personal number plate

Regtransfers
The World of
Personal Number Plates
Kelly Hoppen
Issue 32
a note from
the Team
Welcome to issue 32 of The World of
Personal Number Plates.
We were considering renaming this publication The Observer’s Book of Dragons.
Seriously, we’ve interviewed so many denizens of BBC Television’s Dragons’ Den that
our magazine sometimes gets mistakenly
filed in the ‘Legendary Creatures’ section of
shops and libraries. But then it dawned on
us that it’s a magazine, not a book, so the
new title wouldn’t work. That’s a shame
because our celebrity feature this time features the newest Dragon, top designer Kelly
Hoppen. Kelly may be new to the Den, but
plenty of viewers will already have heard of
her and her work. As well as our celebrity
interview we bring you the usual selection of
great number plates pictures and stories.
As always we have a selection of letters and
emails sent in by readers and, of course,
our categorised listings of the very best UK
number plates for sale.
As well as our celebrity interview with
Kelly Hoppen, we are delighted to feature
an article about veteran movie, stage and
TV actor Robert Hardy. This issue also sees
the welcome return of John Harrison, our
guest expert. John is an independent number plates enthusiast and is widely respected as one of the most knowledgeable men
in the field. He answers your (and our)
number plate questions in his column, so if
you’ve something you’d like to ask please
send your question to editorial@regtransfers.
co.uk and we’ll pass it on to him.
Do you find your thoughts turning to the
agonising chore of gift selection? There’s
always something, isn’t there? If it’s not
Christmas or Mother’s Day then it’s a birthday or anniversary. Never fear! A private
registration is one of the most personal gifts
one could choose. We appreciate that the
wallet won’t always quite stretch to that, so
how about our great alternative gifts? We
offer a great selection of number plates
books, model cars and personalised cufflinks. See the inside front cover for more
details.
We hope you enjoy the magazine.
twitter.com/reg_transfers
facebook.com/regtransfers
The Thompson Prize
GAGA
1 available
1 available
exclusively
exclusively
through
through
Regtransfers.co.uk
Regtransfers.co.uk
@@
£350,000
£350,000
Portobello
Portobello
Road,
Road,
London
London
Photography:
Photography:
Stan
Stan
Thompson
Thompson
In each issue,
Stan Thompson,our
resident photographer,
nominates his favourite
picture from the
hundreds submitted by
Photo: David Wright
our readers.
Stan’s penchant for Art Deco draws
him to Alan Mead’s photo on page 72.
Alan receives
a copy of
our fantastic
book,
Fanatical
About
Number
Plates..
A Perfect Match
I am so happy with Regtransfers’ service.
This plate means a lot to me. After years of
driving M3s and searching for this plate for
eight years, I finally have the registration
which not only relates to my car but also to
my exact email username.
mail
What’s the story?
Send YOUR photos to
[email protected]
Lev[ent] Djouma
Sidcup, Kent
Amused
I am well pleased with my purchase of
H8 TGF. Excellent value for money and you
assigned it to my car for me as well.
After searching high and low for a registration, I turned to you and saw H8 TGF. It has
my initials and ‘H8’, so it’s like ‘Hate TGF’.
It amused me a little, so I bought it.
The transfer was quicker than I thought and
the online tracking system was really useful.
I was logging in every day. So, a big thank
you to Regtransfers. I will recommend you
to all my family and friends.
Tom Frodsham
Wirral, Merseyside
Famous
I own three Marmara cafes and
restaurants in the Wilmslow Road,
Manchester, where all the Asian
and Middle Eastern food and
shisha dessert cafes are. I am
quite famous here and I am so
happy to have found a number
plate which is my name. Thanks,
Regtransfers.
Saman Marmara
Manchester
Butt, of course
I have bought three registrations from you
over the years. The first one was for my
1972 Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud. I bought it in
the year I became 77 years old, hence
HEN 77, my first name being Henry.
Emergency
Firstly, may I thank your sales team for the
quick and efficient way they dealt with my
enquiry, supplying the number plates and
dealing with all the paper work.
From purchasing the number to being able
to put it on my Toyota Rav 4 was a matter of
only three weeks.
I am an NHS nurse and my first name is
Marion, hence ‘M’. Most of my work is in the
Accident and Emergency and Emergency
Assessment Units, hence the ‘999’. Finally,
my surname is Codling, which explains the
‘COD’, making my perfect registration number, M999 COD.
The second one was FIG 8081, for my
1992 Nissan Figaro. This was in my 80th
year and, of course, the following year
I was 81.
The third was D18 UTT on my Seat
Alhambra TDI. The ‘Butt’ bit is obvious but,
as it happens, the nickname used for me by
old friends and my family is ‘Dink’ or
Dinkie’, hence the ‘D’.
I still have all these registrations and the
cars.
Henry Butt
Staines, Middlesex
My dad, Ravinder Gill, bought this number plate of our surname. This number plate will be
used for the future generations so one day it will be used on my car. Thank you for providing
us with a good service. Karan Gill, London
Marion Codling
Braintree, Essex
6
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
Generations
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
7
a national...
R
obert Hardy is one of the UK’s
most distinguished stage and
screen actors, and has been
described as ‘a national treasure’. In a career spanning more
than half a century he has played many
parts: some obscure, some well known, but
to all of them he has brought his own
unmistakable style. Hardy has played
statesman, princes, outlaws, and even the
part of Minister of Magic in several of the
Harry Potter movies (before the red tape of
a spineless insurance company brought a
premature halt to everyone’s fun by making
his cover too expensive for the studio’s
budget). His participation in the fantasy
movie adaptations of JK Rowling’s books
seems entirely apposite for a man whose
university professors included both
JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.
humour
Hardy found particular popularity in the
1970s and 1980s when he played the part
of vet Siegfried Farnon in the television
series All Creatures Great and Small, based
on the autobiographical books of James
Herriot. Another role to which he took very
readily was that of Winston Churchill, whom
he played several times in various television
series and movies. Robert Hardy did meet
the real Churchill on a couple of occasions
and recalls that the old man had a particularly active sense of humour. In an interview
with Cotswold Life, Hardy told of an evening
when Churchill visited him and the late,
great Richard Burton in a dressing room at
the Old Vic theatre where the pair had
appeared in Hamlet. Churchill approached
Burton, who had played Prince Hamlet himself, and said, “Your Royal Highness, I
wonder if I might avail myself of the amenities of your bathroom?”.
Beyond the History Plays of Shakespeare,
Robert Hardy has a profound enthusiasm
for matters mediaeval, particularly matters
mediaeval and martial. Hardy’s immersion
in the period is such that he can manage a
pretty good approximation of authentic
Anglo-Saxon diction and pronunciation of
the time, using principles taught to him at
Oxford by Tolkien, author of The Hobbit and
The Lord of the Rings, a man Hardy
describes as “enchanting”.
salvaged
Hardy has written books on the subject of
longbows and presented a very well
received television documentary on the
Battle of Agincourt. He also advised the
archaeologists responsible for recovering
the sunken Tudor warship Mary Rose, overseeing the care of the longbows that were
salvaged from the raised vessel.
