I dislike those reg. numbers because they are all so generic and similar. To me, the reg. number is a part of the car's individuality/identity and because these "age related" numbers are so samey they just don't stand out to me. Put another way, I know a number of classic cars by their number plates but absolutely none of them are these XUB, XUA ones! :)

Nobody is going to frown on you for having a DVLA import plate and for my part this isn't about trying to pass off an import as a UK car. Yours is a special car and I'd love to see it wearing a 'proper' age related plate! 😃 ;)

Having said that, 'proper' age related plates, ones without any special meaning that I can see, seem to be on offer for £1k upwards right now!:shock:

tman wrote:

My 58 still wears its original 'ACE' plates complete with solid cast ally triangular (toblerone) letters. I'm guessing not much would have changed from 57.

harveypj wrote:

Those alloy plates bend very nicely LT.You can practice your coachbuilding skills:wink:

'50 Karmann wrote:

I personally wouldn't put any mudflaps on it.

Trawl ebay and you will find a half-decent 'proper' age related plate for £500-ish.

Rich Oakley wrote:

I got my engine seal from Barclay at 'StatusVW'. its spot on :d

harveypj wrote:

I am with tman & Rich, buying a plate is essential, I cant cope with X plates either.
I think it is a small extra investment, that makes a world of difference to the car. And there are always plenty around.
Although you would think that with XU, they must be coming to the end soon?

re. mudflaps, like us with swedish cars which usually had mudflaps, I agree it is nice to keep them on, only as it gives the car a bit more original country identity.

However, I would only refit if I could find good used, or nos correct type to those originally most likely fitted,
(on splits it is worth repairing originals even if split)

But personally I would not buy/fit modern repro's as I dont see any point. Mudflaps are hardly a pretty add-on, but at least there is charm to originals which have survived for 50yrs.

(also if you touch your headliner I will come round and smack your fingers with my metal ruler!:lol: )

mrsherbie wrote:

I don't understand why it's an issue - it's a number? The car is imported and proudly so....

Last Triumph wrote:

My '57 is a UK car originally registered in Essex. it kept it's original number plate for the first 46 years of its life but it was then transferred to a van and the car was issued with an "age related" plate. Now when ever anyone sees it they ask if the car is a Swedish import.

I haven't got anything against VWs imported form Sweden, or any other country come to that and I would be proud to own one - especially one like yours! But as mine is a UK car, it irks me that it appears to have been imported and I am keen to get the original plate back on it.

The enjoyment of owning an old VW is as much about the provenance and history of the car as it is about the car itself, the number plate is an indicator to others of where that history might have begun.

Mike 😎

Mike Peckham wrote:

But mine's from Portugal, so why would I try and hide that?
That's what I don't understand?

Last Triumph wrote:

And back to my original question - how do they know it's an 'age related' plate and the other questions regarding numbers or letter first etc?

Last Triumph wrote:

Just have the Portuguese plates remade then and put a metallic one on the front and rear bumpers when you drive it :!: :lol:



Because most petrolheads can spot DVLA "age related" plates a mile off due to the sequence of letters used...XUF, XUX examples and just don't like them.

Now as you say, that doesn't really matter as you're proud of the car's heritage and its story, it's just I think we feel the car deserves a better "look" than just another DVLA sequenced number. Rich's 47 is a classic example. Registered as 813 UXU is now wears 43 TEV and looks a whole world better for it.

As to letter or numbers first, the following will make interesting reading! :beer:

A1 - YY9999 : 1903 - 1930's
Each council was issued with one or more letter codes for registering vehicles. Originally both one and two letter codes were issued as of 1903. This original system, using the one or two letter area code and one to four numbers (e.g. AA1 - AA9999) soon ran out and by the 1930's a change was needed.

AAA1 - YYY999 : 1930's - 1960's
It was decided an extra serial letter was to be introduced prefixing the original area code. This could only be used with two letter area codes, as prefixing a one letter area code would duplicate a two letter code, so the single letter area codes became obsolete. Serial letters were first introduced around 1932 as necessary. In order for the size of the plates to remain the same, a maximum of only three numbers (e.g. AAA234, GRF823) was used with this system. This serial letter ran in rotation with the numbers, so in the example ADE998, the "DE" is the area code (in this instance, Pembrokeshire County Council), and the A--998 runs in sequence. The next number in the Pembrokshire series would be ADE999, followed by BDE1 (note that no zeroes prefix the number 1).

1AAA - 999YYY : 1950's - 1960's
In the 1950's the system was reversed by councils who had run out of combinations in the previous series, now with the numbers prefixing the letters (e.g. 237RYU). A small number of councils ran out of these numbers by the late 1950's / early 1960's and as a temporary measure, four number / one or two letter area code registrations were issued (e.g. 2345AA). These did not have a serial letter, the one or two letters being the area codes as originally issued in the reversed format. Only the single letter area codes D,E,F,H,K,N,R,U and W were issued in this reversed format (e.g. 1042D) between 1953 and 1962. This was the last time the single letter area codes were used. Not all of these numbers were issued, making this type of number rarer than the ABC123 type.

55Kab wrote:

Thank you - all makes sense now.

Couple of points from my perspective then... Firstly, either a letters or numbers first plate would be fine. Secondly, as mine is an import and I'm not trying to hide that fact, it would in some ways be almost less genuine to have 'correct' plate, as the car would never have had one... just the way I see it.

As a side issue - my father used to own the oldest ever Austin Mini registered in the UK, registered on August 1st 1959 - the Earls Court motor show car, registered from new on WUX737.... which suggests it's an import??? Which it wasn't.

Last Triumph wrote: