not until 1963 that and additional seventh suffix 'year letter' started to appear.

So a very early 1959 registration would take the form 'AMR 111'.

 

To all you older (wiser, more knowledgable) chaps, I apologise in advance if any of the above is 'not quite right'!. That's how my father explained it to me anyway!!!

 

Brgds

 

 

Thank you very much!!!