At nearly 88 years of age, Robert no longer
drives. Previously he had driven a BMW
displaying the number plate 666 RH.
10
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
...TREASURE
“I got the number plate fifty or sixty years
ago as a birthday present. At first, I didn’t
even really want it, but I eventually grew
quite attached to it.”
That attachment is reflected by the fact that
666 RH continued to be displayed and was
transferred from vehicle to vehicle when
Robert changed his cars. He only finally
parted with it when he took the difficult decision to give up driving altogether.
Rick Cadger
Filmography
Torpedo Run (1958)
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965)
Berserk! (1967)
How I Won the War (1967)
Elizabeth R (1971)
Psychomania (1971)
10 Rillington Place (1971)
Young Winston (1972)
Demons of the Mind (1972)
Gawain and the Green Knight (1973)
Edward the Seventh (1975)
The Shooting Party (1985)
Jenny’s War (1985)
Northanger Abbey (1986)
Paris by Night (1988)
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994)
Middlemarch (1994)
Sense and Sensibility (1995)
Gulliver’s Travels (1996)
Castle Ghosts of the British Isles (1995–1997)
Mrs Dalloway (1997)
The Tichborne Claimant (1998)
An Ideal Husband (1998)
The 10th Kingdom (2000)
The Gathering (2002)
Thunderpants (2002)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
Making Waves (2004)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
Lassie (2005)
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007).
Margaret (2009)
Television
Upstairs, Downstairs
All Creatures Great and Small
Inspector Morse
Foyle’s War
Spooks
The Saint
Lewis
Little Dorrit
Source: Wikipedia
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
11
Money well spent
S
arah Brooks-Lauder bought 1 SBL
as a birthday present to herself.
“As soon as I saw that it matched
my initials and was for sale, I just had to
have it. It was the perfect purchase to
make to mark the milestone birthday I had
reached,” she says - although unwilling to
reveal exactly which one!
“I believe that a personalised plate on a
car adds to its appearance and can
transform a car into something simply
more interesting.”
Working for Barclaycard for the last
11 years, Sarah has fulfilled various roles
within the business and is currently
involved with the customer relations unit at
their Teeside office.
Her career with Barclays has seen her
spend time in Mumbai, India, which she
found particularly enjoyable. Whilst there,
she took part in some charity work and
was recognised at the 2007 Chairman’s
Awards in London by group chairman
Marcus Agius.
“I previously lived in Germany for several
years,” says Sarah, “flying as cabin crew
stationed at Bremen and operating the
12
popular route between there and
Amsterdam in co-operation with the
Royal Dutch airline KLM.
“I saw out the end of my contract with
Eurowings, at Bremen. I remember one
day I had checked in the passengers for a
particular flight and then boarded them
onto the shuttle bus at the gate. This
would have normally been the extent of my
duties however, as a stewardess was stuck
in traffic on her way to the airport, it was
agreed that I would board the aircraft
myself, greet the passengers, serve a preflight drink and make the mandatory cabin
announcements in order for a quick
departure once the delayed colleague had
arrived. I will never forget the number of
passengers who asked if I was going to fly
the plane as well as every other process I
had completed for them!
“I still travel to Germany usually once per
year to catch up with old friends and work
colleagues.”
system. She currently drives an Audi TT
S-line but would ultimately like to own a
Porsche Panamera. As she says, “There is
simply something inherently attractive
about the styling of German cars.”
Sarah’s partner, Daniel, is involved in
building and is a bricklayer by trade.
“We met at a builders merchants one day
whilst I was purchasing some items for
home improvements,” she says.
“The car and personalised plate had
caught his eye in the car park.”
Sarah views 1 SBL as a personal
investment; something that can either be
sold on at the end of her driving days or
passed on to their children, [Sarah
confides that there may be a not-so-subtle
hint there somewhere, Daniel, if you’re
reading this! - Ed.]
“I certainly feel that it was money well
spent, Well, isn’t any money spent on
yourself a wise thing?”
Being a self confessed ‘petrolhead’,
Sarah usually makes this trip by car, as it
allows her to put her foot down and enjoy
the unrestricted parts of the Autobahn
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
13
Kelly
Hoppen
Marketing on a Plate
Better by design
I
f you were to meet Mark Roberts and ask
stimulates, fascinates, and creates desire,
expressing regret that the plate had already
him what he does for a living, the answer
fantasy and lust. Throughout history man
gone. What a disappointment! But the
would be, “I’m a professional artist.” For
has tried to mimic these forms through
helpful chap from Regtransfers persevered
most people that reply conjures up images
design, to capture this sexuality in all that is
and asked me what I was looking for. I
of landscapes, portraits, wildlife. They tend
created and none more than in motor
explained that I wanted something that said
to be more than a little suprised when they
cars.
Provocative Art, obviously abbreviated.
“I always wanted to own a classic car and
Within seconds a couple of options were
after much pondering decided to opt for a
suggested and Regtransfers found me
future classic, the Jaguar XK8. A sexy,
PR02 ART. Perfect. The deal was done.
feminine motor vehicle that would sit
“The car sits well with the other models in
perfectly amongst my works of feminine art.
my gallery and I’m delighted with the plate.
Of course I would need an appropriate
This car is beautiful, a true future classic,
personal
as
a work of art. Good design is timeless and
“It’s a tough job but someone has to
Provocative Art and wanted something to
we should celebrate, admire, respect,
do it,” says Mark. “In essence I love the
promote my business. I started to explore
protect and preserve it. I’m smitten.
female form, the shapes, the curves, the
the options and found something on the
way the light falls across those forms to
Regtransfers website. That was it, I had to
create new shapes and contours. To the
have it.
discover that Mark specialises in drawing,
painting and creating glass mosaics of the
female form. He has lost count of the
number of witty chaps who have volunteered
to come and hold his palette for him, or
have volunteered for an apprenticeship.
He’s heard them all.
full-blooded heterosexual male this
is the perfect design, it
number
plate.
I
trade
O
ur interview with Kelly
Hoppen was conducted some time ago,
before she joined Dragons’
Den. Her business star was
already rising, and her
schedule was full. Nevertheless, Kelly kindly set aside
some time to meet with our
reporting team at her studio
in London.
“My partner, Julie, asked if I loved my
Jaguar more than I loved her. ‘Of course
In a career spanning nearly four decades,
Kelly Hoppen has become one of the most
high-profile designers in the UK. She has
worked for countless rich and famous clients including David and Victoria Beckham
and actor Martin Shaw. Kelly began designing when she was 16, the year her father,
Seymour, passed away. Seymour worked in
fashion, Kelly’s mother has a gallery in
London and her older brother is renowned
photographer and gallerist Michael
Hoppen, so it is no great surprise that Kelly
inherited some artistic DNA.
not darling,’ I replied, ‘she’s just
“I tried to purchase the plate only to receive
a car’. Isn’t she?”
a phone call from a member of staff
The drive and determination that resulted in
her making her first million by the time she
was 30, earned her an MBE and saw her
installed in the infamous TV entrepreneurs’
Den is, at least in part, attributable to the
profound effect of the loss of her father.
Kelly is on the record as saying that it was
that event that made her determined to be
independent rather than reliant upon others.
Early design work was won simply by Kelly
being approached by people who saw the
results of her first projects - a friend’s
kitchen, her own flat in London - and who
then asked her to design spaces for them.
Several of her first clients were racing drivers, and that connection with the trappings
and pastimes of a privileged lifestyle has
(continued...
www.provocative-art.com
8
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
23
Kelly
Hoppen
...continued)
remained a thread throughout subsequent
work, with Kelly designing interiors for luxury yachts, and British Airways aircraft as
well as for first-class hotels and other glamorous buildings founded solidly on terra
firma.
Her style is not for everyone. Critics claim it
is sterile, dead, lacking in welcoming ambience. There is no denying a certain spartan,
perhaps even defiant, cleanness to the
lines and compositions of her interiors, but
Kelly sticks to her guns. She has said that
she dislikes cluttered florals and that she
believes it is beneficial for people to go to
sleep and wake up to restrained, neutral
schemes.
Those neutral palettes are the aspect of her
work that seem to be the main focus of
attention. It is pretty much impossible to
read a magazine story or interview in which
taupe and beige don’t feature as prominently as the latest details of her private life,
or her list of celebrity clients.
taupe
“I don’t know how taupe came to be my
favourite colour,” Kelly says, “but somehow
it did and then I was very much known for
using it through all my books. Any shade of
taupe is definitely my favourite colour. There
have been so many articles, ‘Queen of
Taupe’, ‘Taupe on Tap’. Everybody makes a
joke of it but actually I just love the colour, I
just absolutely adore it. People always used
to call it mushroom… I suppose we sort of
recreated it in a way. I really, really do love
it.”
Not surprising, then, that the personal registration on Kelly’s car should be appropriately themed. Her Fiat sports the number
plate T8 UPE. While the regulations don’t
permit taupe or beige coloured number
plates on UK roads, they do not proscribe
‘platespeak’ representations of the names
of colours.
“My boyfriend bought T8 UPE for me.
When I was given the Fiat the number just
seemed absolutely perfect for the car.
People wave and they stop and say, ‘Oh,
Kel! Oh, how cute, taupe!’ Even though it’s
an 8 everyone still seems to read it as
‘taupe’. So, it was kind of done with tongue
in cheek, but it just suits the car. My boyfriend got one for himself too… I can’t
remember what it is but he’s in art and it
had something to do with art and his name,
so that was quite cool. My kids all have
number plates too, and we always kind of
look down all the [lists of] names and stuff.
Actually, I also have another personal number on another car, that one’s KEL for my
name.
clothing
One recent project did see Kelly move
slightly away from her trademark colour
scheme. There was comparatively little
taupe, beige or mushroom in the clothing
designs she did for for Earth Couture.
It was there, but it didn’t dominate.
“Yes, we had a collection that went into
Harrods. For every piece that’s sold a mosquito coil goes to a child in Africa, which is
really great. Every time someone buys
something it’s such a great way to actually
give to someone else, because people do
buy anyway so it’s an easy way - they don’t
feel like they’re losing out.”
It’s nice to hear someone in Kelly Hoppen’s
position talk about giving to people whose
lives are immeasurably harder, but then it
should be no surprise. In many of the countries she regularly visits, poverty is a much
more conspicuous issue than it is in the UK.
Despite her obvious enjoyment of the things
that her hard-earned success has brought
within her means, Kelly remains in touch
(continued...
24
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
25
Kelly Hoppen
Flash
...continued)
with life’s harsher realities. She is a supporter of a number of charities, focusing
mostly on organisations that help young
people (Prince’s Trust and CLIC Sargent)
and those that fight serious illness (AIDS
and breast cancer).
No wonder Kelly Hoppen is so famously
health conscious. No one who wasn’t firing
on all cylinders could sensibly hope to
maintain the kind of schedule that she
does. Traveling the world in the course of
her work, coming up with new design ideas
and scaring the life out of aspiring business
people for the BBC. It doesn’t look as if
there’s too much danger of Kelly getting
bored any time soon.
Julian Peat, from Yeovil in Somerset, works
length of the country to pick it up.
as an engineer for local company BPE
Now I am hoping to save up enough
Aerospace, making and assembling parts
pennies to get my pilot’s licence.
Story: Rick Cadger
for Westland Helicopters.
Interview: Angela Banh
Photography: Stan Thompson
“I’ve always been very interested in cars of
Most weekends the Formula One fan can
all descriptions,” he says, “and thought
be found in his garage messing about with
that if I could own a registration with my
his kit car, go kart, mini or motorbike.
initials or name on, it would be the perfect
“Recently, whilst looking on Ebay, I put a
accessory.” Julian’s ideal registration
silly bid on a Microlight aircraft and, guess
what, I won it,” says a rather embarrassed
would have been JUL 14N. “I imagine it’s
either already on a car and not for sale or
Julian. “That was a little awkward to
has never been issued,” he reflects.
explain. A very good friend and I spent a
It was not until the ‘new-style’ registrations
very long day driving three quarters the
were introduced that he found JU11 ANP
on the Regtransfers website. “After some
phone calls and negotiation, I finally
purchased my perfect plate.” he says.
“There was another long wait to find a car
I could put it on because all the vehicles
I owned were registered before 2011.
But, at the beginning of April this year I
picked up my new car, a Ford Focus ST3
and JU11 ANP was born.
“I love the plate,” Julian concludes, “and
spend most weekends looking for more to
put on my other cars. I hope you like it too
and that you will give us a flash if you see
me.”
www.kellyhoppen.com
26
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
59
MisMatch
Photographer Nigel Holmes isn’t keen on
the car. At first he didn’t give the number a
country’s most striking topless and nude
his accidental personal number plate. The
second thought. The resemblance to the
models for a selection of well known
problem is that his registration, AU11 TYS,
word never struck him. When people
mainstream magazines. Not really the kind
looks very much like the word ‘Aunty’s’.
pointed out what it said, Nigel realised that
of profession one associates with an aunty.
it was something of a mismatch. His first
“It’s not funny,” Nigel groans. “I’ve just got
thought was to wonder if the car dealer
to sell it. So I’m hoping there may be a few
with a plate that looks like mine. I am
was having a joke at his expense. Anyway,
aunties amongst your readers who could
certainly an uncle, but there is no chance
he decided that he’d prefer to sell
be in the market for a nice personal
of me ever being an aunty, so I’m afraid
AU11 TYS and acquire something a little
number plate.”
that the plate has to go.”
more appropriate for his Renault.
Nigel, from Norwich, didn’t buy the
We can sort of see his point. A lot of
registration - it came with his limited
Nigel’s work involves glamour
edition Renault Wind when he purchased
photography. He photographs some of the
Nigel says, “The problem is that people
expect a female driver to step out of a car
Setting
the trend
P
ersonal number plates have
AU11 TYS (‘Aunty’s’) is currently
available through Regtransfers
@ £1945
always held a strong attraction for
Honey Khalid from Glasgow but,
being an accountant, she was
understandably cautious about spending
her hard-earned money on such a luxury
until she found one she really loved.
Four years ago, Honey saw that
Regtransfers was advertising her dream
personalised registration and she fell head
over heels.
“People often ask me if Honey is my real
standard of her own number plate has
name and tend to giggle a little at it.
inspired her son, Sikander, who has
My mother’s reasoning for such an
recently purchased his first private plate,
unusual name was simple. She used to
S14 KDR.
say, ‘When your husband is angry, and
Honey’s unusual name has inspired more
goes beyond that. I’m sure it will be very
than just personal car registrations. Her
desirable and worth a lot in the future.
daughter-in-law, Sarah, who runs a small
I see it as a great investment and a
“Many years ago I used to drive a Lada
boutique in Glasgow, looked to Honey for
treasure. People like to leave valuable
and my sons, who are both grown men
inspiration when she was struggling to find
possessions to be passed on to future
now, used to be embarrassed to get into
a name for her business. A good choice,
generations. I intend to keep my HON 1Y
their mum’s car. Things have changed now
it seems; Honey Boutique has been a
plate and enjoy it while I can, and when
and today they would give anything to get
huge success, with over 10,000 combined
I’m no longer here, I will sleep peacefully
their hands on my Mercedes-Benz
followers on Facebook and Twitter.
knowing my name is still on the road.”
shouts your name at the top of his voice,
it will sound sweet like honey!’
ML350.”
32
The World of Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
have value only to them. I believe HON 1Y
“People often buy plates that others
Honey says that she has set an example
cannot understand or relate to, family
for her family. She believes that the high
names, dates and the like, things which
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
37
Buying a personal number plate
Dateless
The earliest registrations comprised (up
to three) letters followed by (up to four)
numbers:
ABC
ABC123
123
appear consecutively without intervening
numbers.
It probably doesn’t occur to most people,
but one does not necessarily have to keep
the number that is allocated to a car when
one purchases it.
Buying and selling registrations is not difficult, but neither is it quite as easy as simply
buying or selling the plastic number plates
and then swapping them over. One has to
go through a proper official process,
Consequently, they can be transferred
to any vehicle, regardless of its age.
Suffix
From 1963 until 1982, a letter suffix was
added in order to identify the year of
registration:
When all the possible combinations
were exhausted, the pattern was simply
reversed:
123 ABC
123 ABC
Whilst it is possible to determine the
original year of issue, these classic
numbers give no obvious indication of
their origin and are generally referred to
as ‘dateless’.
Why us?
The long-lasting appeal and proven investment potential of personal number plates
are now well established. Over the past 30
years, Regtransfers has been pleased to
provide personal registration transfer services for over half a million satisfied clients.
Regtransfers is the company trusted by
business people, celebrities and professionals, who want their personal number
plate purchases conducted efficiently and
with discretion.
White 7 principal partner Tony Randall
says, “We thought this would add a nice
little touch as the limousine is used for
mostly VIP occasions and will add to its
exclusivity.”
The
Numbers
Add Up
42
S
hropshire’s exclusive premier
chauffeuring experience company,
White 7, have recently added a
touch of class to one of their limousines by
adding the select registration number
NEW 730.
The top of the range White BMW is the
latest version of the renowned 7 series
vehicle and is fitted with bespoke extras
including a full communications system,
deep carpets and burr walnut cocktail
cabinets.
The World of Personal Number Plates
“BMW themselves were interested in the
registration plate, but we managed to
secure it first and it now features on our
flagship vehicle.”
Tony is pictured above (right) with the
BMW and the other principal director of
White 7, Alan Bowyer. The helicopter in the
other photograph can easily be explained
by the company’s close association with
the Midlands Air Ambulance. In their first
year of business, White 7 have managed
to raise close to £4000 in support of the
charity.
Issue 32
GHJ 892E
In 1983, when all the available letters
had been used, the date identifier was
moved to the beginning:
(1999)
Peace of mind
Regtransfers.co.uk is PCI Standards
compliant. This means that we meet very
stringent e-commerce and data security
standards set by an alliance of the major
credit card companies. Additionally, our
website is Thawte SSL security certified. In
short, we take extraordinary precautions to
RegAlert
The UK’s largest selection
We have access to virtually every number
plate on the market, totalling over 32 million
registrations, and our online database is
constantly updated. If you sign up to our
RegAlert service, we will notify you when
your perfect registration becomes available.
Full transfer service
We offer free advice, a full transfer
service, and we deal with all government
documentation at no extra cost. Our advisors will guide you through every stage,
ensuring that the process is completed
swiftly and smoothly.
Convenience
You can discuss your requirements with our
highly trained, friendly and professional
sales team on 01582 967777 between 8am
and 10pm, 7 days a week, or search and
buy securely online, anytime, at
www.regtransfers.co.uk
Issue 32
Yes, you could do it yourself but, rather like
house conveyancing, it’s a lot of hassle and
we won’t charge you for doing it.
New-style
In 2001, a completely new system was
introduced. This included, for the first
time, more recognisable numeric date
identifiers:
RD63 TUV
(from September 2013)
RD14 TUV
(from March 2014)
(1967)
Prefix
T345 MNP
because what is really being traded is the
entitlement to display a registration number,
and to have that number associated officially with one’s vehicle. The law is very
strict in its insistence that all paperwork is
completed correctly. Regtransfers, will take
care of all the paperwork necessary to grant
you those rights.
If it’s out
there, we’ll
find it!
Can’t find exactly the number
plate you are looking for?
Our RegAlert service can help.
Simply sign up online and tell
us what you are looking for. We
will contact you by SMS text
and email when a match is
found.
The World of Personal Number Plates
NB: It is important to remember that,
you are not allowed to display a
Suffix, Prefix or New-style number
that is newer than your vehicle.
ensure the safety of your online transactions.
We are members of the CNDA (Cherished
Numbers Dealers Association), the RMI
(Retail Motor Industry Federation) and the
FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) which
monitor our industry, and are we committed
to abide by their strict codes of conduct.
Our
PRICE
MATCH
We will not
be beaten!
In some instances, the same
or similar number which you
are looking for may be offered
for sale elsewhere.
If you find this to be the case,
let us know and we will make
every effort to match or beat
any other private dealer’s
price.
www.regtransfers.co.uk/match
The representation of names and words,
etc is mostly achieved by using numbers
which resemble letters in combination with
actual letters. This is usually unavoidable,
as the UK registrations system does not
permit more than three actual letters to
PERSONAL NUMBER PLATES
www.regtransfers.co.uk/regalert
You may hear alternative terms used: personalised number plates, private number
plates, cherished plates, cherished registrations and so on, but these are all synonymous.
Regtransfers.co.uk
41
Ask the
Expert
For many years, we have enjoyed a close
working relationship with John Harrison,
one of the country’s leading authorities on
Q
My wife and I are seeing a lot of
‘666’ registrations and we don’t
remember seeing any such
plates in the past. We were curious:
were these plates withheld from sale
until recently by the DVLA? Do you
know when they were first made available (i.e. is it a recent thing)?
A
‘666’ is considered sensitive as, in
the Book of Revelation in the Bible,
it is referred to as the “Mark of the
Beast”.
Part way through the G-prefix year
(1989/90), DVLA decided to withhold all
‘666’ numbers. At the beginning of the
‘J-year’ (1991/2), DVLA extended the range
of marks held back and offered for sale to
include ‘111’, ‘222’, etc (among others).
‘666‘ was held back, but not offered for
sale.
Later in the year, however, DVLA took the
view that if ‘666’s were offered for sale the
Noel Woodhall 1930-2013
We were very sad to learn of the passing of Mr Noel Woodall. Noel was one
of the first people to systematically
chronicle British car number plates,
coining the term “autonumerology” to
describe the study of car registrations.
The word soon caught on and, due to
his comprehensive knowledge of the
subject, Noel became known in the
trade, and to enthusiasts, as The Father
of Autonumerology.
‘And it didn’t cost the Earth’
Pete Pontin, from Nantwich in Cheshire,
runs his own gardening business and was
looking for a personal plate to adorn his
old faithful Seat Inca van.
He wanted something to catch the eye
and, as he puts it, “bring a smile and
identify me with the local community.”
48
Luckily, he was able to find the perfect
solution following a visit to the
Regtransfers website. And he is pleased to
say, with tongue firmly in cheek and
classic gardening pun fully intended, that,
“it didn’t cost the Earth.”
The World of Personal Number Plates
“Many people now know me as the chap
with the ‘Weed Me’ van,” says Pete.
“So, it works for me and I think the plate is
worth more than the van now!”
Garden Delight 07868 230662
Issue 32
the British vehicle registration system. John
is the editor of the long-running enthusiasts’
newsletter, 1903 and All That and archivist
and adviser to the Registration Numbers
Club.
Now, you can call on the expert yourself
through Regtransfers. If you have any queries about your own or somebody else’s
personal number plates, the history, or the
vagaries of the number and letter system,
please contact us. We will do our best to
find the answer, in the sure knowledge that
Mr Harrison is on hand to help.
Simply send your question by email to:
[email protected]
purchaser was taking the deliberate choice
to buy such a number and this was somewhat different from the scenario where
someone receives it as it is the next number due to be issued. Thus, ‘666’ was withheld for quite a short period.
Q
Some years back, Alexie Sayle
made a movie called Didn’t You Kill
My Brother?, in which he featured
as a murderous villain called Carl Moss.
He also drove an old Rover with the compelling registration ‘MO55’. Can you put
my mind at rest by telling me whether or
not such a number ever existed and if so
how can I track down the owner, albeit
without murderous intent?
A
ssuming it was a British registration, the number would, of course,
have been MO 55, not MO55. This
would have been issued by Berkshire in
May 1922. It appears that the number no
longer exists.
volumes had sections detailing date and
location codes as well as the customary
ownership data. This inclusion of information regarding the original issue of
plates set the format for many books to
come.
Car Numbers enjoyed some success
and several updated and expanded editions appeared over the years. The book
also made the transition to a hardcover
format. As this landmark reference tome
grew, the amount of work involved in its
1903 And All That
John Harrison’s newsletter, 1903 And All That,
deals with all aspects of vehicle registrations.
It is published quarterly and costs just £6 a
year.
If you are interested in subscribing and wish to
receive a sample copy, simply send a large
76p stamped addressed envelope to:
John Harrison, 175 Hillyfields, Loughton,
Essex IG10 2PW
production also grew, and Brian Heaton
came on board as editor of the series.
For number plates fans and dealers
alike, Noel Woodall has been fondly
regarded as a paternal figure. His tireless
work has ensured an enduring legacy.
We in the industry still refer to his books
every day, and they occupy pride of
place on bookshelves in just about every
department of Regtransfers, from the
MD’s office to the sales and marketing
departments.
During a period of many decades, Noel
Woodall wrote and compiled many
books about number plates, often in
collaboration with his friend and editor
Brian Heaton. His early, self-published
efforts included various editions of Car
Number Galaxy, a postcard-sized booklet containing lists of numbers along
with details of their owners at the time of
writing - something that would be difficult to achieve now in these days of
data protection. By the end of the 1960s,
however, Noel’s books had undergone
a spectacular transformation. His Car
Numbers books were professionally
produced, full-sized paperback books
complete with dust jackets. The contents had also evolved, and these newer
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
53
Turn your
number plate
into CASH
quickly!
WOS 11
44 SMJ
RNS 8
1980 JB
We are always interested in
purchasing quality ‘dateless’
registrations.
Stock purchase offers an
opportunity for a quick and easy
sale.
For a free quote, please go to:
www.regtransfers.co.uk/stock
a good Run for your money
How
much
could my
plate be
worth?
cluding with a celebration dinner in The
Great Hall of The Tower Hotel in Wick.
66
The World of Personal Number Plates
We provide a totally free, no-obligation,
provide the very best market place for
anyone wishing to sell one of their own.
valuation service for any registration you
wish to sell. You may not have even
We spend over £40,000 each a week to
considered its worth, but you could be sitting
maintain our prominence, both on the
on a goldmine!
internet and in the top-selling national
newspapers and magazines. As a result,
our website receives over a million page
views every week, and every one of our
visitors is a potential purchaser.
Our press advertisements dominate the
motoring sections of the weekend
Simply submit details of your registration
online and our experienced valuation team
will provide a quote. You do not have to
accept our estimate in order to proceed, but
experience shows that competitive pricing is
likely to yield quicker results.
newspapers. They generate over 5,000
Once the asking price has been agreed,
direct telephone enquiries every week from
your registration will be listed on our website
potential buyers searching for registrations
so potential buyers will be able to search
like yours.
and purchase online or over the telephone.
