Re: GERMAN (EUROPEAN) LISCENCE PLATE

["Jim Haseltine" <Jim@ur-q.freeserve.co.uk>]

-----Original Message-----
From: Phil Payne <quk@isham-research.demon.co.uk>


>In message <012b01be8fb7$92183640$90e192c3@spirou> corrado@multimania.com
writes:
>
>> german are white with black letters,
>> belgium are white with red letters
>> italian are black with white letters, but too small,
>> and other european countries are yellow with black letters
>> old french are black  with grey letters
>
>British are white with black letters at the front, and yellow with
>black letters at the rear.  Old British plates (early 1960s and before?)
>are black with silver letters.


Now that I've found the list again I'll take the opportunity to distribute
yet another piece of nearly useless information...

The original regulations set out in the Motor Car Act of 1903 specified
white characters on a black background.
Silver characters on a black background were introduced in the 1930's.
All vehicles registered on or after January 1 1973 have to carry reflective
plates that are black characters on white (front) and on yellow (rear).
Adhesive vinyl plates as fitted to the bonnets of E-types and the like
should be white on black (so can't be used on post '72 cars) and should be
mounted on a flat vertical surface - basically nothing like the bonnet of an
E-type...

As of March 1 1999, regulations came into force specifying height, width,
spacing, representation of characters and other bits and pieces. So not only
is M4CHO (see on an Impreza tonight) illegal, but technically so are things
such as dealers names and pinstripe boarders. Fine is anything up to
GBP1000.

Jim Haseltine