A total of 17 cars took part with others joining for part of the run. A round-trip of 2245
miles!
Issue 32
When you place your registration for sale
with us, it can be found on our website by
anyone searching for an exact match or
under the search terms you have
specified.
The search results will, naturally, return
many alternatives. Our Premium Listing
option puts your registration among the
top results.
Premium Advertising
Package NEW!
s (1)
sting
Li
mium
Pre
BOB
752
2)
ns (5
atio
gistr
’ Re
‘bob
95
£4,9
95
£4,9
uk
.
o
c
.
erEsR PLATES
f
s
n
a
RegPEtRrSONAL NUMB
0D
BOB 7
BOB
OO05
®
95
£3,9
ed 19
blish
As part of our new Premium Advertising
Esta
n
Package, as well as the Premium Listing
Mollo n
Generally speaking, shorter
LON
ra
MOII I24N Mor ic Pa
option above, your registration will be
MOR CPA Mus by
combinations are more desirable,
Kaher
ek!
included in our weekly listings w
in e
The
R
il
3
m
MU5I WBY New
a
H
K
A
K
s aMONeditions
and those where the letters
DAY of
y
IIL
ley
Nice
y
N333 Y
Sunday Times and the
Saturday
a
a
M
h
K
p
A
d
K
Gly le
7
Y
CE E Nicole
EY Kellers
A
I
L
•
D
N
I
7
H
g
4
L
o
P
precede the numbers are preferred
m and
O
the Daily
OL
GI Y LEY Go gles K EII ERS Kester
0pMail
NI66 B Niro on
NK HThe Daily Telegraph.
K
m-1
GO06 LES Goo s
3R Keward
RO
G BA
7
Nols
I
Carly y
N
to the reverse equivalents e.g.
8aTogether,
N
I
S
E
6
D
s
K
Y
these prestige promotions
it
L 50N Olives
GO0 555S Go y
42D Kober
O
N
C4 RLI7Y Cav rms
W
INCLU
E
r
S
K
E
ll
GOS YS Gu yer
3R
dau
Chu ofy
represent a simple
OLII V ELL Orre it
CAV RMS way
Abbaand affordable
KOB AU Lan h
GII R 3R Gw en
ogle
II
RI2 T Oss
C
H
D
A
a
O
C
B
e
id
II
L
B
A
WXY 1 rather than 1 WXY
A
d
Y
Y
L
putting8 your registration
directly
I3in front
I7
GW EN Ha
er
HS
Coleofn
OSS EL Pate
COG IE
Aide
I DH
L33 A ER Leip ton
Hal r
Y 4Amillions
HI4 D
Paw
literally
purchasers.
A
47 T
CO AN Conla on
P
n
EY ofApotential
di
P
A
e
n
II
D
D
le
L
E
I
r
I
L
a
IB6ig Day
H 4 I3R H ard
I5
700N Lisa Xxx
B
OII L ON Coup h
AW IES Pe
il
P
C
n
D
N
A
E
N
v
L
a
A
R
Registrations with a ‘date identifier’
H
HA
k
Pe
XXX
3 GG
Crotc
OII P
n
LLL
6er3R AI4NIIRON AArsohoke CCRII TIIC5HH Dagliissh HAV3 4L2EDR Heeenleryr LI0I504 KA LLooorna PPEY 740HN P
6
have less value, unless they also
O
H3 22Y H se
KE
ey
n
BL Blogg
II4S
POV 7T R
DAG 77S Dav re
LOR 3Y Lyns got
ASII O3N Axte gor
Hor y Auction
HENRegtransfers
include a single ‘1’ or represent a
5
n
ag an RAB 3637T
DAV RE Deid ny The
a
E
T
e
N
N
M
B
S
X
Y
w
L
4
o
A
R
H
7
II0
ow
on
90T
90R
RAG
DI3 DNYY Den eson expands
3Ythe options
ren open
MAG toWAN Mag
BAN ON Bats er
name or word e.g.
BOBSostan
HOW REN Hur st
0
aj
23 AC VES
DEII 350N Dev ner buyers
6
4
M
r
M
u
I2
B47 S3R Bay ley
and
sellers
of
personal
HU RST H
5D
EV 3R Doo
rner
a
a
R666 7IS
E
J
D
e
Y
I
A
M
B
A
y
II
r
M
B
r
II
R
H
Io
A1 WXY • •DAM I4N
W
NE Masley
de
EY
RUS LE
I2
DOO 3R Dytees registrations.
DUDR
a
A
n
Y
urie
M
B34 L DE Blon
a
R
w
Ir
I0
N
DYT 3S Elm en It provides
5 LEYEW Matthe 0M S444
er
ob
II
A
4
n
B
L
S4 MMY • BU55 ELL
n
N
M
B
e
A
a
dynamic
J
I2
80
H
ELM N Fab
ER Joel
ROW 752 B6OKB Brack
MA55 800M Men
JEII NIS that
can
Fine environment
N
FAB 3 V
s greatly
HAIH2arrow
E
a
Bry ll
n
M
BRA
E
o
a
but not:
J
y
IS
JO the
e
FI NE YA Fre increase
chancess for
5W
8 RY 23IL Burr er
FP II
ter
ON 4 33S Jone
E
7
E
J
P
a
I
G
I2
tt
F
u
R
N
S789 WXY • WXY 789D
3
sellers
to
a quick
BU ER B on
ey
ER
LELenie
I
JONachieve
5 PGC
I MLM
GI4 T I3Y Getln
W
I
II7 T N Byr
T
II
K
B
N
P
K
sale,
and
for
buyers
to
find
I M TD 3
ST51 WXY
KK
Gly
L 5
GET N
RO
aiels
Y
P
C
7
9
M
G
B
J
E
9
2
C
8
S
Y
S
G
L
L
er
42 MY 6
a bargain. 05 I2 J A I K 9
MJ
CAII E ER Cald Bob A6
6
SHSIhIaggy
I00 P PO
KSJ 6 92I2
29 JE
GEK E
4II D OB Call
0
6
C
9
L
N
3
A
J
G
H
2
8 J 00 LA LB 3 NCG 6 RN
5G E
62 E
6
I THY CAII B
P
I
832
2 GK MC JGL JGP I990 E
3 5 80 PS
DEZ 8 D EJS I
W3W4ealthy
G
LC I NCL 58
9
F
I9 77
R
7
9
Y
D
4
8
P
9
L
5
5
B
E
7
5
95 I NFN
6I4
FW 3 EM
PTG
PR
I GPOG JGP JHT LDR I
36
The World of Personal
Issue M
32
333 D
6 BPlates
I ABF Number
J
G I
R
R
4
7 PU 2
F
N
9
P
G
I2
G
L
2
6
E
B
L
8
I
S
A
D
B
H
5
PWD 8
F
E
5 GR 39I JJO II LHG
9 NPM
0 DM 3 ESC
C
C
J
2
0
T
7
A
0
B
6
9
W
I
9
N
I
5
H
I
SJ
ors
dvis
les a
77
7
7
6
9
2
8
5
01
r sa
o ou
Talk t
S
ORD
W
D
N
ES A
M
A
N
The route took them from The Lands End
Hotel through to Newport, Conwy, and
Ulleswater, then on to Ayr in Scotland, Fort
William, Ullapool and, John O’ Groats, con-
of registrations we own, we are able to
personal number plates. This is simply
Online
auction
www.regtransfers.co.uk/auction
S
“The cars were all Mercedes CLK models.
My paperwork came through only the day
before our journey and, of course, my new
plate was, well let’s just say, noticed! We
visited so many beautiful places on the way
and met some great people.”
because, in addition to the vast numbers
Our FREE
valuation service
Regtransfers is the UK’s largest supplier of
Premium Listing
“It was a fantastic experience going through
each county in England, then Wales and on
to bonny Scotland,” says Ste. “Each town,
village or beach was a new adventure.
te Leach and his girlfriend, Jane,
have just completed the Great CLK
Land’s End to John O’Groats Run.
The event was organised by the Mercedes
Club UK and ran from the 19th to 25th
August 2013.
Selling a personal number plate
The end of
an ERA
Geoffrey Weiner of Brighton, Sussex,
acquired the registration J7 ERA in 2003
and it is, appropriately, assigned to his
1991 ERA. Mini Turbo.
a good browse
Howard and Daphne Baggaley of
Mansfied, Nottinghamshire enjoy The
World of Personal Number Plates and
always have a good browse to see what’s
on offer.
They thought, quite correctly, that we
would be interested to see a picture of
them with the numbers they acquired for
their cars through Regtransfers some time
ago.
Howard’s full name is Howard Herbert
Baggaley, so HHB 1 is a natural choice.
He claims that Daphne’s number, HHB 1W
is short for ‘Howard H Baggaley’s No. 1
wife!’
“She’s looking a bit pensive,” he
concedes, “because I had been browsing
through your issue 30 and she thought I
was looking for HHB 2W!”
“Mine was described as the last one off the
production line,” Geoffrey says. “The car
was featured on the cover of Mini World
magazine, and in a two-page article within
the publication naming the original owner. I
had already been in contact with him at a
Mini club gathering at Brooklands and had
asked him if it was for sale. He said he
would consider selling and made contact
the following year, when I purchased it from
him in nearby Eastbourne.
“The ERA [English Racing Automobiles]
Mini Turbo was the replacement for the
1275 Mini, but it was launched at the same
time as the VW Golf. The Mini, being dearer,
was outsold by the Golf, which became the
favoured vehicle for the ‘boy racer’. Very
few ERAs were built and they are a rare
sight on the roads today. Most were produced in British Racing Green and had a
glass panel pop-up sun-roof and front spotlights as standard, but the best feature of all
was the very plush interior with racing style
seats and special eight dial dash, all finished in grey. The marque is now recognised as a true classic and prices reflect
this.
the Pink Panther
Alan Mead lives in Bexhill-on-Sea on the
south coast in Sussex, and very proud
he is too of his town and its rich heritage.
You would have to go a long way to
better the wonderful BEX 111L (‘Bexhill’)
number plate which adorns his cute little
pink Smart Car. The car is known by
locals as The Pink Panther and is shown
72
in the photograph above with Alan’s
Vietnamese-born wife, Hue.
The startling building on the right of the
picture is the famous Art Deco building,
the De La Warr Pavillion. Earl De La Warr
instigated the very first motor races in the
UK over the Whitsun weekend of 1902.
Among the competitors in the events
The World of Personal Number Plates
were a veritable Who’s Who of the motor
car world, including none less than
Charles Stewart Rolls, Baron Henri de
Rothschild and Lord Montague.
Bexhill is now home to the Bexhill 100
Club, formed to celebrate the 100th
anniversary of these events and stages
regular displays and rallies.
Issue 32
Plus Eight and the 4/4. Mine was a 4/4. Why
not a Plus Four? Well, records show that, in
1962, Chris Lawrence of the famous
‘Lawrence Tune Co.’ of Acton, London, took
a 4/4 and had it converted to Plus Four
spec at the Morgan factory for the race with
full factory backing.”
“I acquired a derelict site in Brighton and,
after many months of negotiation between
my architect and the local council, got planning permission to build a dedicated gallery
for the collection. It was important to have
them on display in natural light and so the
roof is constructed of special light-intensive
sun-dim panels to show the mascots in the
best light.”
More details may be found on Geoffrey’s
Facebook page ‘Unique Lalique Mascots’
Geoffrey is in the ‘automobilia’ trade, that’s
to say he buys and sells automotive items
of classic interest, such as motoring badges, car mascots and the like.
“I have sold off most of this stock in recent
years,” he says “and now concentrate on
acquiring the prestigious Lalique glass car
mascots, designed and produced by the
well known French artist and entrepreneur
Rene Jules Lalique during the inter-war
years of the Art Deco era.
“Back in 2011, I was asked to put on an
exhibition of them in London and this was a
resounding success with visitors from all
over the world. This year I will have a book
published covering them in detail, the first
ever dedicated to the subject!
“I’m a true car nut and I love classic Minis,”
says Geoffrey, “but, alas, I’ve rather grown
out of them. My new love is the Morgan
sports car, a marque to which I’ve been
loyal for some years now. I currently have a
Morgan Plus Four Commemorative
Centenary model from 2009. I did a part
exchange with the Mini Turbo to acquire a
special Morgan which was a Le Mans ‘62, a
special edition built in 2002 to commemorate Morgan’s class win victory at La Sarthe
in 1962. A small number were produced in
2002 as a limited edition comprising the
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
77
Getting into
the Swing
M
ike and Sharon Pirrie from
Stowmarket in Suffolk started to get
involved in the 1940s some seven
years ago, when they attended a jazz session. A couple of the dancers stood out
from the rest and they turned out to be
instructors. “We enrolled immediately and
we haven’t looked back since,” say the
couple.
“We learned the dances of the Forties, such
as the ‘Lindy’, ‘Swing Jive’, ‘Bal-Swing Jive’
and so on, and went to various dances laid
on locally in and around East Anglia.”
74
To get fully into the swing [Sorry! -Ed.] of
things, Mike and Sharon started to buy
period clothes, shoes and hats in order to
dress for the occasion.
The next logical step was to search for suitable vintage transport. Quite by chance,
they managed to find the 1942 Willys Jeep
(pictured centre, above) right on their doorstep. Only later did they discover the
remarkable history behind the vehicle.
Between 1943 and 1945, it had spent its
time at the US Army Air Force Base at
Rougham, near Bury St Edmunds.
During its time there it looked after two
American B17 bombers, known as ‘Flying
Fortresses’.
The World of Personal Number Plates
“My wife makes a lot of her own clothes,”
says Mike, “and one of the looks she liked
was that of an American war time factory
girl called Rosie the Riveter.” Rosie was
used in a major advertising campaign in the
United States to raise money through war
bonds.
So, when they saw RO5I BOP on the
Regtransfers web site, they could not resist
the combination of ‘Rosie’ and ‘Bop’ (a
common term for American popular dancing).
Sometime later, Mike retired from work but
set up his own business. “I had to buy a
car,” he says, “Naturally, I scoured the
Regtransfers site again and found, to my
amazement and luck, B17 BOP. What
could I do, other than go for it as well?”
Issue 32
Sharon and Mike with a group of like-minded dancing friends on a vintage coach trip to Southwold on the Suffolk coast.
Issue 32
The World of Personal Number Plates
75
InstrumentalPersonal
in their gifts
Success
from Regtransfers
New!
James
Edward
Redshaw, is the
drummer in ‘death
metal’ band, Pain
These handmade cufflinks
are made So his
Penitentiary.
from stainless steel with plate,
durable
resinJER, is
R666
covered inserts and are finished to the
doublystandard
appropriate
since it represents
highest
to produce
a quality both
his initials
personal
gift.and ‘666’ (the ‘number of the
beast’).
Just
like the real thing, these cufflinks
come
in aispair
(front)
“James
the with
hairyone
onewhite
in the
2 way suit,”
and one yellow (rear) number plate,
says his father, Mike. “I am way too old to
both with the same registration.
wear something like that!”
They are beautifully presented in a
The Redshaws,
from
Norwich,
also own
stylish
midnight blue
coloured
gift box.
10
MGR,
MGR
998
(both
currently
on
Approximate dimensions: 22mm x 12mm.
motorbikes) and M10 AEL (on Mike’s
£39.99
Bentley Brooklands).
W
e all know that a personal number
plate makes a great gift, but some
situations call for a slightly different
kind
of present.
company.
“The R3 DCO plate came up just
as
we
were
expanding
Regtransfers offers
a range aof number
number of years
ago,”
he says
“and
really afford
plates
themed
gifts
for we
the couldn’t
cherished
registrations
carwe
enthusiast.
it but, heyorho,
had to have it. And when
DGT came
up, number
I couldn’t
believe my
OurR3
selection
of private
plates
luckhas
– I’d
just
bought
a Red
books
been
written
by some
of Continental
the UK's
leading
GT!” autonumerology specialists,
including Regtransfers' own team of expert
The consortium
is calledare
theactually
MiMoCo (Mike
writers,
and some volumes
& Mo) Group.
usedyour
to own
published
by us. “We
Whether
areaM111
of OCO,
interest
is itcelebrity
numbers,
the history
of
but let
go by mistake
a few
years ago.”
UK car registrations or information
Red Dragon
Ltd was
formed in 2010
regarding
when Media
and where
specific
by Mike
andissued,
his stepson,
David
as
numbers
were
we have
just Holmes,
what
youaneed.
design and signage company. “We are
to expand
further die-cast
into thecarmusic
Ourhoping
authentic,
highly detailed,
business,”
Mike,
“with
models
may besays
ordered
with
theirband
own promomodel
plates. Order
a faithful
tionsnumber
and rehearsal
studios
in our new
93 MO was a present for long suffering
wife, Maureen (Mo), who was complaining
that she didn’t have a plate whilst Mike had
Where’s
From? he concedes.
Fanatical About
four. “FairIt
comment,”
Books
When Was It Issued?
miniature reproduction of your car complete
with your personal registration! Or, for those
who do not yet have their dream car or
premises.”
number,
why notAnd
buy aJames,
smaller,the
moreafore-menaffordable
version of that coveted
tioned percussionist,
is keen to be instruLamborghini
and personal
plate?
mental [Sorry!
–Ed.] in this
project.
These
models
are authorised
by the
“With
bank rates
so low these
days number
manufacturers of the real production
plates represent great investments,” Mike
vehicles depicted in the range. Depending
concludes,
are infinitely
upon
the model,“and
thesethey
miniatures
boast more
interesting
thanfeatures
lookingincluding
at a bank statemany
outstanding
ment.”doors, boots and bonnets;
opening
authentic engine detail, steerable wheels
and more.
Our quality number plate cufflinks are the
ideal gift for any occasion and make
wonderful wedding, anniversary and
birthday presents. They can be personalised
using up to 10 characters (including
spaces) to create that dream registration,
name, set of initials or special date.
All prices include FREE DELIVERY
World of Personal
Number Plates Annual
Number Plates
“J44 GXJ was bought in the mid-1990s to
go onto my XJ Jaguar. The guy who bought
it two years later had his own plate, so I kept
the car-related one on retention. I used to
be in every Jaguar Club going before
I moved to Bentleys.”
‘The ultimate
wedding car experience’
We specialise in providing a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce Phantom hire service at competitive
rates within a 15 mile radius of Dunstable, Bedfordshire.
Our objective is to provide 'Total Indulgence' as emphasised by the stunning registration plate.
Let us convey you in outstanding luxury, style, comfort and safety.
Car Transfers provide a friendly, uniformed chauffeur, your choice of coloured ribbons and a
Car Numbers
Then and Now
complimentary bottle of champagne to help you make your special day truly memorable.
One of Mike’s companies, Redco, was originally established in 1981 as a plastics
stockholder and precision engineering
by Noel Woodall
and Brian Heaton
by Ruby Speechley
This exhaustively researched
book enables the reader to find
both the year and location of
issue for British car registrations
from their introduction in 1903.
Written by Regtransfers.co.uk’s
own expert, Fanatical About
Number Plates combines history
and facts with personal stories
and photographs.
This substantial volume gathers
together the best of our recent
magazine articles and a wealth
of interesting and useful
information, alongside a host of
brand new stories and features.
208 pages Paperback
298 pages Hardback
198 pages Hardback £9.99 £24.99
£24.99
£18.99
Models
by Noel Woodall and
Brian Heaton
Hundreds of pages of
photographs and a staggeringly
comprehensive directory of UK
car number plates and their
owners.
896 pages Hardback
£44.99
All prices include FREE DELIVERY
Audi R8
£39.99
Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
£39.99
Lamborghini Gallardo Superleggera
£39.99
Bentley Continental Convertible ISR
£39.99
Range Rover Sport
£39.99
Aston Martin DB5
£48.99
The Perfect Gift
78
Call us: 01582 969585
Order online at www.regtransfers.co.uk/products
The World of Personal Number Plates
CarTransfers.co.uk
Issue 32
luxury wedding services
[email protected]
Regtransfers
Personal Number Plates
Issue 32
Issue 32
£5.95 where sold
The World of
Kelly Hoppen

Download Report